Rio 2

Now that director Carlos Saldanha has been able to show off his native city in "Rio", he is free to focus on a story that is actually better for "Rio 2". While the sequel still has some flaws, those who like the first film should see its follow-up. While I feel that the original movie is more pleasing to the eye, its story was lacking. This movie however is a little bit better.

The filmmakers did have to journey away from Rio ironically in order to tell a worthwhile story in "Rio 2". Just as "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2" had barely anything to do with weather, "Rio 2" only takes place in said city during the opening act. I wonder why a subtitle wasn't employed? The good news is that this movie has character conflicts that are much stronger and relatable than those from the first movie. In "Rio", Blu can't fly and finds himself chained to a female bird that hates him but is the last of his species. That isn't too relatable for us humans but trying to impress our in-laws on the other hand is something that we all have to go through. Other themes such as sacrificing your own desires for the good of your family are also well used. The story was the focus of this movie and that is a relief. There is also a strong environmental message. We see Blu having to combat himself, nature and other characters. You really can't see a way for both Blu and Jewel to get what they both want and so I enjoyed the plausible resolution in that Blu and his family end up with two homes by the end of the story. When you look at the villains in "Rio 2", this is one obvious flaw that the show has. The first film had a strong villain in the form of Nigel and the human villains in that film were involved in the same evil scheme. In the sequel, Nigel can't fly (now that's a good use of intentional irony). Unfortunately, he becomes less formidable. He becomes a comedic villain, which would have been fine if there was a new villain that joins him in his quest to illuminate Blu. Instead, we have some human loggers that are after a different goal. "Rio 2" may have some good drama but the film has problems with its villains. The filmmakers also went too far in trying to include all characters from the last film. Honestly speaking, Luiz wasn't needed in this show at all for example. Finally, our characters won the climax too easily.

While Jesse Eisenberg's performance was once again noteworthy, his voice doesn't really work as a father figure. Anne Hathaway and the other returning cast members were great in finding their characters a second time. Andy Garcia's performance was very good and the character of Gabi was a great addition because of her animation, design and voice. I once again give a shout out to my childhood friend, A.J. Conrad. He is animator and apparently worked on the sequence where animals audition for Carnival. I am happy for how this show turned out but I still feel that the franchise isn't perfect. The story involving our main character was well crafted and was set as the central feature of the movie but other aspects of the film needed to be better. Back in 2011, I had a feeling that "Rio" would draw attention to the World Cup of 2014 and the Summer Olympics of 2016. Thanks to this 2014 sequel, I was right about the World Cup (one of the filmmakers from the first film admitted to the intentional release date for "Rio 2" in lieu of the World Cup). I am divided in terms of a third movie on whether it is necessary but considering that the Olympics are yet to happen, the odds are high that the Blue Sky will make it anyways.

3.5 Stars