Allow me to to give you the quick version of this review with a little anecdote: I am currently spending the weekend with my girlfriend, who lives in a different state when we're not at school together and thus we haven't seen each other in two months. Two grown ass adults, in college, who have been dating for over three years, couldn't take their eyes off the screen for even a second. Yeah, it's good.
For those that were born yesterday, Brave is the latest entry into Disney and Pixars phenominal pedigree. We all grew up with Andy Davis, rooted for Marlin and Mr. Incredible, and balled our eyes out after two completely wordless minutes telling the story of Ellie and Carl Fredrickson, and if you didn't at least tear up, you literally have no heart or soul whatsoever. Pixar has yet to make a movie that wasn't great (alright, so the two Cars movies weren't their best, but still) and they continue that tradition with Brave.
Sure, there are a couple cliches. Angsty teenager who doesn't like what her parents have planned for her, the desire to change her fate doesn't go the way she thought it would. Yeah, sure, we've all see those before, but I'll be damned if you can find a movie that does it better, let alone an animated one. They also don't do all the cliches. Here's a minor spoiler: they don't force some love interest or romancs onto a character that doesn't need it. It also makes up for it with some wonderfully original moments, and some of the best visual metaphores I have ever seen in a movie. Not to mention some genuinly interesting and original characters. Yeah, Pixar has yet to dissapoint with that, too.
We all know how fantastic Pixar movies look, and Brave is certainly no exception. Something else Pixar always does increadibly well is create a fantastic aesthetic that fits perfectly into the narrative they are telling. They really went out of their way to include some visuals representative of different parts of the anceint tribes of Scotland that the characters are supposed to be from, and really did great at including some legitimate bits from Scotish mythology. They really created a fantastical and believable world. The fantastic score also helped, being filled with Scotish influences that fit the narrative perfectly.
It's also HILLARIOUS. Seriously, there were times where I couldn't help but laugh. Little sight gags and jokes that are truely funny, and quite frankly, the three little brothers steal every scene they're in. Particularly in the third act, and you'll know what I mean when you see it.
Is it perfect? Well, alright, no. Like I said, it gets a little cliched at times, and although I didn't notice it while watching, it was a little fast paced. I wouldn't say rushed, but looking back, it was a bit driving at times. It's all forgiven, though, because you will be so entranced by this movie that you won't care.
So to sum up: Brave is fucking awesome. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to, you will love it. If you don't love it, you're wrong. It's not even a matter of opinion, you're just wrong. It might be your opinion that the sky is green, but if you think that, than you're as wrong as you are if you don't love Brave. Seriously, go see it.
