Bear-ly Average

Rating: 5/10 (9 August 2014)

Scroll back two years ago - I was excited to see Brave. Toy Story 3 was fine, but it was hanging in old ground. I didn't even think of going to Cars 2. Brave looked fresh, an epic fantasy adventure from a big budget, yet highly respected studio.
Saw it with the family. Came out with all four of us underwhelmed.
One of Pixar's defining trademarks is its unique ideas. They can create fantastic worlds, and use plots barely explored before. You're not going to find another movie about an old man and his floating house on a quest to save a rare bird from another old man and his dogs, just for a boy's approval. Brave...is just another princess deconstruction, set in a pretty plain Scotland. There's bears, I suppose.
I know that its a family movie, but the plot was so predictable, there's little suspense. Especially the ending. Jeez. I didn't love any of the characters, and its theme doesn't seem necessary today. Heck, when it comes to movies straying from princess stereotypes, Disney already produced two better films not 3 years before Brave: The Princess and the Frog and Tangled.
Nothing about the film was terrible. And the animation was pretty good, although it didn't have much to do beyond the main's hair. But in terms of plot, character, and writing, nothing amazed me, or even stood out. And its more than just my tastes, as many others share similar feelings.
Its skip-able. If you are going to see it, the worse thing you can do is go in with high expectations.