Long ago, a fraught family relationship is healed after one party is turned into a bear. No, it's not Brother Bear, it's 2012's Brave. After trailers promised a mediaeval action adventure with a flaming redhead princess, I have to think a lot of people were disappointed by a film that was more of a goofy comedy about a mother and daughter relationship. Still, despite kind of a lame plot, it's not a bad film and the relationship between the princess and her mother is interesting.
In mediaeval Scotland, Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is a headstrong lass who'd rather be riding her horse and shooting trees than entertaining suitors. It's too bad this movie wasn't made in an era when they could've shown Merida actually hunting. It would've made sense with all the meat her family is shown eating. As it is, we only get once instance where she shoots a fish when she and her mother (Emma Thompson) are hiding in the woods.
I've heard Merida's kind of an unpopular character partly because she turned her mother into a bear. It's not like she did it on purpose, though. What I don't understand is why Merida has to flee from her family or why she has to sneak into the castle later.
The first part of the film is the best which is focused more on the very sweet chemistry Merida has with her big boisterous father (Billy Connolly).
I really do wish this had been a film about Merida going into the woods and facing some terror no-one else could. That hair of hers really is eye catching and it's fun watching her do trick shots with her bow and arrows. But some of the early stuff about how she and her mother misunderstand each other is nice. Though her mother's shift towards being more understanding of her daughter halfway through the film comes kind of abruptly and without adequate buildup.
Brave is available on Disney+.
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