Rated
PG (Some Scary Action and Rude Humor)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 33 Minutes
Cast
(voice):
Kelly
Macdonald-Princess Mérida
Emma
Thompson-Queen Elinor
Billy
Connolly-King Fergus
Kevin
McKidd-Lord MacGuffin/Young MacGuffin
Craig
Ferguson-Lord Macintosh
Robbie
Coltrane-Lord Dingwall
Julie
Walters-The Witch
Steven
Cree-Young Macintosh
Callum
O'Neill-Wee Dingwall
Sally
Kinghorn & Eilidh Fraser- Maudie
John
Ratzenberger-Gordon
Patrick
Doyle-Martin
Directed
by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell
 |
| Princess Mérida (Kelly Macdonald) confronts her destiny in Pixar's latest, "Brave." |
It's
hard to believe that sixteen years
have passed since I saw my first Pixar film, "Toy Story." Since then
I've been a fan of the stalwart animation studio, whose name alone stood as a rock-solid
guarantee that their film would achieve widespread critical acclaim and
commercial success but this all changed with "Cars 2" last summer,
which earned a shockingly low 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, breaking Pixar's
consecutive winning streak after eleven films spanning fifteen years. The
original "Cars" from 2006 has always been viewed as the black sheep
of the family despite receiving generally good reviews but while its 2011
sequel was never expected to reach the high standards set by Pixar's previous
films, the overwhelmingly negative reception from critics still came as a total
surprise to fans. Audiences, however, still flocked to see "Cars 2"
in droves, to the tune of $560 million at the worldwide box office and selling
countless merchandise to children that left Disney with a big smile on their
face. Pixar's thirteenth production "Brave," originally titled
"The Bear and the Bow" and the studio's first to feature a female
protagonist, was viewed with cautious optimism after the debut of its teaser
trailer last year but is it a return to form for the animation studio that
could formerly do no wrong? "Brave" is definitely a better film
compared to "Cars 2" but it still
does not quite reach the heights of Pixar's earlier work due to a predictable
storyline, uneven pacing, and hit-and-miss humor. Despite these problems, the
film remains engaging throughout and once again sets the bar even higher for CG animation.
"Brave" is preceded by a charming seven-minute
short titled "La Luna." During a prologue set in the Scottish
kingdom of DunBroch, a young princess named Mérida is happily playing
hide-and-seek with her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). Mérida receives a
bow and arrow on her birthday from her father, King Fergus (Billy Connolly),
and begins to practice immediately despite the objections of Elinor. While
retrieving one of her arrows that has landed in the woods, a strange blue light
called a 'will o' the wisp' appears before the princess. Her mother explains that
wisps are said to 'lead you to your fate.' However, an ancient demonic bear
called Mor'du leaps from the woods and attacks Mérida's family. King Fergus jumps
to his wife and daughter's defense, driving the bear away but losing his left
leg in the process. Fast forward to the present day, where Princess Mérida
(Kelly Macdonald) has grown into a fiery-haired woman whose archery skills are
unmatched throughout the kingdom but her relationship with her mother has
soured in the intervening years. Queen Elinor tries to teach her daughter about
being a proper princess and the responsibilities she has to DunBroch but these
lessons often leave Mérida exasperated, who wants nothing more than to ride her
horse Angus and hone her archery skills in the woods. One day, a pile of
letters arrives for Queen Elinor from the other Scottish lords: MacGuffin (Kevin
McKidd), Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane), who have
agreed to present their firstborn sons to compete for Mérida's hand in
marriage. Mérida is extremely upset at the news but has no choice in the
matter. The lords arrive and Mérida chooses an archery challenge to determine
the best suitor. Dingwall's dimwitted son wins by pure accident but Mérida
instead shoots all three targets herself as an act of defiance against her
mother. The two have a huge argument and Mérida leaves the castle grounds with
her horse in anger. She comes upon a Stonehenge circle in the woods, where a
group of will o' the wisps leads her to a witch's (Julie Walters) cottage.
Mérida asks the witch to create a spell that would change her mother's mind and
thus change her fate. However, the spell proves to have disastrous consequences
for not only Queen Elinor but also for the kingdom of DunBroch as well, forcing
Mérida to desperately try and undo her mistake.
