Rio (**½)
Directed by: Carlos Saldanha
Starring (voices): Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, George Lopez,
Jemaine Clement, Leslie Mann, Tracy Morgan, Will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, Rodrigo
Santoro, Jake T. Austin
Seen: April 9th 2011
**½
Out of ****
In
the arena of animated movies, Rio blasts its way onto the screen with gorgeous
animation and likeable characters. Blu (Eisenberg) is the last male of his
kind, a Spix’s Macaw. As a fledgling he was captured in the tropical jungles of
Brazil and exported to America, where he was found by a young Linda (Mann)
after his box fell from the delivery truck in Moose Lake, Minnesota – the antithesis
of the tropical climate he came from. Linda and Blu become great friends, and
in a quick photo montage we are shown that even her prom date was marginalised
to favour Blu, and the end result of this lifelong friendship is shown as Linda
and Blu running a bookshop in this snowy climate.
On
a pretty normal day Tulio (Santoro), an ornithologist from Rio de Janeiro,
shows up at the bookshop, asking Linda to bring Blu to Brazil to meet the last
surviving female of his kind. Initially they don’t much feel like it,
especially when Tulio’s attempt at flying lessons for Blu fails miserably, but eventually
they agree and are off to the tropical city. Blu is introduced to Jewel
(Hathaway), a spirited female Spix’s Macaw, and initially all the wrong kinds
of sparks fly between the two, as Blu is neurotic, not very self-confident,
fine with his life of captivity, and can’t fly; while Jewel cannot end her
attempts at escape and can’t believe Blu’s ineptitude.
Nigel
(Clement), a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo arrives at the shelter looking
dishevelled and mistreated; only for him to shake the pathetic image once the
people leave, and turn into a “monster” of sorts – he is the “inside man” for a
small tropical bird smuggling ring, and they are after Blu and Jewel, whom they
successfully steal with the help of Fernando (Austin), a homeless Brazilian boy
in it only for the little money he gets. Blu and Jewel manage to escape, and
they meet a lot of colourful characters in their captured/escaped/captured-again
adventures; among them the fat bird/thin bird duo of Pedro (Will.i.am) and Nico
(Foxx), the slobbering bulldog Luiz (Morgan), and also a troop of thieving
Marmosets - a diminutive attempt at the feel of the Madagascar penguins.
Rio
is colourful and wonderfully animated, but the movie can outstay it’s welcome
for adults, as the entire story is strictly aimed at the 8-12 year old bracket.
I felt that most of the essence of the movie was already out there in the surplus
of trailers released for this movie, and with that came a feeling of indifference
as the movie progressed. None of the jokes were laugh out loud funny, mostly
only slightly amusing, and at times I felt pretty disappointed at the waste of
potential flashing by on screen. The movie’s big saving grace is the climactic pay-off
scene where Blu comes into his own right, and even though it’s as Hollywood a
moment as you can get, it was a soaring and beautiful moment that everyone will
identify with, either because they’ve experienced just that or because they’re
excitedly and expectantly awaiting this moment in their lives. It was great,
but I wouldn’t want to sit through it again just for that 30 seconds of
pay-off. Parents, take your kids, but don’t expect a Pixar-like miracle that
talks to all ages, this one’s just for the kids.
Comments