Brave (2012)

Title: Brave

Director: Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman

Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, and Emma Thompson

Rated: PG

Released: 2012

Personal Rating: 3.5/5

Oscars: Nominated for 1

Plot:  Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
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Different From Trailer
Now I  am not the first to say so but I must: the trailer is highly misleading. When I saw the trailer I thought that it would be about a princess going on an adventure through a faraway land because she is making her own fate. Luckily I did listen to reviewers (and people who had seen the movie) so I knew that the trailer was wrong. I heard something about going on an adventure with a bear. So how does this affect my view of the movie? It made me disappointed but I didn't take off any marks because the trailer was different from the movie.

A Twist That You Can See Coming
If you can even pay a little attention during the movie, you can figure out who the demonic bear is. I don't know whether to be mad or happy that I guessed it. I'm happy because I figured something out but mad because usually the stuff I do figure out any idiot can do the same. I watched this movie with my Dad and I usually remain quiet (in such situations) because he doesn't seem to like me talking to the movie (which I actually like to do). However, when Merida figures this twist out I yelled out, "No shit!"

A Female Protagonist
Let me start off with saying that I am glad that this movie featured a female in the lead role. However, she was still not that strong of a character. Part of it was that she was a little annoying and the other part is that she didn't do that much. The biggest thing she did was give some half-assed speech about letting children decide their own fates and it didn't make sense why everyone quickly agreed to this. Maybe I am being a little harsh as she did also manage to turn her mother and brothers back into their normal selves. No matter how little she did, I am glad that she learned a little humility by the end.

Final Thoughts
This movie's uplifting tone and happy conclusion were good to me. This being due to me finishing The Casual Vacancy (by J.K.Rowling) around a week before and I wanted to see something uplifting. That being said, since I knew it was going to end happy I wasn't tense during many scenes. And when I was tense I wasn't as tense as I should have been. However, this doesn't make the film bad. It's just the type of film it is. But if you want a tense and gripping tale, this isn't the movie for you.