Review of Brave (2012) by Aquophis — 21 Jun 2012

Don't listen to the critics! This movie, although adopting a premise that has been done to death (especially by Disney), is still subversive as much as it is conventional. It's a character-driven story - like every other Pixar movie - that focuses more on the chemistry between the protagonist and her mother than on the adventure.

It does so deftly, with theme and emotion and depth all around, as much depth as How To Train Your Dragon (to which it is often compared. Personally I think they're equally great.) What I loved the most was the care they took in portraying Merida realistically - not as a badass action heroine, but as a frightened, desperate child who only wanted her mother back.

She doesn't end up with a husband by the end of the movie, but I think it's better that way. We really needed a movie, actually, that reminds us that things like love and occupation don't need to be found when you're so young.

Because in the end, this movie is really about a girl who just wants to be the child that she is, while she still can, rather than grow up too fast. And I find that incredibly poignant.