Pixar is placed in an unfortunate position to where people feel the need to compare every new product to the bars raised by their previous achievements. A reaction which is putting a studio in an unfair spot to where the expectations are preset to where it's hard to say what film will deliver. So with that being said, "Brave" will be judged even without the reputation that Pixar illuminates in the entertainment industry.
However, one can confuse "Brave" almost to the standards of Disney's past efforts which can seem stale and dry by today's standards. Sure enough, that is the case when concerning to what "Brave" suffers from. While incorporating breathtaking animation that almost exceed beyond the usual animation efforts employed by the artists at Pixar, all effects and visuals can't hide the simplistic story and unevenness that starts to become prevalent in "Brave" from the second act through the end.
It's almost dissatisfying as when a first act has so much to promise to what is to come, only to divert to a road where in the end, it undermines the elements and promise given. "Brave" is a victim of its own good to where it starts out with a script without any growth given to its characters or any depth given to the story that for it to utilize familiar tropes and superfluous plot elements that it's astounding how it coasts through the time span, merrily coasting through, to a final that feels more expected than wanted and leaves a heartless experience and detachment from the characters after the first act.
Set in a medieval time period in the Scottish kingdom of Dunbroch, the young, ferocious and headstrong Merida (Kelly Macdonald) dreams of a grander lifestyle full of adventure and freedom and setting out of her constrictive mother's hands, Elinor (Emma Thompson) who wishes nothing more than Merida to be a proper, well-suited princess as she prepares suitors from different clans to take Merida's hands in marriage for the rule of the kingdom and peace among the clans in a series of games and challenges. Naturally, she is unsympathetic to the cause but after she proves her self-worth by defeating the suitors in a game she lives for (archery), this causes her mother to lash out at her adolescent behavior which ensues her to pursue a course of decision making that sets off the real plot awaiting us and the dividing line for people and their acceptance for the rest of the picture.
Without spoiling much, it's safe to say it starts a new plot and completely lays to waste any potential to be had with the first compelling 30 minutes involving both Merida and Elinor with their conflict one another. It acts as though the first act was more character set up rather than any story to begin with. But it ultimately shows what is truly troubling with "Brave" is that both its uneven balance of tone and structure and inner character dilemma are scripted poorly that takes the audience's intelligence for granted and chooses to sacrifice epic scope and progressing characters for childish humor and a saccharinely sweet message muddled with a incohesive conclusion that can even be unbeknownst to most savvy move goers. It's fabricated with a childish, mundane story and a strong, cold detachment from any character as it obliterates any involvement with Merida and her dilemma to a problem that is structured thinly and simple that undermines the scope promised in the beginning.
The writers (Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell and Irene Mecchi) seem to to replace the drama to be had with Merida and Elinor with comedic situations and repetitive humor with some infantile humor sprinkled throughout the entertain the ages of 10 and under to where adults can feel a slight separation from any adventure to take part in. But while at the same time, giving both Merida and Elinor some depth given in the first act as this is one of the first animated films to deal with the conflict between mother and daughter relationship as the first act is glistened with an engaging conflict between these characters as lifestyles clashes with tradition and right of choice. Added to that with Pixar's most breathtaking, exuberant, lushes animation that proves to live up to the Pixar name as it gives a a world of both simplistic art, color and landscape meshed with captivating animation that proves to be more than a visual treat for the eye and becomes an imprint of a time in history.
It's surprising for a film to torpedo itself into oblivion of being forgetful and bringing a state of disappointment not from being a brand such as Pixar, but from a promising start to a uninspired story and trite filled conclusion. Unlike the arrows shot from Merida herself to prove her independence and self-worth, this film missed the mark while providing a heartless story, poorly thought out character interactions and reactions and a tedious exercise in fantasy story-telling more aimed at entertaining and enthralling the unsuspecting audiences to get any sheer enjoyment out of the experience. Ironically, Merida becomes more of a puppet to the script rather than a fleshed out, real character to lead the story more befitting her profile.
Rating: D+ by Amritpal Rai
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