Anybody planning on seeing this movie? I just got back, and it really exceeded my expectations. I feel foolish for doubting Pixar, but the trailers for this movie really underwhelmed me and I couldn't find it in me to get excited about it. I'm really happy I was wrong. Here's a review I wrote of the movie.

http://completelyoverrated.com/2012/06/24/review-brave/

If you've seen it, what did you think? If you're not going to see it, why not? The review is entirely spoiler free as well.

not going to see it

too inspirational

I saw it Friday. It exceeded my expectations as well. I was impressed that the trailers are basically the first 30 minutes of the film, which made the actual storyline more shocking. It felt a little lacking in depth in comparison to other Pixar films, though it never failed to be exciting, I think the musical numbers threw me off a bit as well.

I was surprised and overjoyed to see Steve Purcell (the creator of Sam & Max) in the credits as co-director and one of the 3 writers.

It's enjoyable and absolutely gorgeous with its visuals, but not exactly one of Pixar's great. But hey, at least it isn't a Cars 2. The movie has a strong act 1 with good character relations between Merida and Melinda. All the other characters however are rather two dimensional.

Act 2 is where the movie really falters. Once Melinda becomes a bear. The movie seems to rush quickly to the end. I expected an epic adventure like Up but nope. Even though the witch wasn't evil, I would have liked them to pursue her by embarking on an epic quest with Merida's father following once he realized they were gone.

I also don't like the contention with the movie's theme of trying to change your fate. It seems the movie tries to edify that no you can't change your fate unless your parent allows it.

Have not seen it yet. Probably will at some point though. I tend to enjoy Disney/Pixar films.

i saw it tonight, brilliant movie. definitely worth your time and money, unless you have horrible taste

Is Up considered one of Pixar's greats? Or am I just prejudiced against dopey fat kids?

I would definitely say UP is probably one of their best.

For those of you who enjoy podcasts, we just recorded a podcast discussing Brave and John Carter. We kept it mostly spoiler free (I can't think of any spoilers about those two films that were discussed).

http://completelyoverrated.com/2012/06/24/podcast-thats-completely-overrated-episode-11-feast-yer-eyes/

It's not out here for about 2 months for some reason, but from seeing the trailers, the voices bug me.

But you should be able to relate!

Those two options don't seem to be mutually exclusive...

Remember when Heroes was first on tv and people that could speak Japanese would say that when Hiro and Ando were speaking Japanese it sounded kind of robotic? The voices from what I've heard are a bit like that for me. You can tell the actors [apart from Billy Connolly] are sort of over-enunciating so that people outside Scotland can understand them and it just sounds incredibly... sterile? For the first time seeing something from Pixar, I'm very aware that it's people speaking over animation.

i imagine that would be a little odd. movies(at least mainstream made in the US) are pretty much made so that us bland speaking Californians can easily understand it, so if your actually from where the movie is supposed to be set it probably sounds really... off.

You should try being Australian and hearing what mainstream media thinks we sound like ;p

Bunch of prisoners on an island eating eachother to survive when there isnt enough kangaroo to go around

you all make me sick

IN BEFORE RACISM

This is massassi. there is no "before racism"

Speaking of racism, I went to my new place today after I got the keys and these two 5 year old black kids, one with dreadlocks and a wife beater, and they start laughing at the sight of me and then ignite a party popper at me, and then when I was leaving they giggled and made farting noises as I walked by

RACISM STILL LIVES ON, I AM A VICTIM

Sounds like you're a practitioner and they're 5.

sounds to me like your prejudice against couchmen.

Thinking more carefully about why I didn't go for the film (besides the fact that I'm not in elementary school), I felt that at a certain point I lost track of any classic 3-act narrative amid tedious and bizarre action sequences. As a kid I loved Toy Story, and there was plenty of mindless action near the end with the rocket and the wagon and all, but it all seemed to have a point to it.

But ultimately, seeing that the reviews are pretty much unanimously positive, I must have been predisposed to dislike it, or am either too old/smart or not smart enough to get it.

(All that is in reference to Up, not Brave.)

Wow, really? So we're going to do the whole "animated movies are for kids" thing here? Are you brain dead?



