Brave Rave

So, I saw Brave with my friends. Let's call them H and Z.

Our Facebook feeds and tumblr dashboards filled with links and quotes and rants and raves about it, we expected a lot.

We'll give the movie credit for these things:

1. The female characters are strong. In fact, Merida, I don't know what the hell your problem is. Your mom (voiced by Emma Thompson) rocks. She can lead four clans of Scottish warrior men with a single word, sometimes even with none.
2. The male characters are secondary, which we don't see often. Good jab.
3. The 3D animation throughout the film is well done.
4. Baby bears!!!
5. Craig Ferguson voiced one of the characters.
6. That short film La Luna before the actual movie is sweet. It made me think of Honey Star cereals.

Here's what (my friends and) I don't like:

1. Merida's awesome and all, but she can be whiny, in my personal opinion. "I made a witch change my mom so I wouldn't have to get married, and my mom became a bear, but it's not my fault!" Come on. Anyway, her character is rounded, so, there's salvation for her after all. And yeah, I 'm sure I acted like that as a kid.
2. H says the conflict in the plot is small. It's an argument between a mother and daughter about marriage, and I agree. Compare that with Mulan where outside of her personal problems, there's an actual war going on.
3. The plot's smallness is underscored by the fact that most of the action happens inside the castle, in their bedrooms, in the staircases, or in the banquet hall. Sure, they go to Stonehenge a lot, but it's only in the castle's backyard. So, yeah, it takes away from how epic Brave is supposed to be. Maybe they should have included more wide shots and sweeping views of the castle or something.
4. That thing about the old princes was written thinly, says Z. I forgot to ask how so.

I'd give this movie a 6.5 out of 10. Plot-wise, it's best to watch at home. Or sure, you should watch it in 3D if only to appreciate the animation, which Sting Lacson discussed previously. It's like Avatar in that sense.





You may also want to check out the other Brave reviews from Sting Lacson and Julie Cola Shen.





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