THERE is a lot missing in “Rio 2”. In between a morning press visit all the way to Bulacan and a concert in Quezon City, we have enough time to rest and do a movie and since the biggest movie opening this week is the animated film “Rio 2”, wala kaming magawa but to watch this.
We remember watching the first edition and we’re not duly impressed so we don’t look forward to watching the second part but then with so many hours free, might as well do this but with style.
Dahil nasa Cubao na kami, we did our very first Gateway Platinum Cinema ticket for the 4:10 p.m. showing. This is the limited seats all lazy-boy chairs with free popcorn and soft drink and there’s just 26 of you but the price is actually equal to that of an Imax ticket with a big screen and a 3D. The GPC has no 3D.
“Rio 2” starts with the family of Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (voice of Anne Hathaway) and their three children moving from the city to Rio in Brazil under the bird protection program.
But their discoverer Linda (voice of Leslie Mann) just discovered a new flock of the Blue Macaws deep in the heart of the Amazon so Jewel convinced Blu to find their tribe and together with friends Nico (voice of Jaime Foxx) and Tiago (Pierce Garnon), they all flew to the middle of the Amazon where Jewel is finally reunited with her family including her father Eduardo (voice of Andy Garcia), her aunt Mimi (voice of Rita Moreno) and her old childhood boyfriend Roberto (voice of Bruno Mars).
But with the happy reunion comes two troubles. One, their sanctuary is being logged illegally by the Big Boss (voice of Miguel Ferrer) and two, Blu’s old nemesis, the Shakespearean cockatoo Nigel (voice of Jemaine Clement) and the poison frog Gabi (Kristin Chenoweth) and so the samba moves from Rio to Amazon in one colorful albeit not so complete movie.
The good news first. Nagulat kami sa dami ng award winning actors voicing the movie. It has Oscar winners Anne Hathaway, Rita Moreno and Jaime Foxx. It has Emmy winners Rita and Kristin Chenoweth.
It has Oscar nominated actors Andy Garcia, Jesse Eisenberg and Emmy nominated actor Tracy Morgan. Heck it even has a Grammy winner Bruno Mars so what can you ask for as far as star listing is concerned.
The other good news is the animation. We know that a lot of animation companies are really competing with Disney Films for animation supremacy and one forefront is the team up of Blue Sky Films and 20th Century Fox Animation, makers of the other successful animation “Ice Age”.
The color combination is just fantastic and so its arrangement of the graphics per song. It is almost Broadway in production number and we really enjoyed it.
Again, now having said both the good part of “Rio 2”, hindi pa rin kami totally happy with the film dahil there are obvious things missing.
One, the production numbers we praised, we didn’t say that we didn’t saw that before. Baka mas maganda lang ang production number sa “Rio 2” but yes, we’ve seen that before in a lot of animation particularly the river singing that is quite near Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”.
Then, a lot of things are happening the children will get confused. If the movie’s intended audience is the adults, that is fine but if it wants to get the children ask their parents to take them to “Rio 2”, hindi sila maaaliw.
May problema si Blu sa Amazon life. May problema sina Tiago for an Amazon Untamed audition. May problema si Nigel to fly. May problema si Jewel to convince her husband to stay.
May problema ang mga blue and red macaws sa iisang sanctuary. May problema si Alice with finding the blue macaws. May problema rin siya sa mga illegal lovers.
All these happening in an animation movie with less than two hours length mas marami pa itong problema kaysa sa isang normal action movie.
Then, the jokes are repetitious. Ilang beses ba kailangang mag-blunder si Blu sa Amazon? We got the first and second time, move on. Nigel’s deadly plans are a lot too many and a lot too complicated no wonder it’s not working.
The most important thing, the one that Disney has mastered through the years that it why it has the most number of Oscars for Original Song, the “Rio 2” song placement is so out there in space.
Nagulat kami, ang dalawang kontrabida na sina Nigel and Gabi ang may love song. Really? Just because Kristin has a Tony for “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” plus another nomination for the original “Wicked” Broadway production?
Not good dahil remember, Anne won her Oscar for another singing role sa “Les Miserable” so she and Jesse can swing that.
Siguro sa USA because of the star power, kikita ito. Not sure here in the Philippines.
Walang child appeal, the jokes are not so great and even with so many award winning actors behind the voices, that is just it, it’s just voices and not their faces.
( Photo credit to EAS )