What's it all About? As a nipper, William Wallace's family and friends are slaughtered by the treacherous King Edward I. Wallace goes overseas and returns to raise an army in an attempt to unify the Scots and defeat the evil English.
Best bits? Dodgy accent aside, Gibbo's rousing speeches hit the mark with heart felt passion and inspiration.
Did it make you think thoughts? Say what you want about Gibson as a person, he maybe a loony tune but he can make a pretty good movie. I always use to be of the opinion that Braveheart was a fairly rubbish film and only decided to re-watch it as I was off and it was on tv. It actually stands up pretty well and I enjoyed most of the 3 hour runtime.
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| Gibbo screaming 'till he's blue in the face |
The scale is impressive as Gibbo tries to create an old fashioned epic in the same vain as Spartacus. He succeeds in some if not all avenues. Slow motion must have been the flavour of the month as Mel splashes it around with gay abandon which amounts to overuse and sucks the life out of some scenes and makes dramatic moments tedious.
Praise should go to the cinematographer who captures the rolling Scottish landscape with lush panning visuals. The numerous fight scenes are also a highlight. Vicious, bloody battles that showcase the horrors of war. The editing in these scenes is particularly impressive.
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| 'Look at my gigantic pole' |
Rating (out of 100%): Not the oscar worthy flick that the academy deemed it to be (although it must have been a weak year seeing as Babe was also up for best pic) but a solid romp. I give Braveheart a mud slinging, freedom giving, English killing 67%
