Rio 3D reviews

After Despicable Me and The Incredibles, audiences have started demanding quite a lot in terms of story and screenplay from animated films. And why... read more

After Despicable Me and The Incredibles, audiences have started demanding quite a lot in terms of story and screenplay from animated films. And why shouldn't it be? Unless you are satisfying all the people who come to watch the movie instead of just the kids, you have no reason to be in business.

Rio takes two giant strides, albeit in opposite directions. In terms of vividness and color, it is a treat for the senses. The birds are cute and dainty little creatures who will instantly connect with everybody. However, the story is not as spectacular as it could be considering that almost all kinds of special effects are possible in an animated film. So is the 3D. The feeling that you get about it is like, "Yeah, you can see its there, but no big deal about it." 3D is just a hook to get more people to see your film.

What worked for me was the voiceovers: Jesse Eisenberg is a dainty looking lad (the guy who was Mark Zuckerberg in Social Network). He is lovable but unsure about himself and needs guidance as seen in Adventureland, and he repeats himself here in the form of a macaw. Similarly Anne Hathaway is a spunky PYT herself, just like her bird avatar.

What didn't work was an absolutely predictable story where you know what is going to happen next and how it is going to end. A smack of clever dialogues here and there, and you are done. Although a decent flick, I pretty much don't see a reason to shell out big bucks for it: if you haven't yet seen Rio De Janeiro, it doesn't hurt waiting 3 more months for it to come on Star Movies.view less

Internal Bias: I hate 3D movies. The glasses are too heavy for me and totally useless for kids. End result? You see a blurred movieRio has a story ... read more

Internal Bias: I hate 3D movies. The glasses are too heavy for me and totally useless for kids. End result? You see a blurred movie

Rio has a story that is pretty straight forward. Two blue macaws(the last two in the world) need to get together (I could have said mate but then that word is not right for an animation movie somehow). The male macaw, Blue is a pet who likes his cage with its swing and his hot chocolate. He has to travel to Brazil to meet Jewel and hopefully hit it off. The hitch on which the movie hinges is that Blue cant fly. This leads expectedly to all sorts of trouble. Jewel seems to be a spunky lady to begin with but loses that edge as the movie progresses becoming quite a tepid character. There is an assorted cast of other characters,-human, bird and animal that contribute to the story.

I thought Rio was a bit simplistic compared to say Despicable me, but the dialogues are quite snappy at times and there is a bit of slapstick comedy to keep 5 year olds happy. The Carnival excitement is evoked very well with the lovely floats and the dancers.

All in all, if you like animation films and are not expecting too much then this one is an ok watch. If you have kids hanging around at home now that vacations have started you have no choice but to go for it.
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'Rio' is yet another CGI animated flick to hit the theatres over the years. It simply swells up the numbers without actually offering anything sign... read more

'Rio' is yet another CGI animated flick to hit the theatres over the years. It simply swells up the numbers without actually offering anything significant to the genre. This by-the-numbers offering from 20th Century Fox & Blue Sky Studios (the guys who brought you the Ice Age series) features a blue macaw that can't fly, something faced by the insipid movie's script too.

Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) is a domesticated blue macaw living in Minnesota with his over-protective owner Linda (voice of Leslie Mann). Everything is hunky dory until a Brazilian Ornithologist Tulio (voice of Rodrigo Santoro) turns up at Lindas doorstep and informs her that Blu might be the last male specimen of his species and is required to mate with the last female specimen back home in Rio de Janeiro. Hence after much persuasion & squawking, the trio leave for Rio for the "survival of the species". Once in Rio, the tamed and very nerdy Blu faces more than his share of problems in wooing the feisty & wild Jewel (voice of Anne Hathaway). But "getting it on" is the least of their problems when confronted with exotic bird smugglers and a psychotic cockatoo, Nigel (voice of Jemaine Clement); when the two blue macaws are kidnapped to be sold off, the story kicks in with their attempts at escape and Linda's attempts to find her beloved Blu. The ending is as predictable as a cricket match between India & Namibia.

The jokes are prominently of the slapstick variety and include more than share of screaming and physical gags. There are plenty of musical numbers littered throughout the movie but other than the visual flourishes none is memorable nor quite hummable except perhaps one involving Nigel and his dastardly deeds. The thieving monkeys provide for some good comic relief though.

The animation is colourful, fluid and quite an eye-candy. Rio looks so pretty on screen that it makes on to my "places to see before I die" list in the blink of an eye. The 3D is another story all together; the movie is yet another example of the creative failure of a movie to utilise the medium effectively, thus rendering it as nothing more than a gimmick or to some a nuisance. The scenes of the rising and setting sun against the Rio skyline are a sight to behold and so is the last part set during the Rio 'Carnivale'.

The voice work is competent but nothing really much to write home about. The standout has to be Jemaine Clement as Nigel who comes across as the intimidating villain of the peace with much ease.

