"Rio 2" (2014)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The original Rio was a surprisingly effective family film, but this sequel is a different story. For one thing, it's simply one of those half-hearted, sloppy sequels that does nothing to justify its existence. But it also has way too much going on: half a dozen wrestling plotlines that seem like they're there just to pad the movie out. We have Blu trying to fit in with Jewel's family, Nigel seeking revenge, a talent show audition subplot that goes absolutely nowhere, a turf war, and a completely unnecessary second villain in the poachers. Plus, one of the great things about the first Rio was that there were very few song and dance sequences, but this one is just one step away from a full-blown musical. On top of all that, it throws in that tired old in-your-face "save the rainforest" message that people complained about with Avatar – complete with the corny "this is our land" motivational speech; that moment was where I lost all faith in this movie! In conclusion, I went in expecting an unnecessary sequel, but this actually turned out to be a little worse than that: unfunny, hackneyed and overly cluttered.

My rating: 40%