The hits keep coming for Pixar. Not the good kind of hits, I'm of course talking about setbacks and errors in judgment. After one of their golden boys' live-action debut turned into a spectacle failure, and a growing derision after CARS 2, comes forth this sadly misfortunate piece. BRAVE is ultimately a good film, something that will pass the time and keep you entertained to an extent. However, whether it is a feeling of disappointment or just having a critical opinion, this movie is not always a magical experience. It has fleeting moments of greatness, muddled among the brouhaha of crazy antics and sequences that would fit better inside a half-hour sitcom instead of a 93 minute movie.
Merida is Pixar's first fully formed main female protagonist, though she is certainly cut from the Disney Princess cloth. She is a fiery redhead with vastly unkempt hair who loves archery and adventure. This is contrasted with her mother's dreams, who wants her to be a proper Scottish lady and follow in her footsteps as a queen to be. This is further helped when the kingdom's fellow clans bring forth their first born to be betrothed, to win her hand through a game challenge. Exasperated with her mother's behavior and lack of appreciation for her own life, Merida runs off with her beloved horse, only to follow some Will O' the Wisps to a witch's cottage. Her interactions there brings forth a change in fate for someone and the film's second half. Revealing what happens will lead to spoiler territory, since it has never been pronounced in the trailers, unless you have studied them and noticed some hidden elements. Without spoiling too much, let's just say that the plot twist is ripped wholesale off a semi-recent Disney flick with superior Celtic music replacing some crummy Phil Collins songs.
Though the script is a little too "seen it, done it", there are some moments where Brenda Chapman's vision shines through. Once having a near auteurship over the project before being fired and having Mark Andrews come on to co-write and direct, it is clear that Chapman wanted to make a fairly objective portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship. Though a bit stern in her royal beliefs, the Queen Elinor character does go through many emotions other than the usual mean and disappointed stare, further helped by Emma Thompson's sweet and concerned voice-over. As for Merida, she is fitted the teenage tomboy role, though she also gets shading through her lack of patience and respect when not succumbing to fits of unbridled anger. The dynamic between these two, especially in the second half, leads to some of the film's most interesting and creative moments, ranging from absolute cute to pretty scary.
It is too bad that these perfect scenes can only be achieved thanks to the lame main conflict of the story, which is really not that big of problem if you think hard about. Arranged marriage may not be a good thing in our current society but in this realm, it doesn't really feel that bad considering the women are the ones truly in power. Queen Elinor is the one who always takes charge among the comically boisterous and violent kings, who would rather argue and fight with each other. In fact, all of the male characters are comic reliefs, from the sleepy-eyed soldiers to the suitors to Merida's devilish little brothers. There are a few foils for the females but they are vastly outranked by the shear dumbness in the males. Unfortunately, all of this broad male comedy gets vexing and takes more precedence over the more satisfying mother-daughter story. This bipolar nature of the film is the clearest example to the viewer where Chapman had her say and where the rest of the Pixar crew stepped in for their own specific view of the product.
I can't really say much about the animation, since it is Pixar and of course the animation would be heavenly. The concept artists clearly had a lot of fun, right next to those who animated Merida and her beautifully constructed hair. It does feel at times, however, that the lush attention to the backgrounds is more intriguing than what's going on in the story. The voice-acting is very good, with Kelly Macdonald handling Merida as the teenager she truly is. The male characters may have grew tiresome for myself but I will say that I did thoroughly enjoy Billy Connolly as the realistic thinking yet goofy King Fergus.
BRAVE is satisfactory but a slight disappointing effort for the Pixar franchise. From the problems backstage to the final cut, it's a film without a strong main voice, fumbling around with too many ideas. For instance, I never even brought up the villain, who only appears briefly in three scenes and only present in the proceedings to hammer in the moral to those still dumbfounded. Thankfully, it does achieve some wonderfulness at times, escaping the fate of being a true "Camel" for Pixar. Plus, it is one of the most family friendly films to feature a cavalcade of male asses.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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