Movie Date : Rio 2

Today being Black Saturday, I should have stayed at home, but I feel as if the gates of hell (excuse the pun) are open because of the hot and humid weather. I really hate summer afternoons when the sun is beginning to set and the heat absorbed by the cement walls start to dissipate into the room. :(

So I decided to go to SM Calamba (only a 10-minute drive from home) to cool down. I brought my tablet and my camera (with the damaged flash) along with me (I don't know why. Ha!)

Anyway.

Starbuck's is full. No seats at the Food Court. So I went to SM Cinema at the 3rd Floor and checked the movie listing:

1. Rio 2
2. Diary ng Panget (interesting, but it's a YA (Young Adult) genre)
3. Da Possessed (a Vhong-Solenn tandem, but a title like that, seriously?)
4. Transendence (Johnny Depp movie)

My movie-to-watch hierarchy works like this:

1. Foreign animated
2. Foreign superheroes
3. Foreign suspense-drama
4. Philippine Indie movies
5. 99% Pinoy commercial movies (sorry)

Okay, enough of small talk. :D Off to Rio 2!

The story is about Blu and Jewel's family and friends' journey to the Amazon's wilderness. The movie started  a New Year's bash with a lot of music and dancing, as expected in animated movies so, though enjoyable, it's no surprise to me. Fast forward to a few years after Rio 1, Blu and Jewel, together with their three kids, are living the city life in Rio Janeiro. The kids are already acclimated to iPods, pancake breakfast, and Brazilian nuts in a can.

Meanwhile, Linda (Blu's previous owner) and her husband Tulio are on an expedition and discovered that there are still spix macaws in the Amazon and decided to search for them. The news of the existence of macaws in the Amazon found its way to Rio Janeiro's televison, Jewel asked Blu to go to the Amazon to search for their kind. Blu, already a domesticated macaw, was unenthusiastic, but decided to go along.  His carnival friends Rafael, Nico, and Pedro decided to come along, too. Luis, the bulldog, was left behind.

There is also Nigel, Blu's antagonist from Rio 1 who, upon seeing Blu flying, remembered why he cannot fly anymore. Together with Gabi, a poison dart frog in love with Nigel, and Charlie the non-speaking anteater, they set off to follow Blu and company into the jungle for revenge.

Blu, now considers himself a city bird, brought a fanny pack full of city gadgets like the swiss knife and his GPS. Blu tried his best to fit in with the flock and fails, much to the disappointment of Jewel's father Eduardo. Blu was also a bit jealous of Roberto, Jewel's childhood friend.

Blu, as his saying goes - happy wife, happy life, decides to bring a Brazilian nut for Jewel but inadvertently entered the scarlet macaws' territory. It started a war that was played out by a football-like game where the loser will also lose their side of the Brazilian nut territory to the winner. Which, as expected, the blue macaws lost because Blu sent the fruit ball into his own goal.

Big Boss and his loggers tried to cut and blow up the trees. Blu sent Roberto to warn the flock and defend their territory. The scarlet macaws joined the fracas by helping the blue macaws drive away the loggers. Nigel's plan to kill Blu was foiled, again. He thought he died when he was hit by the porcupine quill dipped in Gabi's poison. There's a Romeo-and-Juliet attempt where Gabi commits suicide by drinking her own poison. Gabi found out later that she was only led to believe by her parents that she was poisonous.

The story ended with Big Boss swallowed by a python, Nigel and Gabi were taken by Linda and Tulio back to the city. Blu and Jewel decides to finally stay in the jungle and would just visit Rio Janeiro every Summer. And oh, Luis the bulldog finally arrived by joyriding in a spoonbill.

Thoughts:

1. I did a little research and found out that spix macaws, or little blue macaws, are considered extinct in the wild. 
2. I think Tulio, Linda's orthnitologist husband, is sexist. There is a scene early in the movie where Tulio is talking to his camera and introduced Linda only  as his "assistant", much to Linda's annoyance.
3. Blu's Happy Wife, Happy Life motto. I'm not sure what to think about that.:) But I think Blu is a lot smarter than most human males I know (wink,wink).
4. The sequel is fun, but I think I like Rio 1 more.

Have you watched it yet? What do you think of the movie?

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