Film Review: Rio

Rio Review

I wasn’t going to review Rio for Flush the Fashion. I went with my little girl while she is on holiday, but I enjoyed the film so much I thought I’d share my thoughts.

Directed by Carlos Saldanha, the same guy who made the Ice Age movies, and you get a sense he has relished the opportunity to add some colour to this film, and WOW! what colour.

rio reviewThe film captures the look and feel of the Brazilian capital at carnival time with such vibrancy and energy that at times you have to wonder at the sheer artistry of the animators and artists who created it. After watching ‘How To Train Your Dragon‘ and now this, you have to say Dreamworks are catching Pixar up the same way Android is catching up on the iPhone.

The main stars of this film, the birds, are colourful characters too, Blu, voiced by Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg in the Social Network) and Jewel, Anne Hathaway (80% of the films made last year). With a strong supporting cast the stars never fight for your attention away from the story.

And speaking of the story, I think that apart from a small 5 minute dip half way through, the film flows with such good pacing that when the end arrives, it is sooner rather than later. It’s not often you can say that when watching a kids film.

Even the baddies are likeable in this movie.

But then again Rio is not really a kids film, it is just a film that kids will like. When most of the current crop of ‘grown up’ films are depressing dirge, Rio is a great reason to go to your local cinema (even if you don’t have any kids to entertain).

Flush the Fashion

Editor of Flush the Fashion and Flush Magazine. I love music, art, film, travel, food, tech and cars. Basically, everything this site is about.