6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Blu, Jewel and their three kids are living the perfect domesticated life in the magical city that is Rio de Janeiro. When Jewel decides the kids need to learn to live like real birds, she insists the family venture into the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in with his new neighbors, he worries he may lose Jewel and the kids to the call of the wild.
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jamie Foxx, Rodrigo Santoro, Leslie MannFamily | 100% |
Adventure | 89% |
Animation | 86% |
Comedy | 66% |
Musical | 25% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Bulgarian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Croatian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Serbian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Slovenian: Dolby Digital 5.1
All Dolby Digital Tracks are 448 kbps
English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Sergio Mendes was robbed. There, I’ve said it, and I’m glad. This iconic Brazilian musician, arguably the biggest music star from his nation since the redoubtable Carmen Miranda, has had an indelible impact on popular music since Brasil ’66 first stormed the charts in its eponymous year with the now legendary “Mas Que Nada”. Sergio continued to ply a remarkably successful (both commercially and critically) blend of Latin rhythms and American pop and jazz throughout the rest of the sixties and early seventies, before falling into something of an “easy listening” black hole for a few years. He then started exploring more soul influenced music on a variety of albums in the mid to late seventies (including some great collaborations with Stevie Wonder) before hitting the Top 5 jackpot again with his “comeback” ballad, “Never Gonna Let You Go”. That in turn spurred a whole second act in the venerable musician’s career, culminating in his Grammy for the world music masterpiece Brasileiro and ultimately leading to several chart topping collaborations with The Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am. And so when Sergio, who not so coincidentally changed my life when I first heard Brasil ’66 as a little boy, was nominated for a Best Song Academy Award for “Real in Rio” from Rio, I was convinced one of my favorite musicians was a sure lock on a trophy, especially since in one of the mini-scandals that erupt over Oscar nominations every year, only two nominees in that category were announced. I know a few voting members in the Academy, and though they’re not really supposed to divulge how they vote, an informal poll I did seemed to suggest “everyone” was voting for Sergio. Only “everyone” didn’t, and of course “Man or Muppet” by The Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie won the prize (and no disrespect is intended toward Mr. McKenzie or his achievement). The Academy has a long history of issuing “career awards”, even in the usually more insular music category (does anyone really think Elmer Bernstein won his Oscar for Thoroughly Modern Millie for that film?), and while Mendes’ contributions in the film world have been relatively slim, in the overall scheme of things, no one in my estimation deserves a career accolade more than the still spry and productive keyboard player and composer. Sergio has at least a chance at another nomination for Rio 2, for the film is chalk full of tunes, many co-written by the Brazilian superstar, but it looks like it’s actually Janelle Monae’s “What Is Love?” that is being touted as the “big” tune from the movie. But Sergio’s influence is all over the soundtrack of this film, with echoes of several of his albums as disparate as Primal Roots to Arara floating through the dense tropical jungles that serve as the setting for this sequel, and in fact it may be the soundtrack that is one of the chief selling points of this enjoyable but largely by the numbers follow up.
This so-called Deluxe Edition of Rio 2 contains a 3D version of the film on one disc and the 2D version of the film on
another. The 3D version is encoded via MVC and the 2D via AVC, with both granted 1080p presentations in 2.40:1. As with
Rio, this film explodes with color, though it seems just slightly tamped down at times when compared with
the original. The bright cerulean blue of the spix's macaw is once again a tonal highlight of the film, but so many of the
other birds feature such eyeball shattering hues that it's hard to even compile a cursory list of the often incredibly engaging
palette. The 2D presentation is graced with exceptional fine detail that offers great discrete looks at feathers and even the
tangled vines that weave in and out of the rain forest trees. Some of the human designs don't fare quite as well, with a
somewhat textureless look to characters like Big Boss. The image is completely stable and contrast is very strong.
The 3D presentation adds some rather impressive depth from virtually the first moment when the Carnaval celebrations
erupt in a flurry of confetti that seems to fly right out into the face of the viewer. There are a number of typically gimmicky
shots here (blueberries flying at the camera, planes of depth in forest scenes, etc.), but the really commendable thing here
is the consistency of the dimensionality even in relatively routine scenes that simply feature characters in front of
backgrounds. Saldanha and his rendering team have given a lot of thought to offering depth in even routine sequences, so
that when big production numbers pop up and there's even more dimensionality, it's a really intoxicating visual
experience. My personal set up resulted in a couple of very brief moments of crosstalk, especially when foreground objects
were moving quickly toward the end of the frame, but otherwise this was a problem free presentation.
The audio specs above detail the options on the 3D Blu-ray disc. Please see the Rio 2 Blu-ray review for specs on that release, which differ from this one. (The included 2D
release in this Combo
Pack offers the same audio options as the standalone 2D release).
Rio 2's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is a nonstop array of incredible music and sound effects, with
consistent and engaging surround activity. From the first sequence, which blends music with fireworks to create a
beautifully immersive experience, it's obvious that the film is going to be a kaleidoscope of sounds, including the wonderful
battery of percussion instruments that are Brazilian hallmarks. There are so many great little sonic set pieces in this film
that enumerating them could take a week, but everything from a crazy canoe trip down rapids for Linda and Tulio to the
efforts of the nefarious loggers offer the soundtrack innumerable opportunities for punchy foley effects, and this lossless
track delivers them all with absolute clarity and precision. Dialogue and the song score all are mixed beautifully, and (as
stated above) it's the soundtrack of Rio 2 that may linger in memory long after the film itself has receded.
As mentioned above in the video section of the review, this combo pack comes with the film in 3D and 2D on separate
Blu-ray discs. The discs
have different supplements.
3D Blu-ray Supplement:
Rio 2 just keeps throwing characters and colors at the screen in such an arresting array that the lack of any real surprises isn't quite as debilitating as it might otherwise be. This is often a noisy, busy film, but it has its fair share of laughs and both the design aesthetic and the superb soundtrack make it breezily enjoyable. Technical merits on this Blu-ray are very strong, and Rio 2 comes Recommended.
2014
with Plush Toy
2014
+ Bracelet
2014
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Family Icons
2014
Family Icons
2014
2011
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2017
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Collector's Edition
2015
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