Review of Rio 2 (2014) by Demonicsoul — 05 Jul 2014

Story:

Blu, his family, and his friends embark on a trip to the Amazon to find a hidden Spix's macaw flock after getting word from Blu's owners Linda and Tulio of a possible hidden flock. The 1st film's story was never great to begin with, so don't get your hopes up as the story here is slightly worse than in the 1st. Whereas the 1st film had a cliched romance story, this film features: A Meet The Parents main plot, Nigel's revenge subplot, A Talent Show style subplot with Nico, Pedro, Raphael, and Carla, and Linda and Tulio's environmental subplot. The big problem is that there are too many subplots here. The film would switch back and forth from subplot to subplot so much that it loses focus of the main plot. Speaking of main plot, none of these subplots have anything to do with the main story. The only positive I can say, is that the environmental message here is stronger than in other animated films due to how the film uses the Amazon as a location for the environmental message. Whereas other environmental films use fictional places, the fact that Rio 2 uses an actual location that's actually getting cut down in real life is what makes the message here stronger. Besides that, the story here is bad, BUT, I know that audiences don't watch these kinds of "fun and entertainment" films for the story, and since Rio 2 ISN'T plot-centered like a Pixar or Studio Ghibli film, having a bad story doesn't hurt Rio 2 as much as it could've if it took its story seriously. Watching Rio 2 for its story would be like watching Madagascar for its story, and we all know most of us don't watch Madagascar with that mindset of wanting story. These kinds of films are style over substance, and you can tell by the trailers. So if you wanna watch Rio 2, then change your mindset/expectations. 4/10.

Animation:

One of Rio 2's biggest strengths is in its animation. You can tell by the trailers that Rio 2 looks gorgeous. This sequel looks better than the first. The colors are vibrant, the backgrounds are stunning, some of the musical scenes are beautiful to look at, the human and bird modes are realistic, and the attention to detail here, especially on the birds, is astounding. If you're gonna watch Rio 2, watch it on Blu-ray or 3D. 10/10.

Characters And Comedy:

All of the cast from the 1st film return, and besides the Spix's macaws, none of them serve a purpose to the plot, and all of them serve as simple archetypes. Blu is the fish out of water, Jewel is the caring wife, the 3 kids follow archetypes as well with one loving music, one being smart, and the other being mischievous. I personally wanted to see more of the family together on screen. Raphael, Nico, and Pedro are just comic reliefs and judges for the talent show auditions, Eduardo is the angry father-in-law, Roberto is the Fabio of the Spix's tribe, Linda and Tulio are just ornithologists exploring the Amazon, and the logger villains are just cliched villains. While they all follow archetypes, I found some to be more entertaining than others. The best characters here would have to be Nigel and his sidekick Gabi. Gabi was entertaining to watch since she's a poisonous frog who loves Nigel, but can't touch him. And Nigel is still entertaining here as he was in the 1st. There were also some funny moments here with a brief audition montage serving as a highlight. The comedy here is solid, and the characters are still entertaining, albeit cliched. 6/10.

Sound:

The score does a good job here, but one of the biggest highlights here are the songs. There are more songs here than the 1st, and even if they don't hit the height that Hot Wings did in the 1st, all of them are fun to listen to. What is Love is a nice opening for the film, Rio Rio fits the movie's happy and fun tone, Ô Vida is an enjoyable song that plays in the background while Blu, his family, and friends travel around Brazil, Poisonous Love, is one of the highlight songs due to its operatic tone, Welcome Back is a good, albeit short song with Bruno Mar's clean vocals, Beautiful Creatures is another highlight for me with its tribal tone and percussion, Don't Go Away is a short, but lovely lullaby with Anne H.'s vocals, It's a Jungle out here is a nice montage track, I will Survive is an outlandish and great cover by Nigel, and Batucada Familia is a nice closing for the film. For me, the songs here are better than Frozen for being unique and different. 9/10.

Acting and Casting:

The cast here does a good job at voicing with Jesse E.'s voice fitting Blu perfectly. There weren't any voices here that really annoyed me, and I'm surprised that Bruno Mars can actually do a good job at voice acting. Overall, good voice acting here. 7/10.

Verdict:

Rio 2, like its predecessor and so many others like it, is a film you DON'T watch for its story. Its writing isn't good, but its animation, visual gags, and songs are what makes this film soar. Change your mindset and give it a watch.

Extra:

+1 for being a sequel I liked.