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leeshajoyI wish Brave was a better movie. I really do.
Don't get me wrong--it's not a bad movie. But it's not a particularly good movie either, and definitely not up to Pixar's usual standard of storytelling. Which is a real shame, because I like the character of Merida so much.
Why do I like her? Partly because she's a strong-willed, self-confident, kickass female protagonist. But mostly because she's a strong-willed, self-confident, kickass female protagonist who isn't perfect, faces obstacles that are internal as well as external, and grows as a person in the process of overcoming those obstacles.
Of course, she's not the first Disney heroine to have such a well-developed character arc. Rapunzel in Tangled comes to mind. But Rapunzel wasn't exactly what you'd call a "kickass" protagonist. There's nothing wrong with that, of course--given her upbringing, it'd be weird and out of place if she was confident and strong-willed right from the get-go. Merida, on the other hand, shows that a well-developed character and a kickass female protagonist aren't mutually exclusive.
It's just a shame that the rest of the movie doesn't really measure up to that. You wouldn't guess it from the trailers, but Brave is, essentially, about the relationship between Merida and her mother. Which is fine, except that that's all it's about. Every other character in the movie is one-dimensional, and everything else going on is the kind of wacky slapstick and grossout humor that we all got sick of in the Shrek franchise. And even the main plot is extremely predictable once it gets going.
This is the first Pixar film with a female protagonist, and their first contribution to the Disney Princess pantheon. Merida is the kind of character you can point to and say "See, mainstream media? THIS is how you write a strong female character." She, frankly, deserves a better movie than this.
That's all I have to say for now.
Don't get me wrong--it's not a bad movie. But it's not a particularly good movie either, and definitely not up to Pixar's usual standard of storytelling. Which is a real shame, because I like the character of Merida so much.
Why do I like her? Partly because she's a strong-willed, self-confident, kickass female protagonist. But mostly because she's a strong-willed, self-confident, kickass female protagonist who isn't perfect, faces obstacles that are internal as well as external, and grows as a person in the process of overcoming those obstacles.
Of course, she's not the first Disney heroine to have such a well-developed character arc. Rapunzel in Tangled comes to mind. But Rapunzel wasn't exactly what you'd call a "kickass" protagonist. There's nothing wrong with that, of course--given her upbringing, it'd be weird and out of place if she was confident and strong-willed right from the get-go. Merida, on the other hand, shows that a well-developed character and a kickass female protagonist aren't mutually exclusive.
It's just a shame that the rest of the movie doesn't really measure up to that. You wouldn't guess it from the trailers, but Brave is, essentially, about the relationship between Merida and her mother. Which is fine, except that that's all it's about. Every other character in the movie is one-dimensional, and everything else going on is the kind of wacky slapstick and grossout humor that we all got sick of in the Shrek franchise. And even the main plot is extremely predictable once it gets going.
This is the first Pixar film with a female protagonist, and their first contribution to the Disney Princess pantheon. Merida is the kind of character you can point to and say "See, mainstream media? THIS is how you write a strong female character." She, frankly, deserves a better movie than this.
That's all I have to say for now.