Eh.
I don't know if this movie crumbles from the weight of that "Pixar" logo above the title or if it was the long bumpy road in development, but Brave passes the grade in all avenues but still feels like a disappointment. I went in to the theater with the hopes that it would wash the taste of Cars 2 out of my mouth, and it did accomplish that but it left another aftertaste that felt a little worse. I expected Cars 2 to be what it was, the first real cash grab by the studio and Brave was to be the return of great stories and characters. Well as you can see from the above statements, it missed.
What went wrong? I can throw out a lot of things. Most films need a Villain to move the story along and here we were treated to a bear that has no real agenda, we think, and is only in the film for small phases. Second we have the witch that completely pulls us out of any immersion we were feeling with the film. Next there are the plot holes (many you could drive the Pizza Planet delivery truck through) such as Merida not immediately telling her Father what happened; Merida following the wisps three (!) times when each time something bad happened; Merida shoots for her own hand and this leads to war?
Wow, I guess it really comes down to the creators of a film trying to justify the hero or heroine making stupid decisions all the while keeping you in their corner. Ariel made a dumb deal with Ursula, Simba trusted Scar, Aladdin was about to kiss Jasmine as a nobody and then makes the leap that he must be a prince to hook up! But we forgive them because they overcome adversity and learned something about themselves. Merida just comes across as a spoiled brat who learns to love her now bear mother after one (!) afternoon of playing in the river.
So, it's really that bad? No. I hate that I feel this way, but you're Pixar dammit and I expect more from you. Brave is still better than anything Dreamworks or Sony throw out there. What really is thought provoking is the fact Disney Animation is getting stronger while Pixar is apparently going the other way. Odd that Disney's fall began around Brother Bear and now Pixar comes along with Brave (Originally titled The Bear and the Bow) and flounders some. Lesson is: Stay away from Bears.
No comments:
Post a Comment