Review - Brave

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2012)

My Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Over its years, Pixar has brought its magic of high quality animation and good storytelling to the screen. Some of their films are better than others, but I've at least liked, or even loved, all of their films to date. I even found Cars 2 to be okay, even though it's my least favorite Pixar film. This summer I went to theater to see Brave, Pixar's thirteenth major feature film. I was a bit worried due to a lot of the negative criticism surrounding the film, but I ended up enjoying it. I also saw it again recently on DVD. I've already written a review for this film, but I've decided to re-write it now that I've had a couple additional viewings of the film.
Brave is the story of Merida, a young red-haired princess and aspiring archer who is unhappy with her controlled and restricted life. When she is asked by her mother, Queen Elinor, to choose between three possible suitors from three other clans, she is even more upset, and, after a spat with her mother, she eventually flees into the woods, and soon comes upon a cottage (led there by magical blue willo-the-wisps), where she meets a witch. She begs for a magic spell to change her mother's mind, but it doesn't exactly go according to how Merida wants it...and problems ensue...
I was a bit worried that I would like the movie on DVD less than I did on the big screen, but I ended up enjoying it just as much as I did before, and I still stand by my three-and-a-half (out of four) star rating. Brave is not without problems, but I can tell that the filmmakers really put in a good amount of effort to try and make the film work for what it's worth. The film's flaws are mostly forgivable and, while they do hold the film back from living up to its potential, they do not spoil the film.
The story is not original or creative, and it's somewhat clichéd and predictable in areas. But the film does contain a lot of uniqueness, both visually and story-wise. What I liked most about the film was Merida herself, whom I found to be an interesting, complex, and charismatic character. She may be a princess, and yes, in a Disney movie, but she's not your average Disney princess. She's not the kind of princess who falls in love with a prince on a white steed. She is spunky, strong-willed, and independent, and she has bright, wild red hair that matches her personality. I fell in love with her, and I genuinely cared about her and even related to her a bit, and I stuck with her and got emotionally involved throughout the film. I even thought she was cute in terms of physical appearance, especially her hair. And Kelly MacDonald further helps to bring this feisty lass to life with a great voice performance with a cute Scottish accent.
I enjoyed the dynamic relationship between her and her mother, and the bonding they undergo. Again, this is not a romance film. Instead, it concerns more personal and more relatable themes (in my opinion); family values and relationships, personal decisions, controlling one's own fate (deciding your own path in life), admitting one's mistakes, and some other valuable and life lessons. I especially liked the mother-daughter aspect. I myself am a 20 year old guy, but I still related to Merida and her relationship with her mother. While it may not be a romance film, it's definitely a film about love.
The animation in this film is stunningly beautiful and helps bring the film to life. The Scottish landscape, the characters, Merida's hair, the wisps, and everything else in the film is all excellently animated. Sound-wise the film is very good too, both music and other effects. Composer Patrick Doyle, who was responsible for the score in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, composed a great score for this film. I think the film could have used some more (and better) humor, but it did have its humorous moments as it is. It also handles its more emotional areas well, if you ask me.
I feel that there are some things in the film that are meant to be felt rather than explained, and a few of these are meant to be a bit mysterious and open-ended. The film somewhat succeeds at these, but unfortunately it stumbles a bit here. I feel that the filmmakers overreached a bit in these areas. As a result some of these things didn't have the full effect they were supposed to have, and some of them felt a bit out of place. Yes, the movie felt a bit uneven and unpolished in some areas, and even bit compressed and rushed in a few.
I honestly think the film could have benefited from a longer running length, with which the film could have improved some things, including, but not limited to, fleshing out the characters more, explaining some things better, and polishing up some plot elements. Also, it would have allowed the mysterious and open-ended feeling be established properly, with an appropriate balance between the things that are explained and those that are meant to be felt. Another criticism (more minor, though) I have is that the film could have used a bit more thought towards character development; the characters are all effective, and some of them memorable (especially Merida), but except for Merida and Elinor, the characters are a bit underdeveloped.
However, despite these shortcomings, and a few more, I enjoyed the movie; I thought it was handled pretty well, even the weaker areas. Brave is a bit flawed, and it's definitely not Pixar's best, but I found it be a good movie overall; it's cute, charming, heartwarming, funny in areas, visually stunning, and undeserving of the negativity it receives.