Movie Review: Brave (2012) [PG]

"Our fate lies within us.  You only have to be brave enough to see it."

Love the final quote of Brave.  There will be some spoilers in my review, so if you don't want to know what happens, please don't read any further.  I am also writing this review from my own Christian beliefs, so that will be reflected as well.  There were parts of the movie I liked, and parts I didn't.  I am just going to make a fun little list that will make it easy and simple to sift through.  Okay?

What I liked:

I liked that the animators for Brave chose a female character for the lead.  Merida  is a fiery young girl, with flowing red hair, who doesn't want to have her path chosen for her and be a princess, but would rather choose her own path. She is energetic, brave, and skilled in archery

 I liked the setting.  The setting is in Scotland and the animated scenery is breathtaking and beautiful. 

I liked the family chaos.  There is a mother and father who are the king and queen, Merida who is the oldest, and three little boys who appear to be triplets.  The boys are a little mischievous, which is sort of cute and very realistic. 

The soundtrack is gorgeous.  I might buy it and listen to it.  I need to check out some of the song lyrics first.

I liked the story...to some degree.  There is a conflict between mother and daughter, which is not unusual for Disney. It is about a young girl longing to find her way and be who she was meant to become.  Merida is very brave. (Conflict between a mother and daughter is not always a good thing, but it does have a happy resolution in this case.)

 What I didn't like:

 I didn't like the mysticism in the movie.  There are these little things Merida occasionally follows which always get her into trouble called will-o'-the-wisps.  They "lead" her into bad stuff.

I didn't like the witchcraft.  They made the witch kind of gnarly, which is good, but she was funny, which made her appealing, which I didn't think was so good.  Merida is led to the witch and decides to employ the witch to help cast a spell on her mother to change her mother's mind about her fate.

Brave is a little too scary for little kids.  There was a little girl behind me who became frightened frequently and hid her eyes.  The bears are very vicious and large.  I even jumped at one point during the movie.

There was a lot of talk about destiny and fate which is common among secular movies.  They are all referring to something they cannot see, but lies within the heart of everybody, because God has a plan for us all.

A few final thoughts....

Although I didn't like the witchcraft in the movie, it did have very severe repercussions for Merida and backfired on her, which taught a lesson.  I am not sure of the age of Merida, but she is old enough to be given in marriage, but still a young girl....so I didn't know how this would be appealing to little children, even though it is a cartoon.   There are also other elements to the movie which I didn't really go into surrounding a curse and the kingdom.

Brave was unlike anything Pixar has done up to this point.  I have enjoyed a lot of their movies in the past, as have my children.  I probably won't let my children watch this one for a while.  It is a little too dark and scary and I want to be certain they understand when I explain to them about spiritual things of this nature.   If you are a believer, and you want to teach your children from a Christian point of view, then Brave will lend itself to some lessons for you.  The quote I began my post with was a final quote in the movie, which I thought was brilliant and very scriptural for the believer.

 If you want to read a more in depth review of the movie, go to www.kidsinmind.com or  www.pluggedin.com.

For another perspective on the movie Brave, please check out my friend Heather's post here at Upside Down Homeschooling.

Have you seen the movie?  What are your thoughts?

From the Library of C.S. Lewis: Selections from Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey by James Stuart Bell with Anthony P. Dawson

"Let us then according to the Gospel consider this visible world chiefly in this view, as an emblem of things invisible, and a means to lead us by reason and faith to the sight of God our great, our chief good."-from Samuel Johnson in the section "The Gleaming of Divine Brightness"-Heaven, Death, and Immortality

C.S. Lewis.  When I hear that name, immediately my mind goes to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  I don't remember reading the novel when I was younger, but I do remember watching the cartoon based on the book as a child.  I remember always crying when Aslan died, no matter how many times I had seen it. As a middle school teacher, I read the book to my students.  You can tell so much about a writer by what he writes about, and by the spirit behind it.  When you read C.S. Lewis' writings, especially the aforementioned book, you see into the heart of a man who seeks to promote Christ. 

From the Library of C.S. Lewis is a  look into the life of the writer.  What did he read?  Who influenced him?  James Bell has put together a list and samples of the writers that influenced  C.S. Lewis.  The book is divided into sections based on different themes in Christianity, with each section containing samples of writing from historical figures that influenced Lewis such as Martin Luther, William Cowper, Samuel Johnson, Andrew Murray, Saint Augustine, and many others.  At the end of the passages there is a little bio about the writer, so you get to know them a little better too.

I like the book because it gives insight into one of the world's most well known writers.  There is information in the book on Christians that I have never heard of before which is very interesting to me.  The reader will also come away with a greater depth of understanding of Christianity in a different time period than their own. 

I recommend the book to anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge of the history of Christianity.  I believe fans of C.S. Lewis will be inspired with a greater glimpse into who the man was and what influenced him as a writer and a Christian.  One thing I have taken away from this book, due to some of what I would consider controversial writers in the book, or maybe those considered in Contemporary Christianity to be avoided, is that because you cannot agree with some people on certain subjects or topics, doesn't mean you cannot agree with them on anything.  I think that is really important in the body of Christ right now.

My one criticism about this book, and I realize that this is not the purpose of the book, is that I would have liked to have seen samples of Lewis' as well under each of the sections.  "How Dearly You Have Paid for Me"-The Life and Sacrifice of Christ section as well as many others would have been enhanced by seeing a sample of Lewis' thoughts on the subject alongside those who influenced him.

One final little tidbit of info.  This is not a book to whisk right through.  The writing contained within is through provoking and the language is not contemporary so it requires focus to grasp all the writers are trying to communicate.

Blessings to you as you seek to learn more about one of Christianity's most influential writers!

~Beth

Disclosure:  I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of a free books for bloggers program.  I was not required to give a positive review.  The thoughts and opinions here are my own.

Seeing Colors Our World

On Fridays, I participate in 5 minute Fridays at The Gypsy Mama.

Begin 5 minutes.

The way we see colors everything.  Whatever comes in your eye gate affects your perception of the world.  I think Jesus said the eye is the light of the body, or something along those lines.  From what we read, to the movies we watch, to what we cast our eyes on even on facebook.  We are bombarded with images we see on a daily basis, and it affects how we see.

I have a very vivid imagination.  I don’t want to see certain things, because I know those images will be forever ingrained in my brain, unless the grace of God erases them.  So, I am careful what I look at.  I have been flipping through the channels before and have seen things I never wanted to see, and then I have to overcome and get those images out of my brain.

It affects our relationships too.  If you see things that are unhealthy, it can jade how you interact with other people.  I think that is why Jesus warned us about what we allowed to come into our eyes.  I have heard so many people say, “I can watch this.  It doesn’t bother me.”  Well, I am not one of those people.  I can watch things and it totally affects my mind and heart.

I remember the first time I saw Titanic.  It moved me so much I was upset for like a week.  All because I chose to go to “see” this movie.

End of 5 minutes.

(P.S.  I talked mostly about the negative aspect of this.  But it works the other way too.  When I go outside and see the flowers, my spirit is lifted.  When I see my children, my heart swells.  When I keep my eyes on Jesus, my heart is peaceful.)