Pixar's Brave - Part II

[DisneyJedi]

It's like they don't trust Pixar after the disappointing performance that was Cars 2.

[qindarka]

Have you watched the movie yet?

[DisneyJedi]

No, but I don't want to get myself too excited for it, which is why I've kept myself from watching any preview clips on YouTube. And yet, I'm afraid the critical feedback might hinder the movie's financial performance.

[qindarka]

No, but I don't want to get myself too excited for it, which is why I've kept myself from watching any preview clips on YouTube. And yet, I'm afraid the critical feedback might hinder the movie's financial performance.

\

Oh, don't worry about that. Audiences don't seem to care too much about critical reception and Pixar movies tend to do very well in theaters, even Cars 2 which was critically savaged.

[DancingCrab]

Just got back. I loved it. I can see where people might have been thrown by the sudden fantasy twist, and though some will not like the shift, others like me will eat it up. My only critique I can think of, is that I personally prefer a little less slapstick, but I still managed to enjoy the film.

[Pokeholic_Prince]

I'm gonna go watch it today hopefully around 11:30am. Super excited and I should have a review up pretty soon after watching it, so stay tuned.
Awesomereviewer.tumblr.com

[akhenaten]

went to the midnite screening yesterday.

i find it to be a so-so film that is very different from the usual pixar setting and formula. i personally felt that it couldve done away with the songs..except for the 2 sung by the characters. overall the movie felt tame and tad too slapsticky for my taste. also surprised at the display of butts and breast joke. merida is a little like ariel. the 3 brothers were unnecessary and not as memorable as say...huey dewey and louie and the bear element has been done before in brother bear with better results. (tho this movie will probably be remembered more than the other). im not anti pixar, i just think this 'formula', 'D essence' whatever u want to call it works best under WDAS. we gotta admit no one does it better than them and no one does 'unconventionality' better than pixar. i might just like it better with subsequent viewings...

while i applaud pixar for steering away from its norm i do think tangled is the better film.


2.9/5

[estefan]

People shouldn't focus on the calculated number at the top of the page. In fact, I wouldn't mind if Rotten Tomatoes got rid of the whole thing. The best way to have an idea of what a film's critical consensus is like is to read the actual reviews. It's the placing of the critic's reviews on one page that makes RT useful, not the number at the top. But most people seem to lack the ability to scroll down a webpage, for whatever reason.

The general consensus seems to be that it's a solid, sweet film about a mother-daughter relationship but some critics are finding the story to be a tad predictable and some don't care for the "twist". Personally, I've never understood where such a major plot point was kept secret in the trailers, but apparently some critics seem to have a problem with it. Another criticism is that it aims younger than the usual Pixar demographic. Otherwise, reviews are definitely more-so on the positive side.

[RyGuy]

I caught the 12:01 show.

I agree with the sentiments above that the movie doesn't "feel" like a Pixar movie which probably why so many critics were taken aback. But I definitely enjoyed the movie.

As for the crass humor, I didn't mind it. In fact, quite a bit of it had me laughing out loud and it seemed to be less crude for crude sake and a little more trying to capture Scottish humor (or at least some of the popular stereotypes of Scottish humor).

The audience last night really ate it up, so it may very well be like Cars where the critical reception was tepid but the audience reaction was better.

Oh, and I personally thought Tangled was a much stronger film, but I enjoyed this one more than Bolt and even more than Up.

[Mooky]

Lets not fuss too much about the ratings and just come to our own opinions of it.

+1

All this obsession with ratings on this board/in this thread is beyond baffling to me.

The best way to have an idea of what a film's critical consensus is like is to read the actual reviews. It's the placing of the critic's reviews on one page that makes RT useful, not the number at the top. But most people seem to lack the ability to scroll down a webpage, for whatever reason.

Also this.

[Polizzi]

Saw the movie today, and it's okay. To tell you the truth, the scene where Merida tries to get her mother back kind of made me cry a little. At first she failed to break the curse, but when the sun rises upon her mother, she returns happily. My grade for the movie, A-.

[DancingCrab]

I truly think that once people get past what they were expecting this film will eventually become a very popular classic. It really does blur the line between Pixar and Disney, which is kind of cool to finally see some influence going in the other direction for a change. Brave was advertised like it was going to be something more epic than it is, so some people feel a little underwhelmed that's it more of a simple fairy tale than what they thought it would be. We know the film is going to make lots of money, but it will probably do less than the average Pixar film, simply because it doesn't try to appeal to everyone....which will make it more of a cult classic in the end.

[David S.]

I missed my traditional midnight showing for new WDAS and Pixar films, so I caught it at 11 AM today.

I enjoyed it very much. Like others have said, some elements reminded me more of a WDAS DAC than a Pixar film, but I don't see that as a bad thing!

I read a few reviews which suggested it didn't have as much "heart" as other Pixar films, but I disagree - I found the end to be quite touching.

I agreed with the message of the film very much and it was nice to see Pixar make a film with a female protagonist and magical fairy-tale elements.

While I'm not sure I'd put it in my top 3 or 4 Pixar films, it is certainly VERY far above the bottom.

(Spoilers) I just wished I hadn't seen, and picked up, the cute plus bears next to the Merida meet and great at the Magic Kingdom, before the movie came out. The names on the tags matched the names of the brothers in the film, which meant I knew about their bear transformations before I saw the film. Luckilly, at least I didn't know Merida's mother would also turn into a bear before I saw the film.