'Rio' works better for the kids than adults but if the grown-ups don't demand much from their animated flick, they might find the movie to be a mildly amusing and pretty harmless spending of time.
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Its tough not to fall in love with the Rio birds. After Madagascar, this is perhaps the best set of animals that have graced the silver screen in a... read more

Its tough not to fall in love with the Rio birds. After Madagascar, this is perhaps the best set of animals that have graced the silver screen in all their animated glory.

Rio is a story of a blue macaw that is a pet in America, far from its jungle home in Rio, Brazil. How this macaw, that cannot even fly and believes that is fine since even an ostrich can't, finds the courage to spread his wings and soar high in the sky is the story of this delightful new animation flick.

Like any kid's film, Rio comes with a strong message, about animals and birds getting extinct, Blue and his girl friend Jewel are the last blue macaws int he world and need to mate to save their kind. Without getting preachy, the film gets the message across well.

Stupendous animation, breathtaking visuals of Rio-especially in the carnival scenes-and some amazing wit make Rio a treat for adults too. Anne Hathway as Jewel, and Jesse Eisenberg as Blue breathe life into the animated birds on screen. Every emotion and expression is bang on perfect. And as with Madagascar, the film has an interesting ensemble of animals that will remain in memory for a long time, much like the Madagascar penguins.

Did the film need 3D? in my opinion no. Rio has its heart in the right place and would win over even the most stoic heart instantly. 3D experience here is overtly understated, almost nill at times, making it look like an afterthought. All this is forgiven though cause of the beautiful way the film moves. So are the two songs in the film.

Instantly likable and very colorful, Rio is a carnival in it self. A perfect way to spend a ice evening with the and the kids at heart alike. view less

While watching Rio one thing was running through my mind. In an animation film the animators do all the hard work of creating a dream world, a worl... read more

While watching Rio one thing was running through my mind. In an animation film the animators do all the hard work of creating a dream world, a world of fantasy that they create with amazing attention to details then why cant the writers use their brains a little more inventively to come up with a script that compliments their hard work.

In terms of story and screenplay Rio is a huge failure. Its about a blue macaw unimaginatively called Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) who meets Jewel (Anne Hathway) throughout the film both of them are chained together so the story is about their adventures to escape while falling in love along the way. The screenplay is predictable and clichd. If you have seen a lot of animation films you will easily predict how it will flow and how it will end. Even though it was only 96 mins long it felt like a 2 hour film. Thats what bad writing can do to a film.

Whats left to enjoy for the adults is first Rio (the city). Anyone with a bent for travel will love just looking at the Rio that has been created by the animators. For me watching Rio was paisa vasool. Besides that the music and the dance sequences were fun to watch. None of the characters made any kind of impact and most of the jokes coming out of their mouth looked forced and out of character. For the kids to enjoy there are different species of birds to look at along with a bulldog & some monkeys. Kids who like watching action flicks might find this boring at times. I am assuming kids between the ages of 2 to 5 will enjoy this thanks to the variety of colours on display. Director Carlos Saldanha ( Ice age ) disappoints with this one. The Ice Age short before the film was worth watching than this entire film put together.

Final few words: if you cant go to the real Rio put on those 3d glasses and enter this animated world where the visuals take over the film and the story. Enjoy it like a show and you wont be disappointed.

Rating : **

Ticket meter: worth a 100/- buck ticket.
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Deserving of much more praise than this reviewer sees here; Rio was subtly outstanding in the truest sense of the word. Rio stands out in a depress... read more

Deserving of much more praise than this reviewer sees here; Rio was subtly outstanding in the truest sense of the word. Rio stands out in a depressingly large field of like films which hang their financial success on toilet humor, poppin new fangled visuals, and totally unrealistic plot lines. This gentle, believable, double love story, delivers. Its fun, and, age appropriately gritty. Chaperoning adults will be pleased. The score was both thumpin cool and hilarious. The desperate, survival based choices of an endangered species smuggler are slipped into the story with out overwhelm. Rio really is, visually, that glorious on a clear day, and that jammed-up, and wonderful, in the barrio. In Minnesota people really are that interior, and it really is that cold. In my first viewing I was resigned to sitting through yet another of my daughters choice films, disgusted in general at the reach of modern advertising into my home. Ten minutes in I was captivated in spite of myself. I was willing for a second trip to indulge daughter number two, and the film held up. The leads are well played, with great timing, and lovely, good humor. I laughed out loud many times, cried at a couple later scenes too, and winced at some mildly horrifying ineptitude. Ann Hathaways character shows real anguish and real love with her big animated eyes. Shes also sexy without being profane. The genuinely ugly, evil cockatoo, called Nigel is deliciously, archetypically mean-spirited and therefore delightful. Real scientists really are that gone on their subject, and thus Tullios dork, to the initiated, is just that awkward for real, and that endearing. This picture was warm-hearted, and up-lifting. It was 90 minutes not lost according to this adult, and the good morals are solidly shown rather than stuffed down the throat. I had a good time! On a technical note the post production was excellent. My hearing isnt great and the dialogue was crisp with out the frequent intense volume. I would happily buy the video and let my kids watch Rio over and over. view less

The best animation film ever!