July Family Movie Roundup

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

Continuing my plan of showing the kids the Star Wars films according to the Machete order, we watched The Empire Strikes Back.  From a kids’ standpoint, this movie has a lot more action in the first couple acts, which kept the nearly-four-year-old interested more consistently than did A New Hope.  Avery gave a satisfying shock-face when Darth drops his bomb, but Finn hardly noticed.  Every time someone got in any trouble, Avery would ask “Are they going to die?” I think this is a result of Obi-Wan’s demise at the end of the last film.  Overall, an enjoyable evening.

Rio

We did a couple family movie nights during the insane heat wave back in early July, and Rio was another of the film we watched.  Rio is a cute movie with a clear arc, enjoyable villains, funny side characters, and lots of entertaining adventure scenes.  Eisenberg was a great choice to voice the homebody who stretches his wings, and the other voices were really solid as well.  I loved Jemaine Clement as the evil cockatiel, and my kids thought the thieving monkeys were absolutely hilarious.  When Jenny first suggested we watch it and said she hadn’t seen it, I started to argue, confusing it with Rango, but then I realized my mistake.  That said, Rio and Rango share very similar main characters and general plot arcs, though the specific motivations of the protagonists are distinct.  I think Rango is a better multi-generational film, though Rio has more for younger viewers.