Rio 2

Rio 2

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Bruno Mars, Kristin Chenoweth

Directed by Carlos Saldanha

Synopsis:
Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and his wife Jewel (Anne Hathaway) are living an ideal life in Rio with their three young children, when they discover that there's more blue macaws in the Amazon jungle.  Jewel is enthusiastic to take the kids into the jungle to find them, but Blu is more apprehensive, but finally agrees.  Unknown to them, they're followed by their old enemy Nigel (Jermaine Clement), as well as a band of construction workers who desire to cut down the trees in the Amazon.

Upon arrival, Jewel discovers her father is still alive, as well as her aunt and other childhood friends, and she and the children flourish in their new environment, while Blu struggles after being domesticated his whole life.  At first he is shunned and ostracized by the other macaws, but his knowledge of people might just be what they need to survive.

Review:
The first "Rio" was a laugh-out-loud riot, and while the second film had some of those moments, they weren't as numerous.  It seemed like a rather unnecessary sequel, or at least one that could've been put direct to DVD.  The underlying premise of the film is the dangers of deforestation,  which is very prevalent throughout the film.  It's not a bad message, but to make a whole movie like this just for that purpose seems over-dramatic.

The predictability of the film is also obvious, but it's a children's movie so you can't really fault them on that.  The family aspect is also shown strong, and the feelings of abandonment and isolation by Blu is very sad to see and very well acted, even if its just through a voice. 

Summary:
Not a bad film overall, but one that didn't seem necessary.

My Rating: B+