Today’s quick review: Brave. Merida (Kelly Macdonald), the hotheaded daughter of a Scottish chief, detests her station in life. For the good of her clan, she must act like a lady, keep a level head, and marry the prince of a neighboring clan to maintain the clans’ alliances. Instead she would rather live life like her father, riding horses, exploring the forest, and practicing archery. She rebels against her family and seeks the aid of a witch, but her selfish deed places a curse on her family. To save her family from a terrible fate, Merida must put aside her ego, reconcile with them, and become worthy of her position.
Brave is a family film from Disney that deals with freedom, responsibility, and forgiveness. High-quality CG animation brings the forests of Scotland to life, while touches of Celtic mythology add a haunted, mystical quality to the setting. The production values are high as always, and the film earns a few good laughs from Merida’s bombastic father and her rascally younger brothers.
Where Brave suffers is that Merida is ultimately in the wrong. Brave is nominally a movie about meeting one’s parents halfway, but the restrictions imposed by Merida’s mother are portrayed as unfair burdens rather than necessary parts of leading a clan. Merida’s desire for more freedom is sympathetic, but her unwillingness to accept any responsibility causes needless problems throughout the movie. As such, even when Merida grows from her experiences, she comes across as selfish and short-sighted for having made those mistakes in the first place.
Brave is a solid, enjoyable family film that does not distinguish itself from Disney’s other entries. Your enjoyment of the film will be proportionate to how much you sympathize with Merida. If you believe she is right to rebel and justified, if overzealous, in her actions, you will get a lot out of Brave’s story. If you believe she is irresponsible and inconsiderate, you will find the plot to be frustrating. Beyond that, the quality of the film is high but not exceptional. Brave is worth a watch, but only after you have worked through Disney’s other CGI offerings.
7.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for decent execution of a disappointing plot.