Film: Brave

Brave in some ways suffers due to how long the delay has been between its American release and being released over here. It was released months ago over there and the wait has caused me to get over-excited about it. I am a bit of a Disney nut, being a bit of a kid at heart I am currently going though the process of getting my favourites on blu-ray. The films of Pixar have always been favourites of mine, in fact the only ones I don't really like are the cars films; finding them a bit hollow and too childish. And this is Pixar's first attempt at a fantasy film, with a princess no less, something Disney are known for handling so well. So this seems to be another case of a summer movie where I struggle to overcome the hype. 

Unfortunately I don't feel like Brave really lives up to the expectations in my head, a hard task at any rate. The visuals are beautiful, I seriously can't overstate how incredible Scotland looks, makes me want to visit so much. The story feels a bit thin at times, rushed at others, the film suffering from quite bad pacing. Outlined by the princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) in the trailer the story's basic plot is: "if you could change your fate, would you?". Merida making a wish in the hope that it will allow her to escape the life laid out in front of her, an arranged marriage with a man she has never even met. If she refuses to marry any of her suitors it could lead to war. But as always with wishes it doesn't exactly go the way she wants and she has to reverse it before it becomes permanent. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't mention exactly what this wish is, however it feels totally random and comes across quite ridiculous. It totally shifts the nature of the film in the second act and not in a good way. 

You can't falter the performances from the main cast, which is filled with classic British (obviously mostly Scottish) stars. Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson are great as the king and queen; although Thompson is unfortunately mostly absent for half the film. Connolly is particularly hilarious in a scene where he impersonates his daughter, being his usual ridiculous self. Kelly MacDonald is also brilliant as Merida, giving her a very distinctive voice; however her character spends a lot of the time moaning making her a little hard to like. 

The decision to give the film a main villain (the mighty bear, Mor'du) almost feels like an afterthought, he is briefly established at the beginning, then barely mentioned before appearing in the finale and being quickly vanquished. They would have been better served either making the villain a greater focus or removing him altogether. 

Overall, the film is a little uneven but it does have its funny moments and is still quite a sweet story about appreciating what you have (although the film's heroine is a princess so she has a lot!). While its worth a watch I would definitely recommend waiting for the DVD.