Rio 2 (April 11, 2014)

After the surprising success of the first film, Blue Sky released this sequel to Rio three years later. The story follows Blu, Jewel, and friends as they travel to the Amazon Rainforest with Blu’s new family, to meet the rest of the remaining Blue Macaws. I loathe these movies where a character, usually male, has a family and they “meet the parents” and find out they do not fit in. They are painted as outsiders or selfish (and usually given a rival for their wives’ or potential spouse affections which adds another unnecessary layer of complication and consternation). The plot is cliqued and ends up being resolved too easily and conveniently by that male protagonist saving the others. The newly introduced characters in this film are all unlikable and treat Blu awfully- even Jewel is mean to him. Even the luscious jungle scenery cannot save this dull slog, nor can its continued great music and voice acting. Rio 2 is boring and predictable fitted with a clunky environmentalist message that hits the usual beats in an uninspired way without adding anything new or interesting to the discourse

Final Rating: 4/10