Rio 3D Review

Friday, 08 April 2011 00:18 | by Marcus Pullen

Blame it on Rio...

'Rio' (2011)

You may be asking yourself: why is the esteemed Shadowlocked.com, home to the most geekness, reviewing a family film feast? I had to wonder myself when our Editor asked me to cover this. The idea of a talking Blue Parrot (unless it was part of a dark mass hysteria) was not the most appealing subject. But it helps to consider it in the case for and against 3D films and the state of the art of animation. On those grounds, dear friends, I ask you to consider this piece.

Throughout Rio the things that stood out for me were the beautiful lighting and scenery, along with meticulous attention to detail in just about everything. The feats of natural animal behavior that Blu, Jewel, Nigel and the other birds were developed to do were outstanding. The amount of work that must have gone into researching animal movement was obvious at all times. But did this all get in the way of the story? To a large degree I would say no. Rio is not going to win prizes for its story. It’s simple – even formulaic, yet satisfying. It’s like your favorite candy bar; you like it when you see it, it’s gone in a few bites and you soon forget it, but you are happy to have another one.

Tell me a Story
There’s obviously a good reason for that. Writer Don Rhymer’s (Big Momma’s House, Surf's Up) Rio is aimed fair-and-square at the family market, we all know that, and that’s to be expected. Does that mean there’s not enough to interest the adults? No. But don’t expect to find a rich vein of humorous belly-achers like Big Momma’s House here. There’s maybe a few nice gags in the film. But it's not about the humor: it is all about the animation and rendering – it’s visually where this film has all its kicks. There are plenty of visual set pieces to make you go wow. And of course it’s all in glorious 3D-O-Vision.

To 3D or not to 3D?
Was it worth watching it in 3D? Well for me (and I have an astigmatism in my left eye) I would say yes and no. It can be impressive. I have seen so much Disney and I’ve seen a lot of 3D movies. But I can honestly say the only film I’ve seen where it was a real feature was Avatar. You would have thought Tron: Legacy would have been awesome, but 3D did little to help (in fact it was the music of Daft Punk that did it for me).

Director Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age, Robots) has made sure that Rio has set pieces that are obviously designed to make maximum effect of a 3D thrill. But I didn’t feel the need to hold on to my seat as we lurched around in the air (stop booing me – I’m serious). Neither did Laura. It would have just been as good in 2D. I did however, hear some of the mothers and children in the audience gasp, so maybe I’m just too cynical for objectivity? Nah.

What I would say about the animation was the opening scene with the rain forest: that that did tickle my 3D bone. It’s probably no surprise, as that was what worked so well in Avatar, so I wonder if that’s what 3D needs – lots of layers of elements to show it off, rather than big long things being shoved in our faces?

So here’s the geek bit: being at Empire means we had the Dolby 3D glasses. They are smaller than those used in Odeon and Vue. They are more sturdy and have a kind of moon visor finish on them. But I’ve got to say, if you wear glasses – it’s uncomfortable to do so with these on top. So Dolby – I think you need to think about us four-eyed people! There’s not much in it I suspect between Dolby 3D and Real-D, the other system used in many cinemas. I’ll stop there on this subject.

'Rio' (2011) If I had not read the accompanying PR bumf, I would have no idea as to who the heck voiced the characters. Apparently Anne Hathaway was Jewel (I want to see her and hear her – what a waste), and some bunch of other guys including oh yes, will.i.am (William James Adams Jr) behind the voices.

It’s brutal but I have to say it – they did nothing to really make these characters really zing. They did a good job – they helped give them personalities but it was the skill of the animators who made Blu funny, Jewel sexy (in a parrot to parrot fashion purely) and Nigel (Jermaine Clement) – what nasty little Cock-a-too he was. No he was evil, and that brings me on to the disturbing bits.

The Disturbing Underbelly
What the–? You’re thinking. I know. But there’s definitely a few points I’d like to say about the dark side of this film. Yes, it has a few things.

First, Nigel. He’s fed chicken (more of them later) – that’s nasty, and he’s a killer, sadistic and a villain that you would actually not like. I’m not sure if this is Blue Sky studios saying, ‘hey we’re not Disney so we can do whatever we like’, or if there’s something more sinister. Or not. I wondered if kids in the audience will secretly think that they have found a great role model in this feathered monster.

Second disturbing item: the Favelas. Not that it was disturbing that they are a location in the film, it’s part of Rio and you cannot hide them. Its the fact that the area which has seen so much suffering, poverty, death and abuse can be visually rendered to look like a cozy corrugated village nestled in the hills. That’s got to be either sick or naïve. I also felt bad because I wanted to shout ‘Frag-out’, Call of Duty style as we rode through the streets. It gave me flashbacks to COD Modern Warfare 2, but cleaner, where you could drink the water. That’s just wrong.

The third disturbance I felt in my personal force aura was Luiz. I won’t spoil the surprise, but this character has an issue that just made my skin crawl. Let’s say it will make the directors of Hasbro – or anyone else who’s got the license to make the plush toys and merchandising – have a few words with the makers of the film.

Also the real Rio has sun sand, bums and tits. (Oh dear – I used 'tits' in a family film review.) I don’t mean the small feathery kind, I mean the big bronzed kind. Rio has one bum in the whole film, they did well to get that in. I bet the Brazilians will be up in arms about the lack of bum-bum on the beach.

Chicken Little
'Rio' (2011) Where Finding Nemo had the seagulls as being mindless gannets that were a show-stealers, Rio has chickens as the moronic comics. Their eyes, man, it’s all in the eyes. They would be great little desk toys to make with boggle eyes wobbling around. I would have liked to see more chicken – I can understand Gonzo now – up to a point. In fact I think there could have been more made of subtle visual gags in the film in general.

The Birdie Song
Why does there need to be two little annoying side kicks in a children’s film? Why? These two little... the two little birds sang – yes, Rio has musical numbers that are actually very good at setting the mood and you cannot do a film about Carnival in Rio without music being at the heart of it. It could have had even more. I am not convinced the Messrs Foxx and will.i.am did a massive amount to enlighten the world regarding Brazilian music. A pity.

Another Ice Age?
Rio is the next big film from the makers of Ice Age. Visually and technically this definitely raises the bar. However, Ice Age (the first film) was far more clever in its story telling and to be picky, in its style of rendering. Rio was also much more formulaic in its character relationships.

This will probably end up on the list of nearly-theres, which would be a shame, because of its amazing visual affects and opening scene. It will certainly not be harmed by being on DVD, which I would like, so I don’t have to sit in the dark wearing two pairs of glasses.

Will there be a sequel? It almost seems pointless to ask. Of course there will be.

Final Verdict
Dad’s verdict: Plenty to entertain the eye and make you smile. Brilliant animation, the opening musical number and Carnival sequences are breathtaking. 4/5