Rio 2 Review
RYAN: This is the new, animated sequel to Rio. It’s a musical and features the vocal talents of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Andy Garcia, Jamie Foxx, Bruno Mars, Kristin Chenoweth. It’s a fun family film with a great message.
NOAH: I thought it was really good and surprised me that it was better than the first one.
RYAN: I didn’t see the first one. Why did you like this one better?
NOAH: Because the music was so good and it had a lot of thrill. It was more exciting.
RYAN: I agree the music was wonderful. Some of it is music from popularly known songs but then others I think were original. Especially Kristin Chenoweth’s big number – it’s funny, very Broadway and dramatic and a full number. She really shines and that moment is the very definition of a showstopper – like you could actually want to pause the film for time to applaud after her number.
NOAH: Yeah that was really good. She was really funny. I remember her from Wicked as Glinda and I know you’ve seen her in everything.
RYAN: I am a big Cheno-fan. But the rest of the cast was good too. It’s funny Jesse Eisenberg actually sounds like a bird. And that’s just his real voice. (laughs) Like Anne still sounds like Anne Hathaway’s voice coming from an animated bird, but Jesse actually sounds like what a bird might sound like talking. So random.
NOAH: I didn’t even realize that was Anne Hathaway.
RYAN: Then Bruno Mars was also so good. He, of course, has a spirited number too and the animation it all very good – like the feathers look so real!
NOAH: Yeah the realness was crazy.
RYAN: Thematically, it has a great message about environmental conservation and relationships. It paints a very clear picture of the good guys versus the bad guys.
NOAH: It has a very green message, yeah. It’s outdoorsy and made me want to go camping.
RYAN: It’s a little bit slow about three quarters of the way through, but I think that’s because of the script. It begins to feel very episodic, taking too long a break between the three intersecting story lines and characters… too long between subplots.
NOAH: I think it was the right length and I liked the ending.
RYAN: It’s nice for all ages and should appeal to anyone who digs animated movies.
