Braveheart - Review

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Really. I mean it. My dad showed this movie to me when I was about 11 or 12 years old and I liked it back then, but for some reason I never watched it again until now. After not seeing it for 10 years, I remembered everything that I saw. That tells you something when a film can stick with you for that long without repeat viewings. Hell, there are some movies that I forget about as soon as I walk out of the theatre. So for Braveheart to have that effect on me makes this film truly magical. So first, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Whenever I talk about this movie with people, I will normally get one of two responses (not including the classic "never heard of it" that every movie gets at least once). One being, "Great movie!" and the other being, "that movie is so incorrect". Yes, this movie is so historically inaccurate that it's not even worth saying that this film is based on a true story. However, those same people who say this movie sucks because of it's historical inaccuracy will also defend a movie like Inglorious Basterds even though that film changed history too. Now that, I don't understand, but I digress. Even though this film is not even close to matching the story told in history books, it does something that all amazing movies do, and that is move you. Movies strive on the emotional connection of the audience. No matter if it's a comedy, a thriller, a romance, or an epic adventure like this, movies need to get an emotional response from the audience in order for them to work. A comedy is good because it made you laugh, a horror movie is good because it made you scream in terror, and a science fiction experimental film is good because it captured your imagination in the visuals, sound, or anything for that matter. That's why I love this film so much. It runs on simple emotions that we can all relate to whether that be love, revenge or patriotism. Now some people may look at this movie and be turned off by the 3 hour runtime. However, this film takes every advantage of that time in creating a textbook great story. You have the likeable protagonist that comes from small upbringings and becomes a hero, you establish a setting that in my mind, is just beautiful (this is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. I booked a plane ticket to Scotland right after I finished watching), you have a romance between two characters that is extremely simple yet feels so deep and euphoric, you have a motivation that is grounded and clear for the main character to go on their quest, you have funny supporting characters, a villain who is extremely evil and you actively want to see them defeated, and battle scenes that are huge, epic and extremely violent as hell, wrap that into a film with one of the best musical scores in film history and you have a in my mind, a perfect movie. This is why I love movies so much. It's movies like this that makes me understand why film is the universal language. The story may be about Scottish people fighting the english over 700 years ago, but the emotional impact movies convey is universal. While some people may look at this formula and say that it has been done to death. While that may be true, but very few ever stick to the formula this much and be as emotionally powerful as Braveheart. One of the best movies I have ever seen. Period.

Video Review Here: https://youtu.be/GcLwDYI7GWQ