Not the best from Pixar
Pic source: Wikipedia
Brave is the first fairy tale style film from Pixar and the first film from the animation studio to have a female lead character. The film’s trailers looked great and I was curious about the adventures of the red-haired Scottish princess. However, I left the theatre disappointed. Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, Brave is the weakest Pixar film I have seen (seen all except Cars & Cars 2); the animation is nice and there are great visuals, but the real problem with Brave is its weak script (screenplay: Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman & Irene Mecchi). The story is new but does not seem fresh; it is predictable and does not pack a punch.
Set in a Scottish kingdom, Brave tells the story of Princess Merida (voice: Kelly Macdonald) who wants to be the mistress of her own fate. The headstrong princess is an accomplished archer and is a daddy’s girl (Billy Connolly as King Fergus); her mother, Queen Elinor’s (Emma Thompson) attempts to teach her the ways of the royalty amuse as well as irritate her. The mother-daughter relationship and Merida’s acts of defiance are the best part of the film; one can relate to her as she struggles to be understood by her parents. Merida is likeable but somehow there is not enough done to make the audience connect with her emotionally. The resolution to the big problem she faces seems rather simple and yes, there is the usual ‘moral of the story’ that makes the film a bit preachy in parts.
Coming to the animation, one cannot really question Pixar in this department. There are beautiful forest sequences and the aerial views are breathtaking; water is shown beautifully and appears real. However, the use of 3D does not add to the film’s rich visuals, the way it was done in Dreamworks’ Scottish inspired outing, How to Train Your Dragon. I wish Merida had more spunk like Princess Fiona (Shrek); there were more surprises in the story with a better climax; and more pop culture references (like Madagascar 3) to keep the adults engaged.
It is summer time and Brave is a good option for kids but unlike other Pixar gems, this one does not really shine for adults.
The Movie Review Blog 
Taking my cousins to see this hope its good, nice review 😀
Hi Tim, am sure your cousins will enjoy the film more than I did. Let me know what you think later. Cheers!
Will do 🙂
Hmm I agree with you Shrey. The film was not one of the best films from Pixar and certainly not for adults. No wonder, when I walked in I could only see kids all around 🙂 I still liked the film and loved the boys 🙂 I was delighted nevertheless.
I liked the triplets too 🙂
Lol, the triplets were pretty great. I just finished my review of this movie so I can now go around and read other reviews and I’m definitely suprised by how negative some of them are. I’m pretty much in the same boat as you in that I thought it was good but nor up to Par with Pixar’s previous standard, and I definitely agree with you that there wasn’t nearly the same age-wide appeal as other pixar movies have had. I personally blame it on Disney but oh well…
The only thing I disagree with you on is the pop culture reference thing, If Pixar starts trying to do a bunch of pop culture references like Dreamworks movies it would feel like it had lost its ability to be boldly and unwaveringly original.
Hmm… well, pop culture references or not, Pixar needs to be ‘brave’ going forward like they were earlier. Let’s see if they surprise us.
This is a magnificent family movie where a girl rules. It isn’t that funny for adults, but it’s visually lush and entertaining. The film was made using motion capture technology, which I find mesmerizing because it looks like there are real people behind the animation.
Hi Carmen, I agree on the visuals but I feel the makers didn’t do justice to the lead character and the audience with weak writing.
Great!!! i liked this post, Because you are providing very nice information about Brave movie. After read that, I realized that i will must see this movie..