mdc3000

Saw this one last night - definitely better than Cars 2. I wouldn't put it on the same level as classic Pixar flicks, but I wasn't disappointed either. It was very brisk, with a fast moving plot (which incidentally, I had no idea about based on the previous trailers) but there isn't a lot going on. It's a very straight forward A to B fairytale, with some thinly drawn characters and all of the themes seem to rest on the surface. Not that I need a kids flick to be deep or feature a lot of symbolism, but usually Pixar films bring a bit more to the table. Merida was charming and her little brothers steal the movie. It is a nice story about the importance of family and acceptance - Pixar hasn't tackled the mother/daughter dynamic much, so it was a nice change of pace. I thought the music was a bit heavy handed at times and the 3D was used fairly well, even if the projection where I saw it was complete shit. It was light and fun but I wanted a little bit more from it.

There are a few moments where kids at the screening got pretty scared, so if you're taking really young kids, know there are a few moments that are a bit intense. 3.5/5

Travis McClain

I saw a preview screening of this Thursday night and reviewed it for Flickchart. My friends and I were all disappointed, to be honest. We went in expecting Pixar's Lawrence of Arabia and instead we got Pixar's Freaky Friday. They've worked so hard over the years to overcome the stigma that animation = cartoon, and it was deflating to see them resort to the kind of slapstick (and, at times, crass) humor that seems undignified by their previous standards. This would have been fine in a Dreamworks movie, but Pixar has stood for something more discerning...until now.

I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that Brave will cost Pixar some of its prestige and trust among parents of young children. Some of the humor (including a shot of several men passing the screen with their backsides bared toward us) may be outside the taste they wish to have in their families and the action (though admittedly very well done) is played so straight that it's certain to be too intense for kids who love Cars.

I elaborate further in my Flickchart review, but that's the crux of my reaction.

Traxan

I have read more than once that this movie does not live up to its title. You guys are confirming it.

Michael Corvin

Nothing Pixar puts out can be as bad as Cars 2, so I remain optimistic.

PopcornTreeCt

That's disappointing to hear but not at all surprising. The earliest trailers we got looked like a Pixar movie but as more and more came out it looked like a silly Dreamworks title. Shame, shame.

GoldenJCJ

From the first time I saw the trailer I felt this looked more like a Dreamworks picture than Pixar so I'm not terribly surprised. Disappointed maybe, but not surprised.

I finally saw Cars 2 just the other day. The spy angle was interesting but making Mater the lead was a HUGE mistake. That's like George Lucas making Star Wars: Ep. II with Jar Jar as the main character!

Travis McClain

I think a case can be made that it actually is rather brave of Pixar to put their reputation on the line like this. They've built a very trusting audience loyalty over the last 17 years. Most of us aren't impressed by Cars or its sequel but its clearly so aimed at young viewers that we more or less view it as the kiddie pool and allow it to just be what it is for the kids who do like it. Brave has the potential to actually harm the Pixar brand.

I will say, though, that I really did like Merida as a character and the animation is gorgeous. There were several moments when I was mesmerized just staring at her hair. There's also a scene in a river where Pixar really shows off how much better CGI water has become. For the kind of slapstick/crass humor that it displays, it's pretty good; our theater laughed throughout the movie and I admit I found myself laughing at things I ordinarily might not.

Ultimately it comes down to this: If this was a Dreamworks movie, we would likely be all abuzz talking about how funny it was and how amazing the action is and how impressed we are by the animation. Because it's a Pixar film, though, that humor is from the other side of the tracks and doesn't belong here, the action is too intense for some of the trusting family viewers and the animation has been betrayed by the story - for the first time in the Pixar filmography. That we're conscious of such expectations is a testament to the goodwill that Pixar has worked so hard to engender and they had to have seen what they were doing with Brave and known the risk they were taking with it.

Solid Snake

so wait...the only thing that it fails at in the generality..is the story? The action and humor elements should be free game. But if the story is weak..it's weak.

Travis McClain

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "free game."

There's some nice (if unoriginal) character stuff, but you're basically getting Scottish Freaky Friday. It's obvious and lazy, frankly, by Pixar standards. The Shrek franchise has done a better job of handling the unwitting-transformations plot device. It's devoid of the clever social awareness of WALL-E, the poignancy of Up or even the adventuresome nature of Finding Nemo (to which there are numerous storytelling parallels).

SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE RECEIVING EMAIL UPDATES


The only things unexpected about Brave after that are how far they took the un-Pixar humor and violence.

Mike86

I've liked a lot of the Pixar films to date but the reviews in here are making me think I'll just wait for it to be available on Blu-ray. I honestly haven't been that impressed by the trailers for it thus far either.

mdc3000

I think it's like a Scottish version of The Shaggy Dog with the "Mom doesn't understand me at all" angle of Freaky Friday.

Spottedfeather

That's the complete opposite reaction I had to that pile of a film.

fumanstan

So the girl and her mom switch bodies?

Travis McClain

mdc3000's characterization is more accurate than mine:

Dr. DVD

Apparently the original title of this was going to be "The Bear and the Bow." The early previews aren't really playing up the bear's importance at all, making it look like another friendly Disney animal. While it didn't spoil the movie, the synopsis on Wikipedia really doesn't hook me.

The TV spots aren't giving too much insight into the plot either, so I have a feeling they don't know how to really sell this one.

fumanstan

Yeah, I had zero idea about the bear aspect of the story and the trailers don't even mention it. Funny since that was my complaint when the first teaser came out earlier in this thread.

I'll still probably end up watching this, but i'm in no rush.

Travis McClain

It stands to reason they wouldn't know how to sell it; I'm not even sure they knew which movie they wanted to make with this one. It seems they were trying to appeal to both ends of their audience spectrum (Cars kids up to the original Toy Story viewers). I suspect someone in the Disney marketing department was told more than once, no matter what the cut of a trailer was, "No, you've left out audience X!"

They also likely were admonished for putting together a trailer that looked like a Dreamworks movie. That wouldn't be quite fair, because what they've made is a Dreamworks movie.

Side note: In the future, whenever anyone uses the SPOILER tag, as an act of courtesy you might consider prefacing that section for the benefit of those of us who read the email alerts of a thread.

Iron_Giant

Loved the trailer that has the girl in it, but it felt like an old Disney animated movie when the silly acting/looking guys appeared.

Feels like Disney is trying to tell Pixar what to do, even though I know the contract does not allow that.

Matthew Chmiel

I have friends of mine from school working on the film.

No wonder the reviews are mixed.

Dr. DVD

If they go for cheap laughs and toilet humor, which it seems Cars 2 did, then PIXAR will have officially jumped the shark IMO.

Michael Corvin

So not only do people have to worry about spoilers they have to preface said spoiler? Where does it end?

modfather

Kelly MacDonald =

Travis McClain

RocShemp

Even Finding Nemo had toilet humor.

Doctor Gonzo

Forget seeing this in the theatre, I'll be picking it up on DVD NOW





...Oh, wait...