Cars 2 is not the most solid Pixar picture, but it is still worth the ride. As Haus admits, he prefers to offer up a bad review rather than a good one, and this may have clouded his enjoyment of the film. Sure, Cars 2 does not fire on all cylinders. But, I am not willing to deride it as containing the second coming of Jar Jar Binks.
Cars 2 is visually stunning, by far the best 3D rendition since Avatar. More than cheap 3D tricks that pop out at the audience, Pixar created a 3D world. They wrap you in the story. They use the effects with a purpose. The CGI is flawless. Pixar masters all of the details. I think this is an element that should not be undervalued. The visual aspects of the film are impressive on their own, but they also help to immerse the audience in the story.
The CGI allows the creative minds in Pixar to play with the environment. They jet us around the world from Radiator Springs to Japan to Italy to England. Each stop really features elements that draw the audience to the locale. From the neon of a Tokyo nightscape to the overcast austerity of London, the movie captures the feeling of each city. Pixar captures the cultural differences between each location with a quirky, cheeky attitude — from the oddities of Japanese restrooms, to an Italian street festival.
Sometimes, the spy elements of the story were a little hokey. The desire to add high tech weaponry and spy tools was a little over the top. But, this is a film about living, breathing vehicles, who are often transported inside one another (wrap your mind around that one). So, suspend your disbelief, maybe a little more than normal.
Like Haus, I was a little puzzled by the dirt section of the race course, but this was not a traditional race. The competition was not a Formula 1 race. NASCAR, drifting, rally, and Formula 1 vehicles are all present. If the goal of the race is to see the best performing car, period, under any circumstances, well, then a dirt section would make sense. Plus, the film has some great car racing video game scenes. The coolest, in my mind, was the presentation of the race tracks, straight out of an arcade. We even see rainbow bridges from Mario Kart.
Haus, claims that the film fails to provide a connection between Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). But, I disagree. The film assumes you watched the first film, where the connection between Mater and Lightning is crafted. The first film also develops the prince and pauper oddities of the relationship and Lightning’s unease with their friendship. I think it would be redundant to tell that tale again. But, the early portion of the film recaptures these elements. It is Lightning’s occasional discomfort with their relationship and, in particular, his embarrassment with others’ perception of the relationship that is at the heart of the story. Of course, it is this element of the story that is the foundation of the moral in this fable.
Sure, Mater is a little aw-shucks, at times over the top, and a little goofy. But, more often than not, the jokes were funny, even if a little childish; hey— it is a children’s film. It leaves viewers—particularly the younger set—with the time-honored message: Be a good friend to friends of all kinds.
Plus, I must say that I really have a soft spot for Luigi and Guido. They are too good.
At the end of the day, this film hums like a well oiled engine.
PARSI VERDICT: Get out of my dreams, get into Cars 2.
See what the other half thinks: Haus’s View.
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