[Kyle]

Just got back from the 3D showing. Solid movie. I would definitely put it above either of the 2 Cars movies.


Though I will say it felt more Disney than Pixar. Though it did what it seemed to set out to do quite well, I also don't think its one I'll revisit too much. I feel the same way about Ratatouille. But that gets a lot of praise so that along is accomplishment I guess. It just doesn't make my list of Pixar movies that have the same rewatchability factor as some of their other stuff. Still, its enough to say Pixar is out of their slump.

I still would really like to have seen Brenda Chapman's version. If what Iv'e heard is true and that they developed the mother daughter relationship thing more I think that could have helped. I feel like after the mother turns into a bear they pay it a bit too silly at first. I was also a bit confused as to when everyone realized she was missing.

I still cringe at the scene where she splits an arrow. Largely due to an episode of Mythbusters where they prove that is not possible. Similarly I think they also proved its not possible to hit a target with that kind of precision on horseback. As silly as it sounds, being just a movie and all, little things like that take me out of it.

[toonaspie]

For those who have yet to see this movie, I say don't judge it until you see it. It's refreshing to finally have a Disney fairy tale that focused on the mother-daughter relationship instead of the father-daughter. And in a way it does deconstruct some of the tropes a bit. Their are some nice spins that make Merida likeable. This is in contrast to other princesses such as Ariel and Jasmine who were just annoying and rebellious. At least Merida has a fun-loving personally that makes you want to cheer on her dreams. Her dad is ten times cooler than all the other Disney princess dads.

It may not the best film but it's really good. The majority of conflict plays it safe. In fact the plot twist actually has more with the one Disney film you never expect for this film to be similar too: Brother Bear. Ironically I think some of the aspects in this film would've worked better in THAT film. I was expecting a little more on the action side. But on the whole, despite a few flaws in execution, I think this film will grow on people after a few more viewings.

I should say something about "La Luna": BEST PIXAR SHORT TO DATE! No sappiness or comical antics in this one...just pure visual beauty that takes your breath away with every moment.

[Pokeholic_Prince]

My revie of the film, just watched it today http://awesomereviewer.tumblr.com/post/ ... ave-review

“Brave” is the story a mother and daughter who don’t seem to see eye to eye. There is a constant struggle between tradition and choosing ones own path, but both fail to see the middle ground. Merida wants to be free and see the world, but Elinor, her mother, wants her to be a proper princess. The story tells us that we might have our own thoughts and ways of doing things, but we also have to be careful of what might be the outcome. The message is pretty good, but I feel it loses sight in its second act, were they focus on humor more so than telling a compelling story.

The film is directed well and there are so many powerful moments. One in particular is the fight between Merida and Elinor and after the fight is over Elinors reaction put a lump in my throat. However, I felt the story wasn’t paced very well. The beginning is marvelous and feels like the story is going to be very grand, but the second half bogs everything down. Emotions are left for humor. The humor in the film is hit or miss and more misses than hits. They are childish, but what’s worse about is that it pulls you out of some really heart wrenching moments. There isn’t a balance between the heart and humor, which is rather disappointing.

Characters are fine, my personal favorite is the dad, King Fergus. He’s like a big likable bear. Merida is good, but she could have used more polish, aside from archery she doesn’t have an identity of her own. Elinor is good too, but in the second act she loses herself much like the film. The relationship between Merida and Elinor is something to marvel at because it is so real and genuine. We feel the love they have for one another, but we also see why they can’t stand each other. I really felt this story would delve more into their relationship, but in the second act it feels more like a buddy comedy only towards the end does the film realize that the story is about a mother and daughter.

It’s Pixar and one thing you can guarantee is that the animation is going to push the envelop and “Brave” is no exception. The scenery is grand and lavishing, it feels so alive. The character animations are so good and you’ll know what I mean when you watch it, just look at the way Merida moves. Everything is refined and I really felt as if this was a mystical area some where in Scotland.

Overall “Brave” is a decent flick. The animation is gorgeous and the songs and score are good as well. The beginning of the film is fantastic and really pulls you into the story and hypes you up for where it might go. However, the second act bogs everything down, the humor becomes juvenile, interest in characters are lost, and the story doesn’t know what it wants to do. It goes from and endearing story about a mother daugher relationships to a buddy comedy focused and cheap laughs. I really did want to like this film, but it left me disappointed with only frustration when I look back on it now. I give a low 3.5/5, great animation, even better opening, but the rest of the film leaves more to be desired.

“Caliente”

I have to say I am a bit dissappointed with the film even though my review is positive.

[Maerj]

Is it worth seeing in 3D?

[Kyle]

Is it worth seeing in 3D?

I want to preface this by saying I like 3D and dont think of it as just a gimmik, it can add to a film. That said, I felt similar coming out of this one as I did during How to train your Dragon. While there are some parts that use it to great effect the color pallet of this movie is simply too dark to warrant the compromise of tinted glasses. This one is probably better seen in 2D so you can get the most detail out of the darker parts of the film, because there's a lot of that.

[sunhuntin]

i agree, kyle, even though im yet to see it in 2d. i found some aspects of inside the woodcarvers cottage hard to see with the glasses. i especially had trouble making out the details of the medallion she showed merida.

la luna was beautiful and i had actually forgotten about it until right before it started, lol. was interested to see many names durings its credits that i didnt recognise.

[Pokeholic_Prince]

Oh yeah "La Luna" is a great short. The animation, the concept, everything is just executed to a "T." And unlike "Brave" it got its message about tradition accross clearly. It's sweat and a magical experience.