Water for Elephants is an adaptation of a bestselling novel of the same name. I suspect that it's a much more enjoyable film if you've read the book. I haven't, so I found this production a little flat.
This is a pure romance centred around Jacob (Robert Pattinson) and Marlena (Reese Witherspoon). The story starts with Jacob as a senior, reminiscing about his circus life. We flash back to the young Jacob, who is a veterinary student. Just as he begins to write his final exam at Cornell, he is pulled away and informed that his parents have been killed in a car crash. Shortly thereafter he discovers that his parents have gone into considerable debt to fund his education, and that as a result he is now both unqualified and broke in the middle of the Great Depression.
Rio is an animated feature with a coherent, entertaining, and finely crafted story line. That alone shouldn't be enough to make a film noteworthy, but in comparison to other recent releases it most certainly is.
Spoiler alert. I'm going to reveal key plot details here. But keep reading, because if this review does it's job, you won't be watching this movie any time soon. Not that I feel particularly guilty. The opening sequence gives away the end in hopes of piquing our curiosity with the story. It's a false hope.