It's not the fault of the filmmaker that you have no attention span. You also obviously do not understand how a three act structure works.



Why do you not love it as an adult? How does it cease to be a great movie? Also, what mindless action? You keep using that term, and I'm not sure that you understand what makes action mindless. If it all has a point, it's not mindless god dammit.



How can positive reviews make you predisposed to disliking something? How does that work? Are you admitting to deliberately disliking things based on a positive popular opinion?



I don't think it's that you're too old or too smart. I think it's that you're not smart enough (yet you think you are, which makes it twice as bad) to understand movies at all.



It wouldn't make any difference if you were referring to Blade 2. All of what you said would still make you an idiot when it comes to cinema.

By admitting to have been pre-disposed against the film, I assumed that my ideas were therefore irrelevent, especially in deference to the unanimity of praise bestowed by the critics. You could break down my post, but you'd be putting more thought into the matter than I did.

I had no idea, by the way, that Pixar movies were supposed to be too difficult for a small child to "understand".

I just went to Amazon and IMDB to browse through the negative reviews to confirm my preconceptions (in fact, I don't think I actually got as far as act 3 when watching the movie). Regardless, you probably are right to have liked the movie, as all the newspapers did as well. OTOH, I can't help but wonder if they were in a conspiracy, seeing how easily the user reviews confirmed many of my own misgivings.

For those that enjoyed it, I am curious to know what you saw in it. On the one hand, some scenes would seem to appeal only to a very small child, while others are much too depressing. But as an adult, the entire premise seemed pointless, abstract, and disconnected from my life and the things I value in a serious film. IMO, the more fantastical and contrived the film, the less it speaks to me on a serious level. One of my biggest problems in this department as well is the lack of dialogue. I am unable to empathise with what amounts to a montage, and in many ways it feels like a really long short film.

Honestly, I just think of Kenny.

I find it amusing that there's a right and wrong with regards to liking a movie.

Good point, CM; art is subjective in its appeal. OTOH, the critics often can discern good vs. bad art; The Beatles, for example, are pretty much universally respected for their originality and musicality, even if they are not universally loved.

I still have a harder time not being angry at movies I don't like, probably because a screening is more of a one-time experience/judgement, and maybe also because movies have a more literal meaning than music, which gives more opportunity to piss off or bore.

You get pissed off by films? Unless it's got REALLY badly written characters I don't see how that's possible.

THANK YOU!

Art is subjective in it's appeal but almost never it's technical value.

Perhaps it's not entirely accurate for me to say that I get 'pissed' off by stuff on the screen, although this would apply when a friend/family member drags me into the theater against my will. Or if the film was directed by George Lucas or James Cameron.

Some art is just ****.

Then it's not art.


The modern misappropriation of the word 'art' frustrates me as much as people who think opinions can't be wrong.

i really enjoyed the movies UP and Toy Story... really REALLY enjoyed them. Almost all of the Disney/Pixar movies (for me at least) are entertaining, to say the least.
From what I've seen most of the negative reviews of those movies, people didnt like them because they take themselves way too seriously.
If you cant suspend your disbelief for an hour and a half you should probably not watch a movie based around an old man floating away in a house suspended by BALLOONS. In that same vein if as an adult you are not interested in "childish" concepts, why are you watching disney movies?

also, why so serious?

Good points. I probably just grew out of Pixar movies. (Although Monsters Inc. still seemed more accessible to me than UP.)

Considering that the vast majority of all people, both adults and children, enjoyed Up, I'm guessing you didn't grow out of Pixar movies so much as you hurfed into durf.

For me I guess hurfing into durf was part of growing up. South Park probably gave me brain damage as well.

No, for you hurfing into durf was just life. Growing up had nothing to do with it.

If you're going to try to explain your subjective preferences with vague and pretentious excuses, could you at least choose ones that don't implicitly label the people who disagree as mewling infants?

Sure, but to be less vague I'd have to watch the film again, since I barely remember it.

Don't do it! It's a trap!

No love for Finding Nemo in this thread? That's by far my favorite Pixar film.

What's wrong with James Cameron? He's never made what I'd call a bad film, and that includes Pirahna 2.