"Brave" is an
original fairy tale from Pixar that breaks away from the clichéd tropes of evil
stepmothers and charming princes to focus on one overlooked aspect—the
complexities of mother-daughter relationships. Queen Elinor wants her daughter
to learn that being responsible often means putting aside your own wants and
needs but Mérida does not want to be someone that she is not and finds herself
trapped by her mother's stodgy adherence to tradition. Neither one is wrong in their position but both suffer
from a failure to communicate and most importantly, do not listen to each other. Such a relationship will resonate
strongly with mothers who have faced similar predicaments but "Brave"
feels dramatically lightweight and worse, predictable. Much of what happens in
the film won't come as a total surprise to adult audiences and the second half
suffers from a rushed pace as Mérida tries to undo the spell she cast on her
mother. I won't spoil what happens to Queen Elinor but the film's original
title already provides a major clue. Although Mérida is destined (no pun
intended) to become popular among young girls, the character inspires little
sympathy and comes off as a whiny, petulant brat who needs to be smacked upside
the head (that's how we Asians discipline our children), not the independent,
strong-willed warrior woman that the initial previews made her out to be. When
she finally realizes the error of her ways, it rings hollow and feels as if
Queen Elinor is conceding to her daughter's demands. The humor also clashes
with the story's darker elements, creating an uneven tone. Much of the comedy
is derived from the mischievous antics of Mérida's three adorable triplet
brothers, Harris, Hubert and Hamish, and the boorish behavior of King Fergus
and the other Scottish lords but while there are some chuckles to be had, none
of it is particularly sharp or creative. "Brave" is flawed and is
definitely 'lesser Pixar' but the film remains enjoyable while the story,
largely the brainchild of Brenda Chapman, is solidly written and offers a new
perspective from your run-of-the-mill fairy tale; it just lacks that special
spark that was present in the studio's first eleven productions. Chapman was
reportedly fired and replaced with Mark Andrews following 'creative
disagreements,' which may be the reason for the film's uneven quality.
What
really saves the film is the stunning CG animation and enthusiastic voice
acting. Each individual strand of Mérida's hair is realized and it is clear the
animators went to great lengths to create an authentic Scottish setting, which
extends to Patrick Doyle's impressive score as well. Unfortunately, all this
effort is marred by the 3D, which is shocking considering Pixar's technological
pedigree. The vibrancy and brightness of the film has been lost and there is
jarring motion blur during chase scenes. The image lacks depth and appears flat
for most of its running time. Compared to DreamWorks Animations' "Madagascar
3: Europe's Most Wanted," there is no competition; "Brave"
really dropped the ball when it comes to its 3D. The voice cast is uniformly
excellent with convincing Scottish accents. Kelly Macdonald makes up for
Mérida's character shortcomings while Emma Thompson lends a subtle wisdom to
Queen Elinor. The rest of the all-male supporting cast play one-note characters
and are largely there to provide laughs.
Released on June 22, 2012, "Brave"
has received positive reviews with 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, on par with 2006's
"Cars." Critics admitted that it 'may not live up to the lofty
standards of the Pixar brand, but [the film] offers young audiences and fairy
tale fans a rousing, funny fantasy adventure with a distaff twist—and
surprising depth.' I saw the film at a packed screening this past Wednesday and
the audience responded enthusiastically but it was clear that certain scenes
were too intense as I overheard some children crying, much to my annoyance. Box
office wise, this will be Pixar's thirteenth number one debut and early
projections are at $55 to $60 million, although $65 million is feasibly
possible. The other competing films, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter" and "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," appeal
to specific audiences and are unlikely to breakout during the weekend baring
some unexpected surprise. It has its problems but "Brave" is an
entertaining and competently-made animated film. However, Pixar has never
settled for such modest standards. Yes, it is a return to form for the studio
but it’s clear that there is still work to be done if they are to reclaim their
former status among critics and fans.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
"Some
say fate is beyond our command, but I know better. Our destiny is within us. You just have to be brave enough to see
it."
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