Brave

Travis Bell 6/23/2021 3:57:20 PM 8.4

I enjoyed Brave but it wasn't without a few flaws. First of all, I never felt like there was much meat to the story. It was enjoyable sure, and had some good morals and family values but I never felt like I was invested in the main characters. Stuff just seemed to happen. Secondly, and this isn't as much the movies fault as perhaps the marketing that surrounded it, but it was actually a very different movie than I thought it was going to be. I discovered that it's hard to break those pre-conceptions as I kept thinking the story was going somewhere else than it did. Brave was at its best when it made me laugh which unfortunately, was just too seldom. For example, the entire scene where the 3 clans try to fight for Mérida's hand was way too short! The voice cast was very good though. Kelly Macdonald in particular, was perfect as Mérida. All in all, Brave was good but not great. It just seems to lack the "magic" I expect from Pixar. Not their worst outing but close to it.

r96sk 6/23/2021 3:58:43 PM 8.4

A wholehearted animated film from Disney. <em>'Brave'</em> is very good. The Scottish vibes help a lot, but the meaningful message and superb animation are just a few of the film's other big positives. The casting, characters and music are some too. The premise itself isn't anything breathtakingly new, but is most certainly enjoyable to see unfold. The cast are excellent, with my personal standouts being Kelly Macdonald (Merida) and Emma Thompson (Elinor). There are also good performances from Billy Connolly (Fergus), Robbie Coltrane (Dingwall) and Julie Walters (Witch). It's a fun and simple watch, one I thoroughly felt entertained by.

CinemaSerf 8/29/2022 1:09:27 PM 8.4

To be honest, I was expecting rather more from this feature. It centres around the tomboyish princess "Merida" who is being groomed by her fastidious mother 'Elinor" into a refined and genteel lady befitting her station. Her father, "Fergus" is a bit rougher round the edges but by and large the family - along with the two younger twin boys - rub along ok. That is, until the king and queen announce to their daughter that it is time for her betrothal - and that she just marry one of the pretty hapless heirs from one of the three great clans of the kingdom. Unimpressed, she runs away and encounters a witch who agrees to cast a spell that will change her mother's mind... Well it does a load more than that, and soon the young "Merida" has to reconcile the fall out from her hastily sought wish as well as fend of a legendary bear that has already robbed the King of half of his leg. The adventure is entertaining enough, but the story is too thin to stretch for ninety minutes and despite some characterful and amusing efforts from Julie Walters, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson, I found this just a bit slow. The accents are Scottish, but it really could have been set anywhere and be about anything. The standard of animation isn't brilliant either - it has a very linear style to it that I didn't think so natural, especially as much of this takes place outdoors in a dense and colourful forest. It's still an engaging family film though, one that you could safely leave the youngsters in front of without worry. One from the factory, you might say.