Watchable but not memorable.

Rating: 6/10 (15 June 2012)

It must be difficult being a Pixar flick; anything short of brilliant and you've failed to meet the expected standard. Brave is possibly their boldest attempt in some time, yet is also their least satisfying. Not only dark in themes – pondering the human cost of stubbornness, pride and unwavering vengeance – this Highlander tale is visually gloomy too, largely set in a murky forest and a dimly lit castle. The intensely dramatic tone (the climactic showdown between bears is absolutely vicious) and shadowy cinematography seldom lets up, but when it does there's plenty to enjoy. Not least Billy Connolly's affable buffoon King Fergus (surely a distant relative of Gerard Butler's Viking leader Stoik in How to Train Your Dragon), whose harmless oafishness is a delight to watch. The animation is naturally perfect, the 3D is utilised with care and a handful of gags certainly hit the spot, but this is one of those rare Pixar commodities: watchable, but not memorable.