Brave

4.7

Pixar's latest effort sadly proves that the animation titan can make a bad film. Kid-centric Cars movies aside, Brave is easily the company's worst film to date. If nothing, it proves that they've finally nailed hair animation. The gnawing emptiness looming over the film may be due to the last-minute change in directors. I understand it is a mother/daughter story at its core and some of its impact may be lost on me.  On the surface, all the pieces are there but they fail to add up to a decent story, let along something Pixar-worthy.

Worst of all, the film never lives up to its title. Pixar's first female protagonist Merida is half strong female warrior and half typical teenage girl. More power to Pixar for creating a character half their audience can relate to (the other half for a change) but sadly she never rises to become the hero she is set up to be. The film's fatal misstep relates back to this character flaw in that every set up fails to deliver. This results in a strong first act that crumbles as it progresses. The established will-o'-the-wisps are never really brought to fruition, remaining reminiscent of video game markers. The changes in the characters are very weak and unmotivated and happen because they must at that point in the film. It goes without saying that technically, the film achieves perfection. But whether or not a directing change is to blame, the film falls entirely flat.