Rio 2
2.5/4
Starring (voices): Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Andy Garcia, Jemaine Clement, George Lopez, Miguel Ferrer, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Kristen Chenoweth
Rated G
I went in to "Rio 2" expecting a train wreck. I hated the first one, so I guess I was biased. But I was surprised. This sequel is not a perfect movie, and I can't recommend it, but it contains some moments of effective comedy (one of which, involving a hungry panther, caused me to howl with laughter).
After the events of the first film, the last two blue macaws on Earth, Blu (Eisenberg) and Jewel (Hathaway) have settled in Rio exotic bird sanctuary together to raise a family. They have three kids: Carla (Rachel Crow), Bia (Amandla Stenberg) and Tiago (Pierce Gagnon). But Linda (Mann), Blu's former owner, and Tulio (Santoro), her ornithologist husband, think they have found more members of Blu and Jewel's kind, and if so, the area will be protected. Inspired by this news, Jewel and the kids set off to find them, accompanied by a reluctant Blu. Also on their trail is Nigel (Clement), a cockatoo who wants revenge against Blu for making him unable to fly. There's more bad news too, as a logging crew (led by a man voiced by veteran tough guy Miguel Ferrer) is on its way to the Elysium where the blue macaws live.
If that sounds like a lot of plot, that's because it is. The film is overstuffed to the extreme and that's it's fatal flaw. When the film focuses on the birds, the film is on solid ground. The other stuff, not so much. The worst is the stuff with Linda and Tulio. They're boring and irritating, but director Carlos Saldanha wisely keeps their time on screen limited.
The voice acting varies. Eisenberg and Hathaway are their usual reliable selves and rekindle the chemistry they had in the first film. Andy Garcia is unrecognizable as Jewel's father, who takes an almost immediate dislike to Blu (probably because he never does anything right...or it might be the fanny pack that he has on him). Jemaine Clement is quite funny as Nigel, who's forced to put up with a poison frog named Gabi (Chenoweth) who is in love with him (how he feels about her is unclear until the end however, and that's a bad thing). Their friends from Rio, Rafael (Lopez), Nico (Jamie Foxx) and Pedro (will.i.am) are forgettable and unnecessary.
Also disappointing is the music. As if the film weren't bloated enough, the filmmakers had to add musical numbers to. That wouldn't be bad (I'm personally fond of musicals, although that may be my gay side...ha ha) if they were any good. Unfortunately, most are generic R&B numbers (which is definitely not my favorite genre). The traditional numbers are effective, but the only ones that stand out are the Carnival auditions, which are quite funny. The standout is Nigel's audition of "I Will Survive," which is the second funniest bit in the movie.
At least the film isn't too long. The best stuff is the Carnival auditions, but those only take up a fraction of the screen time. The other stuff, such as the environmental encroachment, has been done better in other movies like "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" and "Avatar" (the climax is a less violent version of James Cameron's big battle, and it suffers by comparison).
The kids in the audience seemed to like it, but unlike the best family movies (such as the stuff from Pixar), there's not much for adults.
Starring (voices): Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Andy Garcia, Jemaine Clement, George Lopez, Miguel Ferrer, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Kristen Chenoweth
Rated G
I went in to "Rio 2" expecting a train wreck. I hated the first one, so I guess I was biased. But I was surprised. This sequel is not a perfect movie, and I can't recommend it, but it contains some moments of effective comedy (one of which, involving a hungry panther, caused me to howl with laughter).
After the events of the first film, the last two blue macaws on Earth, Blu (Eisenberg) and Jewel (Hathaway) have settled in Rio exotic bird sanctuary together to raise a family. They have three kids: Carla (Rachel Crow), Bia (Amandla Stenberg) and Tiago (Pierce Gagnon). But Linda (Mann), Blu's former owner, and Tulio (Santoro), her ornithologist husband, think they have found more members of Blu and Jewel's kind, and if so, the area will be protected. Inspired by this news, Jewel and the kids set off to find them, accompanied by a reluctant Blu. Also on their trail is Nigel (Clement), a cockatoo who wants revenge against Blu for making him unable to fly. There's more bad news too, as a logging crew (led by a man voiced by veteran tough guy Miguel Ferrer) is on its way to the Elysium where the blue macaws live.
If that sounds like a lot of plot, that's because it is. The film is overstuffed to the extreme and that's it's fatal flaw. When the film focuses on the birds, the film is on solid ground. The other stuff, not so much. The worst is the stuff with Linda and Tulio. They're boring and irritating, but director Carlos Saldanha wisely keeps their time on screen limited.
The voice acting varies. Eisenberg and Hathaway are their usual reliable selves and rekindle the chemistry they had in the first film. Andy Garcia is unrecognizable as Jewel's father, who takes an almost immediate dislike to Blu (probably because he never does anything right...or it might be the fanny pack that he has on him). Jemaine Clement is quite funny as Nigel, who's forced to put up with a poison frog named Gabi (Chenoweth) who is in love with him (how he feels about her is unclear until the end however, and that's a bad thing). Their friends from Rio, Rafael (Lopez), Nico (Jamie Foxx) and Pedro (will.i.am) are forgettable and unnecessary.
Also disappointing is the music. As if the film weren't bloated enough, the filmmakers had to add musical numbers to. That wouldn't be bad (I'm personally fond of musicals, although that may be my gay side...ha ha) if they were any good. Unfortunately, most are generic R&B numbers (which is definitely not my favorite genre). The traditional numbers are effective, but the only ones that stand out are the Carnival auditions, which are quite funny. The standout is Nigel's audition of "I Will Survive," which is the second funniest bit in the movie.
At least the film isn't too long. The best stuff is the Carnival auditions, but those only take up a fraction of the screen time. The other stuff, such as the environmental encroachment, has been done better in other movies like "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" and "Avatar" (the climax is a less violent version of James Cameron's big battle, and it suffers by comparison).
The kids in the audience seemed to like it, but unlike the best family movies (such as the stuff from Pixar), there's not much for adults.
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