"Brave" GRAND Fan Review
Review submitted by movie fan and Arena Grand valued customer: Ken P.
Brave is the story of Merida, a teenage princess who chafes at the adult responsibilities that she is being forced to accept. She would rather shoot arrows from horseback than learn the rules that govern how a princess should act. Her unruly red curls symbolize the wild impulses that her mother, Queen Elinor, tries so hard to tame.
Brave is an animated movie that feels much more "real" than your typical fairy tale. The scenery is beautiful while still feeling like it was shot on a real location in Scotland. The limited magical elements seem "real" in their unpredictable nature and the serious effect they have on the characters. No fairy godmother appears to set everything right, the characters have to work hard to solve their problems. Like in our own lives, there is also no "bad guy" to be defeated in order to save the day. The main conflict of the movie was the relationship between Merida and her mother, and this was the most "real" part of the story. Not a battle between good and evil, but a conflict between experience and youth that is all too familiar to parents and children alike.
What's not familiar is the method by which this conflict is resolved. I don't want to spoil anything, but it is original and startling (and maybe a little more than my four year old was ready for!) Let's just say there is an element of role reversal by which Merida has to take responsibility both for her own actions and for her mother. In the process, both characters come to see each others points of view and have their own change of hearts. I hope that this is also a familiar feeling to us parents and children in the audience. I know it was a heartwarming, and slightly misty-eyed ending for this reviewer.
I would recommend this film in particular to mothers and daughters, but in general to anyone who mourns the death of original film-making in this age of sequels and comic book adaptations. It is not your typical Pixar movie, and has more in common with the animated works of Hayao Miyazaki than "Toy Story". There is even a little shout-out to "Howl's Moving Castle" that I noticed during the scene with the wood witch. If I was going to nitpick I guess I could have done without Yet Another Princess Movie, but the princess elements are so downplayed to be almost forgotten. I hope that people give it a chance, they will not be disappointed.
Many thanks to Ken for his review of "Brave"! Check out other reviews on this film at: IMDB.
Click here to view the trailer or purchase your ticket to see Brave at the Arena Grand
