Seeking to avoid her fate, she finds a witch in the woods who cooks up a spell to help change her mother. It works to disastrous effect, and Merida has only two days to mend these things before it means war for her clan and doom for her mother.
The movie itself is gorgeous, with stunning virtual landscapes that capture the hauntingly magical feel of the ancient Celts. But pretty pictures don’t make a movie. Compelling characters and good writing go a long way, and that’s really where this movie falls apart. The story of a gal trapped by birth into being a lady has been done to death – and if you feel compelled to do it again, you’re going to have to bring more to the table than red hair and some slapstick. Pixar didn’t. So it feels flat – funny, since you can see it in 3D.
Don’t get me wrong; there are some moments of real emotion, mostly towards the end. But it’s hard to get invested in a movie when you feel like you know what’s going to happen from the get go. It isn’t even a bad movie - it’s a fine film to take the kiddos to on a rainy afternoon. But it’s just not what I’d expect from Pixar.
3 out of 5
