Brave, Braveheart, or Wildheart?

July 31, 2012 By

I have gone on record as saying that I would watch anything Pixar ever produced, and I have pretty much done so. Their animation is second to none, or in this case their digital picture drawing. The movie Brave, and its wonderful short subject La Luna further illustrate their mastery of this technique. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to the plot, the characters, and the dialogue. ‘Brave’ has been out for some time now, and has gotten mixed, but mostly favorable reviews. The storyline is pretty simple— young Scottish lass who happens to be a princess, does not fancy living the life her mother intends for her— marrying a young Scottish laird and producing some heirs. Rather she, being a Scottish spitfire and tomboy favors riding, archer on horseback, and generally having a good time in the woods. Spoiler alert— the film gives new meaning to the phrase ‘my mother can be a real bear sometimes and unbearable at others’.

The positive features of the film (which lasts one hour and 43 minutes) besides the technical mastery (we saw it in real 3D, and again it was fun but unnecessary), are that we have Scottish characters with Scottish accents, we have a story set in the Scottish past which is reminiscent in some respects of the movie Braveheart, and the family drama of tension between a teen and her mom is not hard to relate to if you’ve been a parent. Here’s the problem— this really isn’t a children’s movie. And furthermore, it’s largely lacking in laughs or fun. Indeed, more often than not its deadly serious. The dialogue is seldom witty, the father (Fergus) is portrayed as an axe wielding oaf, and you can hardly blame Merida (the daughter and focus of the film) for not wanting anything to do with any of the suitors. Instead, the story turns into a ‘mend the bond between daughter and mother’ story, with a little of ‘I gotta be me’ thrown in for good measure.

So in terms of characters the story is interesting. In terms of dialogue it is very weak. In terms of plot, it also leaves a good deal to be desired. Indeed, it might even remind one of MacBeth in the witch scenes.

Is this a better film than the other children’s films of the summer (e.g. Madagascar III)? Yes. Is it really a film that will entertain and enlighten children between 5 and say 12— not bloody likely. It will seem too scary or boring or incomprehensible to most children. Perhaps, we can hope for better from the next installment of Ice Age (Continental Drift) or Monster’s Inc. (Monster’s University).

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  • Phil Thomas

    ‘Is it really a film that will entertain and enlighten children between 5 and say 12— not bloody likely.’ Is ‘bloody’ not a swear word in the US? In the UK it is, albeit a ‘minor’ one (whatever that means) to many people. However, I would be severely reprimanded if I used it in a theology lecture, or a sermon … Perhaps an amusing illustration of cultural context!

  • http://www.benwitherington.com ben Witherington

    Nope, not a swear word on this side of the pond.

    BW3

  • Amanda B.

    Brave is actually one of my favorite Pixar movies to date. I agree that it probably is not the best movie for younger kids, but I loved it with almost no reservations. I thought the main characters (Merida, Elinor, and Fergus) showed remarkable depth–Fergus has his oafish moments, but I thought that on the whole he was presented as a capable, respected, and committed person (albeit a fun-loving one). He has a real friendship with his daughter and is really and truly there for his wife, coaching her through her own turmoil. I liked his character just fine.

    Part of my love of the movie may be due to the fact that–shocker!–the two protagonists are female, yet it’s not a rom-com, and it’s not a princess movie (as such). The movie was not spent in pursuit of a handsome prince, but I thought it also deftly avoided the “I-don’t-need-a-man-rah-rah-girl-power” trope as well. There’s real action and adventure and danger, with neither woman being reduced to a frou-frou powder puff OR a cold-hearted tail-kicker. They’re allowed to have emotional struggles AND courage, to be rescued AND to rescue–in short, they felt like whole people with real, distinct personalities. Both have flaws, both have virtues, both have to learn and grow and rediscover their love for each other. That alone is enough to make me really, really happy.

    I wouldn’t take little kids to this (besides its serious nature, it has scary moments), but I think older children, teens, and above, can get a lot out of it. I found the stories compelling, the characters endearing, and the message powerful. Not gonna lie–I cried. And then I called my mom.

  • http://www.brianroden.com Brian Roden

    Ben,

    I’ve heard from Christian Brits and Aussies that “bloody” has the connotation in their context of making light of the blood of Christ.

  • DerekMc

    Ben,
    My 12 year old bloody well disagrees with you! Me, not so much.

  • James Petticrew

    Glad you thought the Scottish accents were a positive, at least for once in the main Hollywood got Scots with varying accents and we didn’t have to endure another “Brig O Doon” or Mel Gibsons atlantic Scottish :-)