Rio [Blu-ray 3D] Reviews

 

What can I say?  I love 3D!  From the moment I began watching 3D content in my home I quickly discovered that I needed more content.  I suspect that those of you just purchasing your first 3D hardware will acquire the same ferocious appetite.  That's why I became the HTF 3D ADDICT.  I personally love images that pop off the screen and come inches away from your face without becoming overly gimmicky.  However, I certainly appreciate the nature documentaries that offer beautiful depth and separation.  These are not necessarily reviews of the film themselves.  I am not going to concentrate on story or supplements -- you can find the 2D reviews elsewhere on this forum.  My job is to let you know exactly what kind of 3D experience to expect from the titles that are being released.   As I will be receiving a handful of new product from the studios expect to see more title coverage.

 

 

 

 

RIO

  

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox

Product Release: August 30, 2011

Ratio: 2.40:1

Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. English, French and Spanish 5.1Dolby Digital

Running Time: 96 Minutes

Rating: G

 

 

ON A SCALE 0-5

Overall 3D Presentation Rating: 4

3D Separation: 3

3D In Yo' Face Factor: 3

 

 

Rio has been a huge success story for the folks at Twentieth 

Century Fox Home Entertainment.  Upon its DVD and Blu-ray

release, the title quickly soared #1 where it held that position 

for a total of 4 weeks.  

 

I am a little late to the Rio party.  I had not seen this film

theatrically, and for the most part, had little interest in seeing

this film, that is, until I began to notice how well the Blu-ray 

was selling.  With curiosity getting the best of me, I finally

obtained a copy on 3D Blu-ray to see what all the fuss was about.

 

 

Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is a young macaw who is

captured in the wild and then rescued by a girl named  Linda

(voiced by Leslie Mann). For the years that follow, Blu becomes

Linda's most adoring pet, who is provided with all the comforts of

a perfect home.  Their world is turned askew when an ornithologist

named Tulio (voiced by Rodrigo Snatoro) convinces her to take Blu

to Brazil as the macaw is believed to the last male of his species. 

 

 

Once in Rio, Blu is introduced to Jewel (voiced by Anne Hathaway),

his impending mate.  However, the female macaw is more concerned

about escaping than mating, and soon after they both break free, the

two suddenly find themselves kidnapped by bird thieves and at the

mercy of a villainous sulfur-crested cockatoo named Nigel (voiced

by Jermaine Clement).

 

Rio is directed by Carlos Sadanha, the Brazilian-born director who

worked on other titles such as the Ice Age Trilogy and Robots. Its 

computer-generated character animation comes courtesy of the folks

at Blu Sky Studios, a unit of Fox Film Entertainment.  

 

For the most part, Rio remains a very upbeat, well-animated film

that is certain to entertain children.  For adults like myself, however, 

I found the film excelling in colorful animation, but yet basically bland.

There's nothing charming here.  The music is unmemorable.  There is

no humor to be found, and quite frankly, the characters come off as

being more annoying than remotely likable.  With all the box-office 

and home entertainment revenue this film has taken in this year, I 

wonder if anyone will actually fondly remember it in years to come.

 

 

The transfer is probably the one thing about this movie audiences

will remember.  It's terrific, thanks in all to its vibrant color palette.

This has got to be the most colorful animated movie ever released,

and even without the 3D (which I think probably diminishes some of

it), the colors pop-out on their own thanks to a tact-sharp transfer that

is free of any artifacts.   Black levels are fantastically deep.

 

The 3D, for the most part, is quite good, though not consistent.  There

one or two scenes where the level of depth feels more 2D than 3D.  However,

when the film does open up dimensionally, it's rather impressive.  Take

for instance the hand glider scene that swoops around the statue of 

Christ in Rio de Janeiro, or a Carnival parade that looks completely

stunning with its depth, lighting and colors.  The film doesn't go overboard

with throwing effects at its viewers, but I think I lost count as to how

many times a beak came poking out of the screen towards me.  A 

very brief shot of the two macaws getting caught in a volleyball net

that jettisons out towards the viewer is really neat to see.  Other cool

animated enhancements involve falling feathers, flower petals and

confetti that produce more subtle, but satisfying 3D enjoyment. 

 

The transfer remains totally free of ghosting, that is, until 3/4 of the

way through when suddenly it was if someone turned the "ghosting"

switch on and it became a noticeable presence for the rest of the film.

It begins at the moment Fernando brings (voiced by Jake T. Austin)

brings Linda and Tulio to the shack hideout.  It becomes even more

prevalent shortly thereafter when Jewel are freed of their chained bond.

When Jewel races to the sky and flies with her friends Nico and Pedro,

crosstalk becomes clearly evident, and moving forward with the scenes

that follow, I couldn't help but noticing it many more times.  

 

 

The film's 5.1 DTS Master Audio soundtrack is very involving, with the

back channels making excellent usage of surrounds that create spatial 

ambiance of being in a jungle or city.  The soundtrack is well-balanced,

very rich in dynamics and LFE response is quite authoritative, particularly

in the dancing monkeys sequence and musical numbers involving beating

kettle drums. 

 

Rio arrives in a 4-disc combo pack that includes 3D and 2D versions

of the film, as well as DVD and Digital Copy housed in lenticular

packaging.  The 3D disc includes the Ice-age short, Scrat's Continental

Crack-up (in 3D) as well as 3D trailers for Gulliver's Travels and The

Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The 2D Blu-ray

includes a wealth of "making-of" featurettes, a deleted scene, and a

few music videos.  

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

Beautifully animated and with what might be the most colorful transfer

on Blu-ray to date, Rio is stunning to watch on Blu-ray.  There is just enough

3D effect work here to make it worth the upgrade purchase. It's just really

unfortunate that Rio lacks the soul of better animated fare from the likes

of Pixar or Disney.  

 

 

Images are for illustrative purpose only not representative of the picture quality of this disc. 

 

 

Equipment

 

LG 60PX950 THX Certified 3D display

Oppo BDP-93 3D Blu-ray Player

Denon 3311CI Receiver

Atlantic Technology H-PAS AT-1 fronts, 4400 center; 4200 rear speakers

SV Sound Subwoofer