Film Review: Rio

Rio. Rated G. 96 minutes. Directed by Carlos Saldanha. Screenplay by Don Rhymer, Joshua Sternin, Jeffrey Ventimilia and Sam Harper.

Three cheers for this bold, colourful, romantic, musical comedy adventure that literally bursts onto the screen in a non-stop fiesta of bravura 3D computer-animation. It’s hardly surprising that Rio has raced to the top of the worldwide box office (taking over $300 million to date) – such is its very welcome ‘G’ rating and its determination to be a refreshingly unsentimental and almost impossibly lively take on the age-old ‘rites of passage’ formula.

When domesticated Macaw ‘Blu’ (delightfully voiced by The Social Network’s Jesse Eisenberg) is found to be the last surviving male of his species, he reluctantly returns to his native habitat (Brazil) to breed with ‘Jewel’ (voiced by Anne Hathaway). When exotic bird smugglers threaten to bring an end to the breeding program, Blu and Jewel (with the help of a gorgeously idiosyncratic supporting cast) must escape the clutches (and cages) of their criminal captors and fight for their freedom, their independence and the survival of their species.

Saldanha (the Ice Age movies), cinematographer Renato Falcão, editor Harry Hitner and composer John Powell (Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon) deliver astonishing levels of creativity and skill to the screen. From the moment Rio de Janeiro’s native birdlife bursts into song, frame after frame is beautifully realised – with the lighting, in particular, simply extraordinary.

While the musical numbers don’t come anywhere near the more memorable ones in films such as Disney’s The Lion King, the sadistic sulphur-crested cockatoo ‘Nigel’ (wonderfully voiced by Jemaine Clement) gets a show-stopper about his failed career as a television actor, while Powell’s samba-infused score sets the perfect mood and tone for the spectacularly achieved locations – from tropical Brazilian jungles to the natural and man-made spectacle of Rio de Janeiro and, in one fabulous sequence, its famous carnival.

If Avatar and How To Train Your Dragon set the benchmark for 3D rendering of magnificent aerial sequences, there are some equally dazzling aerial escape and pursuit sequences that ensure Rio reaches its big, heartfelt conclusion while not sacrificing its marvellously entertaining thrills along the way.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.