Movie Review: Rio 2 3D - Churp Churp Premiere Screening

**SPOILER ALERT**

**If you want to know my general opinion, scroll straight to the second last & last paragraphs! :)**

Blu and I at the Churpremiere of Rio 2 in 3D!

Since the first movie in 2011, I was eagerly waiting for the sequel to be released after watching the trailer. We left off from the first movie with the villains defeated and Blu achieving a milestone by being able to fly at last. Tulio and Linda built and runs a Blu Bird Sanctuary in Rio de Janeiro what we can only assume in the end to see Blu and Jewel to start a life together.

Image taken from www.liveforfilms.com

In Rio 2, Blu and Jewel have their own family of three kids - 2 daughters: Bia which seems to be musically inclined and Carla, why of course there has to be the one that is always thirsty for knowledge right? Then there is their only son, Tiago which (stereotypically and expectedly) the mischievous one. If you think that this movie evolves around their kids and probably the plot is about their kids being captured and Blu is on a mission to save them, then you are wrong. The focal point of the plot still remains with Blu.

Left to right: Carla (Rachel Crow), Bia (Amandla Sternberg) & Tiago (Pierce Gagnon)

Image taken from www.allentto.com

Tulio and Linda who are in the amazon, reportedly sighted the supposedly extinct Blue Macaws hence, Blu and his family flies to the Amazon partly to help Tulio and Linda find the Blue Macaws as and also because he wants to fulfil Jewel's wishes to meet the rest of their kind. Being a bird isn't exactly Blu's first nature, so it really is a jungle out there for Blu. As they meet with a flock their kind, Blu has problem trying to fit in and along the journey he has to face his not-so-approving-of-him father-in-law, a charming Roberto and a vengeful Nigel.

Jewel (Anne Hathaway) & Roberto (Bruno Mars)

Image taken from th08.deviantart.net

Rio 2 has a much more serious plot as compared to Rio, the dialogue in the movie and the feelings that Blu has to go through has a mild sombre portrayal to it. The plot for Rio and Rio 2 is almost the same, as it is about belonging, acceptance and courage. The main plot is Blu and how his family learning to settle in with their new family and the sub-plot is about Tulio and Linda trying to put a stop to illegal loggers in the Amazon. In the end, Blu comes to good terms with the Blue Macaw family and they are the ones who stop the illegal loggers before they bring down the forest.

The plot is more serious and less of humour (not to say that there weren't any at all). The plot is quite bland but going into the first half an hour of the movie, it is clearly an old fashioned family film. The life-of-the-party Nico and Pedro plays a fairly minor role in the movie. I feel that their role in the movie was "for sake" purposes. The plot would've work just fine even without them. They go on screen on and off but I find that their roles in the first movie was way way better. If you were a fan of Luiz the drooling bulldog, you would be disappointed as he only appears at the beginning and at the end of the movie.

Nico (Jamie Foxx) and Pedro (Will.I.Am)

Image taken from moviesofhollywood.com

The music arrangement was quite a disappointment for me. I expected better but I think my expectations were too high. I still like the idea of mixing Brazilian music with modern music genres such as pop and R&B but I find that the music in Rio 2 is not as danceable as the first movie. In the first movie, it made me feel like moving when I first heard the songs, but the second one was just "okay". I really liked the dark-humour of Nigel the Cockatoo in this sequel, he had quite a number of dramatic scenes and singing, very enjoyable, funny but fantastically villainy at the same time.

The villains in the films were the same as the first in terms of one group of humans and the other are animals. The human villains, lack character and development. There were not much details about them except that the boss who runs the illegal logging wants Tulio and Linda to be out from sight. The human villains were quite pathetic so to say. Nigel the Cockatoo was an even better villain! This time, he even has sidekicks, and one which develops into a really one-sided unconventional relationship (it was funny but I am still a bit weird-out by it. Haha.).  

Nigel (Jemaine Clement) and Gabi (Kristin Chenoweth)

Image taken from rio.wiki

The cinematography however, was amazing as usual. I loved how they had a lot of wide angle landscape shots. The colours were vibrant and the Amazon was beautifully shot and illustrated in animation. It is so surreal but it made me feel like I wouldn't mind living there! I watched Rio 2 in 3D, but my advice to you is don't waste your money watching it in 3D. As amazing as the cinematography is, there weren't much of any 3D elements. I would have preferred watching it in just 2D.

One of the beautiful shots in Rio 2

Image taken from rio.wiki

If you're a fan of Rio and of animations, the answer is yes, do watch it in the cinemas. The cinematography is wasted if you're watching in on a tv/desktop, but skip the 3D. I believe kids would enjoy this movie. The younger kids might not fully understand the real meaning behind the story but I can mentally hearing kids going "waaaaaaaaaahhhhh..." at the sight of the beautiful sceneries that Rio 2 has to offer. This movie entertains but at the same time presents valuable lessons about family, home, the self and protecting the ones you love and others.

Be sure to catch your favourite blue bird(s) in the cinemas from 10th April 2014 onwards! :)

Image taken from rio.wiki