Director: Mark Andrews.
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly.
Cinematic Release: June 22nd, 2012.
Last night, for the first time in quite a while, I left a cinema having seen a movie that genuinely left me feeling speechless. That film was the latest Disney-Pixar collaboration, Brave.
For those who don’t know the basic plot (and leaving this review as spoiler-free as I can), Brave is a fantasy/fairytale-genre movie, set in the highlands of Scotland in the Middle Ages. It follows the story of Merida, princess and first-born of the Clan DunBroch, who is set to be married off to the son of one of the other three clans of the setting, a tradition that keeps the peace between the four clans. Merida, however, is none too pleased with this arrangement, keen on the idea of making her own fate, and therefore decides that this betrothal is not going to happen. It’s a setting full of excitement, and magic, and naturally, adventure ensues.
Now, Disney are no stranger to the princess movie, and nobody needs to be told that. What is interesting, however, is that this is Pixar’s first foray into the genre, and they pull it off magnificently. Right from the beginning, Brave’s utterly beautiful soundtrack, composed of authentic and extremely catchy traditional Gallic music to fit with the setting, combined with the absolutely stunning visuals and animation make this film extremely engaging to watch. It’s easily one of the most beautiful-looking animated movies in history, being breathtaking in scope and meticulous in its attention to detail.
Not gonna lie, the audio and the visuals together on-screen will likely bring a tear or two to your eye when watching it (for those who are wondering, I saw it in 3-D, and to be honest, I think in this case it was very worth it).
But the visuals are just the surface of this movie, and Brave has plenty more to offer. The plot is very engaging, although, as above, I’m not going to spoil it. Suffice to say, there is a significant variation on the standard “princess movie” formula, and there will be quite a few surprises for those who think they know what’s coming. It is notably quite a bit darker and more mature in tone than you’d expect (although being very in-line with Pixar’s standard), some parts of the film proving quite grim, and some of the over-arching tones of breaking tradition and politically-inclined marriage likely to fly over the heads of the younger parts of the audience. The setting itself, too, can get very dark at times, some of the scenery having a remarkably creepy vibe to it.
The characters are truly excellent, in particular, Merida herself, whose feistiness and adventurous nature makes her easily one of the most likeable and engaging protagonists to ever come out of both Disney and Pixar, a lofty claim, but one that Brave lives up to. The relationship between Merida and her mother Elinor, in particular, is one that feels extremely natural, and will probably hit very close to home for most viewers of the movie.
There’s a strong theme of tradition ringing throughout the entire thing, and perhaps more than that, the theme of family dynamics. Merida’s rebellion against her mother’s wishes and the ensuing plot that springs from it all is something that generally every single person has been through in some shape or form, and it makes the movie feel all the more believable. It’s quite the emotional journey, ranging from the more tear-jerking and “b’awww” moments (of which there are many. This is a Disney-Pixar movie, this shouldn’t be surprising) to the humour, which is absolutely spot-on throughout, and will without a doubt have its audience laughing out loud, the scriptwriting being a very high point of the movie in general.
All of the above is, of course, only added to by the voice cast, who play their parts absolutely brilliantly. The four clan leaders, in particular, played by Billy Connolly, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane and Kevin McKidd, are hilarious in their deliveries, and of course, get the lion’s share of the movie’s funny moments. Kelly Macdonald’s portrayal of Merida deserves praise, as the voice performance of the main protagonist is extremely endearing and makes her seem all that more likeable. It balances very well against Emma Thompson’s take on Merida’s mother, Elinor, the two playing excellently off of each other, as only suitable for the film’s central characters.
All in all, Brave, in my opinion, is one of the best films to have come out of either Disney or Pixar, and when you look at its competition, that is really saying something. Beautiful throughout, with a wonderfully-realised setting, a magnificent cast of characters, truly gorgeous visuals and an excellent script, this is one that really should not at any cost be missed. I was utterly enthralled throughout, I literally couldn’t take my eyes off of the screen, and chances are you won’t be able to either. I genuinely wouldn’t feel comfortable saying that this movie has flaws, because even if it does, they’re so microscopic in scope that you won’t even notice them (I certainly didn’t, anyway!) and overall, the movie generally comes off as flawless. This is a Disney-Pixar collaboration for the ages, no doubt about it, and even with Pixar’s reputation for making nothing but fantastic films, Brave is a standout. Don’t even think about missing it.
[Words, Ryan O’ Connor]
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
