Rio – a colourful, lively, Samba-infused riot
It lacks the sophistication seen recently in the likes of Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon, but Rio nevertheless wins over an audience with an abundance of visual gags and a sheer collision of colour and energy.
The latest from Ice Age studio Blue Sky flaps its wings ineffectually at first and for the remainder skews a lot younger than many recent digimation flicks, but it benefits from an energetic sense of pace and an excellent vocal cast, both of which help make it just about palatable for the older viewer.
Jesse Eisenberg puts his wavering, neurotic vocals to good use as domesticated Brazilian Macaw Blu. Being domesticated of course means Blu can’t fly. Having grown up in Fargo-esque Minnesota under the watchful eye of loving owner Linda (Leslie Mann), an appearance from Brazilian scientist Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) changes his life forever, when he is taken back to his homeland and the city of Rio to mate with the only other surviving member of his species, Jewel (a sparky Anne Hathaway). When both birds are kidnapped however and end up lost amid the back-streets of the city, Blu must decide whether to stay with Jewel or return to Linda.
For the first 20 minutes or so, Rio remains as earthbound as its hero, and seems in danger of labouring the moral (do you go with your head or your heart?), lacking a smooth blend of humour and pathos. However, cue a frantic, dizzyingly staged chase sequence through the Brazilian favela and the film soars into life, from there on out maintaining a level of frantic energy that makes one overlook its derivative qualities.
Hullo. My name is Lee
Hullo...
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Credit where it’s due to Blue Sky: on a visual level the film is breathtaking, evoking the warm lights, bustling traffic and sweeping vistas of the fabled city brilliantly. The labyrinthine qualities of the slums themselves are also exploited brilliantly as the film swoops and dives with little time for real emotional resonance.
But even when it fails to move the heart, Rio’s madcap, Looney Tunes approach results in some hilariously surreal set-pieces, including a bird-monkey face-off and a climatic carnival chase that is impeccably done. Several moments achieve a sublime level of animation, especially a flying sequence where both Blu and Jewel hitch a ride on the back of a hang-glider, basking in the glory of the city below them. As an example of the film’s lesser qualities, however, several extended musical sequences, catchy as they are, aren’t integrated into the main story but seem constructed as flashy diversions.
Still, in terms of verve and vibrancy, Rio just about wins out. Eisenberg and Hathaway are fine as the leads, and are well supported by the likes of will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and Jemaine Clement (wonderfully suited to the cackling role of villainous Parakeet, Nigel). It may be little more than a diversion but Rio is a perfectly entertaining diversion nonetheless, although whether it’ll linger in the minds of children or adults is up for question.
• For weekly news, reviews and interviews on all the latest films, including those from Devon and Cornwall filmmakers, tune into The Movie Show on Riviera FM from 12.30pm to 2.30pm on Sundays, presented by Sean Wilson and John Tomkins. Visit http://www.riviera.fm/
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