A few years ago an animated movie came out by the name of ‘Happy Feet’ about a penguin who could dance. While it received a lot of critical acclaim and kudos…personally it wasn’t that impressive..and I didn’t really feel like dancing to the penguin’s tune. I felt it was a ‘little all over the place’ and the message it presented was kinda forced on the audience.
Rio has nothing to do with a bird who can dance/ not dance..yet you are bound to sway to its beats, enjoy its highs and lows and come out of the hall in high spirits!
A perfect setup for a 3D movie, Rio celebrates Rio (the place) its spirit and the all-important carnival. In fact, so much so that the main storyline itself becomes secondary in the process. That said, this is one animation whose plotline moves at a breakneck speed so put on your crash helmets from the first scenes itself. Don’t be fooled by the rather quiet start (which itself is unique for animation movie). Before halftime, you would have already been in & out of cages, travelled halfway around the world and be struggling to keep pace with the trials and tribulations of Blu (our protagonist Macaw)
Yet, like most animation flicks the plotline is fairly predictable yet keeps you clued in. Each character, not just the main ones, are well drawn out and have a distinct personality. The humor levels are just about right, though more could be expected from an animation movie. Jesse Eisenberg is near-perfect as Blu, and suits the nerdy yet lovable character of Blu to the T (especially after Social Network) while Anne Hathaway is simply adorable as the love interest. The villain of the tale (I shall not name who) is also particularly noteworthy and the audience is sure to find him a despicable and disgusting character.
The animation is good as ever and the 3D is quite noticeable, especially in scenes of flight and travel. What this movie somewhat misses is an extra character like the Penguins in Madagascar or a Scrat (especially since this one is from the makers of Ice Age).
One good thing though is that it doesn’t try to preach and spread a social message of any kind. The message is subtle, maybe even cliched but that’s what suits the tone of the movie
If one were to be particularly critical of such movies, one can say that there is nothing ‘new’ coming from their makers and each character can be somewhat related to some or the other character in some past animation film. But an animation flick is something meant for all ages. It needn’t be cross examined and critically analyzed. The best way is to sit back, relax and let the child in you enjoy the show
There is a lot to be said about the application of Mikhail Bakhtin's Theory of the Carnivalesque in the movie, a la Cukor's 'Holiday' and Ray's 'Aranyer Din Ratri' (Days and Nights in the Forest)...Look at the world of Rio as a world removed from Minnesota, where life has to be lived by the book (remember the book shop and the Spelling Bee champ?)...In Rio, everything occurs in a diametrically opposite mode...Think of gender relations being overturned with the motorbike scene, and the very idea of the 'ostrich' carrying the expert flier...
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ReplyDeleteDude..read through your comment twice..can't say I get what you saying..in fact,in typical Rio-style "I like you, nothing you say seems to make any sense"...
On a more serious note though, am not sure that even the makers were that philosophical while making this animation flick but the facts that you mention do ring out in the movie
I second DG (whatever he means... same) :P
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