Brave (movie)

Just got back from seeing Brave with a friend of mine who greatly resembles the main character of the movie in appearance, as well in many of the character's good qualities.

It's a terrific movie, in my opinion. Firstly, the story is excellent. It has a richness that conveys the setting, a mix of Celtic elements remembered from history with those legends which formed the backbone of the culture. The characters were believable in this setting, I never felt that they were acting outside of "the dictates of one conscience". They were likeable characters, which is not always the case, likeable with good and bad qualities as is found in reality and fiction alike.

Secondly, the visuals are also excellent. This is not in a way that detracts from the story, but highlights it. There is an early scene that informs the main character's path, and is echoed in one of the closing moments of the film. This scene has a beauty of artwork that is becoming more interwoven with computer animation, as the tools become more unto brushes and paint, than tools to be wrestled into such a state.

The movie carried me to many emotions, which included: fear (it's PG and legitimately so, not for younger children) at scary moments, elation and sadness at touching ones, and every manner of shade in between.

The arguments about film as art, and more lately whether films that use a medium of pixels rather than brushstrokes, are for wiser people than I to discuss. My feeling is that this was a good piece of art, and I would hope that others both enjoy and find some meaning from it as well.