Rio 2 review

I completely understand if you're sitting there with your eyebrow raised, thinking to yourself; "Really? She's elected to post Rio 2 as her first review on CTRaltNerd???" But hear me out, fellow nerds, for I have two words:

Jemaine Clement.

For those of who don't know, he is one nerd-tastically awkward half of the musical comedy duo from New Zealand, Flight of the Conchords, and his small, but integral l role as Nigel the Cockatoo steals the show in Rio 2.  The massive crowd in the theatre, all 5 of us, perked up a bit as he rapped to I Will Survive in signature FOTC style.
(Click here if you wanna "Stay alive-r"... you'll be happy you did.) http://youtu.be/WNc_AAyjFdk

But, wait, what? FIVE people in the audience? Yes, you read that correctly. Rio 2 is yet another one of those sequels that tries too hard to live up to its predecessor, but in doing so, fails immensely. For an animated film, there was simply just too much going on. There's too many storylines/morals crammed into this busy and exhausting movie for my taste, but I'll do my best to simplify.

This sequel takes place a few years after the original, with Blue (nerd alert: Jesse Eisenberg) and his family livin' it up all domestic-style in the city, until the local news broadcasts the possibility of more Blue Macaws living in the Amazon. Having reluctantly accepted the fact that they were the last of their kind, Blu's wife, Jewel (Anne Hathaway) is now fueled by hope. She convinces him to fly out there to help his human friends find and protect the potential flock. He's not a fan of the idea, but "A happy wife is a happy life", so he packs his trusty fanny pack with stuff and thangs, programs his GPS, and off they trek into the wild.

This is when the movie loses it audience, as it takes you in multiple directions, which I've categorized into three big meanies: 1. The illegal logging boss, who will stop at nothing to stop Blu's human friends from disrupting his work. 2. Blu's enemy, Nigel, who will stop at nothing to exact his revenge. 3. Jewel's reunited family, who will stop at nothing to humiliate her "pet" of a husband.

Predictable Spoiler Alert: much to his chagrin, Blu dang near destroys everything before redeeming himself and saving the day. A happy ending is had by all, save for the loggers and my loveable bad guy, Nigel. Which brings me full circle to my opening statement: Jemaine Clement. The animation was most enjoyable when the characters would just shut up and sing.

Rio 2 opened at #2 in theaters, just under none other than Winter Soldier, but was it "On in the Amazon"?  Rotten Tomatoes says no. They rated it at a devastating 49%, pretty much declaring that it just doesn't cut it outside of it's youthful target demographic. I'm inclined to agree.  Wait for the dvd.

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