My Movie Review on Braveheart

Happy Independence Day, everybody!

Sound the trumpets! Play the drums! Light the fireworks! And wave the American flag! Because it's once again the time of year to celebrate American becoming its own country.

Anyway...

As my Independence Day gift to you all, I be giving ye lads and lasses my take of Mel Gibson's "Braveheart".

Here's the rundown of this tale based on history:

William Wallace is a Scotsman and the son of Malcolm Wallace, a soldier who fought against the English, who are lead by the tyrannical King Edward the I "Longshanks". Despite the constant chaos and the fact that his family was killed by English soldiers, all Wallace wants is to live a life of peace with the love of his dreams, Murron MacClannough.

However, when Murron is executed by a troupe of English soldiers, Wallace vengefully kills the soldiers and leads Scotland in the war against England, vowing to not rest until Scotland achieves freedom and England leaves the country for good.

Will Wallace succeed in leading Scotland to freedom? Or will his efforts all be for nothing?

I know this movie doesn't involve America whatsoever, but if I recall correctly...Independence Day is a holiday that celebrates freedom, the fights that were done to achieve it, and the people who bravely fought for it. "Braveheart" is a film about all three of those things, and I felt encouraged to analyze it based on people recommending it to me not long after I reviewed "The Patriot" last year.

And let me just say...that this film is a masterpiece! Everything about it was so wonderful!

For instance, the direction by Mel Gibson, and the story by Randall Wallace, were fantastically spot-on.

Among the enjoyable things about this movie was that the two of them created something that felt surprisingly human, particularly because of the themes they incorporated and the great amount of passion that was put into it. Along with that, the film had snippets of wit that made it unexpectedly light-hearted at times, and the vast amount of emotion and heart the feature contained made it all-the-more compelling. The cinematography and action scenes were likewise quite top-notch, and the camera anglings were so well-done it was like I was in the midst of the action.

The performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development were incredible as well. Accompanied by handsomely creative dialogue, the performers looked like they were passionately throwing themselves into their roles and having all the fun in the world.

Mel Gibson and his character of William Wallace were definitely the best out of every performer and character. The Scottish accent Gibson incorporated was fantastically flawless, and it was incredible to see how distinctly human he portrayed Wallace both physically and emotionally. I'd also like to add that Patrick McGoohan did a phenomenal job performing as King Edward, making the character an intimidating force to be reckoned with and bringing terrific theatricality. Plus, Brendan Gleeson, Angus Macfadyen, David O'Hara, James Cosmo, and Sophie Marceau were wonderful in the roles of Hamish, Robert the Bruce, Stephen of Ireland, Campbell, and Princess Isabella of France.

The character development in articulation was astonishing! I deeply admired the fact that every character wasn't without tremendous growth, which helped them be astoundingly alive and real. In my opinion, it was William, Isabella, and Robert the Bruce who had the most outstanding developments.

Finally, the music that was composed by James Horner was magnificent.

It was remarkable how emotionally-engaging Horner helped the film be through his music alone, and it felt like I was actually living the adventure through more than just my eyes. I particularly enjoyed how the melodies and tunes matched with the countries and time periods the film took place in, and how much it captured the feelings and personalities of the characters.

In conclusion, "Braveheart" is a cinematic gem that I'm proud to have done an analysis for. Everything about it is excellent, and it greatly showcases Mel Gibson as a man of many talents. And not only did Gibson and Randall Wallace create an outstanding movie...they created a work of art.

So, I rate "Braveheart" five out of five stars.