Brave

Regular readers and friends of mine know that if there's one thing I am very critical about, it's the image of women in cinema. I do consider myself a feminist of sorts, and I do not believe excuses can be made when it comes to gender stereotypes. Besides Katniss, Hanna, and (arguably) the girl from Haywire, I cannot think of a female action lead in the past ten to fifteen years who hasn't been either motivated by or tied to their sexuality or a boy. Even supposed badasses like Lisbeth Salander throw themselves at the first dominant male that comes along. Pretty women are always shot like their in a porno, sometimes when they are being attacked or sexually assaulted. If anyone is going to change this, Pixar is who I'd pick. Do they succeed? Sort of. Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is a young Scottish princess who doesn't want to grow up. Her mother Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) ahas raised Merida to be a proper lady, but Merida is a tomboy who has always been closer to her dad King Fergus (Billy Connolly). When Merida runs off after fighting with her mom over arranged marriage, she finds a witch (Julie Walters) who offers to solve all of her problems. But when Merida ends up with her mom as a bear and time running out, she needs to take responsibility and repair the bond. Brave could of gone two ways. We could have been given either a watered down Disney Princes rehash for little kids or a truly groundbreaking symbol of progressive feminism in movies. Neither happened. Brave is definitely a fresh look at the whole princess thing; Merida is a strong and independent character full of personality, and there's no forced romance or anything. But I have been told that the film went through years of development hell, and it's obvious that that is true. Brave is just underwritten. It isn't by any means bad or Pixar's worst *cough*Cars*cough*, but the movie is very unfocused and it feels like something is missing. I hesitate to even mention the animation because really, what can I say? Of course the movie is beautiful; the environments are lush, the lighting is gorgeous, the people are great, and Merida's hair is amazing. The story is simply underwritten. I get the feeling compromises were made, and I was left wanting more at the end. Besides that, Brave is a very entertaining film with memorable characters and great humor, and I don't regret seeing it. However, Pixar can and should have done better. To be clear, this film is a step forward for girl protagonists, but a shaky one. At least it tries to do new stuff with its character and break tradition. The film could have taken more risks, but for whatever reason it doesn't. Movies need a female character who sweeps away the Charlie's Angels and the Pussy Galores and the Rose Dewitts. As the audience, it is imperative that we demand more Ellen Ripleys and Jackie Browns and Sarah Conners. I don't know when or from whom that revolution will come, but for now, Brave is welcome.