When Pixar was about to release 'Cars 3', I found myself teetering on my opinion of Pixar sequels altogether. This was yet another case when I wondered why 'The Incredibles' still hadn't earned a sequel, and they seemed to be milking the 'Cars' universe for more than it was worth. However, I did learn my lesson about jumping to conclusions with 'Finding Dory' and still decided to give it a shot. At the time, I hadn't seen 'Cars 2' yet, but considering most of the call-back in this has to do with the first film, I was okay, and actually pleasantly surprised. Plot-wise, the film sees the return of Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) as the main focus. He's still running his races, winning most, if not all of them, and pretty much at the top of his game. McQueen seems to have found his "happily ever after", and lived a good life alongside Sally (Bonnie Hunt) and the rest of his old friends from Radiator Springs, including good old Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The fans and various crews still respect and admire his skill, but soon enough, a threat comes along in the form of a rookie racer named Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer); a cocky, decked out car with all the bells and whistles. In many ways, McQueen is now challenged by the Lightning McQueen personality we knew from the first film. With Storm comes a whole new set of Piston Cup Racers that have been decked out and customized, representing a next generation. Meanwhile, McQueen starts to lose his touch and, at one point, even wrecks himself on the track. But while his fellow racers and acquaintances from the track are starting to pack it in and retire, McQueen isn't quite ready to call it quits. He calls his sponsors at Rusteze, who bring him in to train on some of the new state of the art equipment the up-and-comers have been using. Eventually, he's introduced to his new trainer, Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), who tries to get McQueen back on his feet. But when McQueen jumps the gun to try to use an advanced simulator, he breaks it, and the new Rusteze owner, Sterling (Nathan Fillion), tries to get him to retire and make way for the new generation. McQueen, refusing to be beaten, decides to get away and practice his skills, bringing Cruz along. It's right around here when the viewer starts to see the story getting altered and becoming something you didn't quite expect, but to be fair, the way things end up are fairly predictable. Sometimes, however, predictable isn't necessarily bad. Even though you see things coming from a mile away, the execution is well done, and it really does make things feel like a wrapped-up trilogy. I don't know the plans for the future of this franchise, but it works a lot like 'Toy Story' in that, even if they do continue things, you can still choose to see things as a trilogy. Personally, I think things end on a pretty high note, at least as far as these films go. It's a vast improvement from 'Cars 2', and its an interesting take on "passing the torch", so to speak. The basic story here is the idea that something new comes along to push the old out, and there's not much one can do about it; like how talkies once replaced silent film. So, in my opinion, this is a more than worthy sequel to the first film, and I might treat the second film as more of a completely separate adventure for Mater fans. Once again, the Academy Award situation that year overlooked one film entirely only to award another Pixar film the Oscar (which happened in 2016 when 'Inside Out' won while 'The Good Dinosaur' was overlooked). Despite that though, I do find this one somewhat underrated. As much as I'm lukewarm towards the 'Cars' franchise, I really like the way this film ends on an inspirational note that suggests that sometimes an end can just be seen as a new beginning. 'Cars 3' doesn't entirely carry that Pixar magic with it, but I do appreciate its message despite perhaps being an odd one out with it. I understand how predictable it can get, and I understand why it's not the strongest Pixar title in the library. But as far as reaching me on a personal level, it does succeed in some ways. It's a lot like the first 'Cars' in that sense. All in all the movie is okay, and doesn't really tug on any heartstrings like may Pixar films do. But at the same time, you get what the movie is trying to say, and it's a message anyone can appreciate. I'd probably still consider the first 'Cars' my favourite of the bunch, but this does (at least to me) feel pretty on-par with it. It's not a favourite, but I can see revisiting it just for a bit of inspiration. 3/5
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So far, Pixar has given personality to toys, bugs, monsters and fish who, as far as we can tell, live in a sort of "real-world" setting. For this reason, when the idea of these anthropomorphic cars and trucks came along for Pixar's next movie, I turned my nose up at it. I didn't have a problem with it, per se, but it was very clear-cut this time that it was gonna be for kids (in other words, I still hadn't learned my lesson when it came to Pixar's storytelling quality). What I thought this film was going to be was what 'Cars 2' became, but more on that with that review. 'Cars' tells a story that takes place in an alternate world where vehicles take on human qualities while maintaining most aspects of cars we know about. Here, we meet racing rookie, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) who goes up against retiring legend, Strip "The King" Weathers (Richard Petty) and pro racer, Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) in the final race of the Piston Cup. The race ends un a three-way tie, however, and a tie-breaking race is scheduled for one week later at the Los Angeles International Speedway. McQueen maintains a cocky attitude about his skills, and doesn't seem to want or need anyone's help to become a new racing legend. He becomes desperate to get to LA quickly to shmooze with Dinoco; the oil company representing Hicks, in the hopes to switch to them over his less glamorous Rust-Eze sponsors. McQueen insists that his transport truck, Mac (John Ratzenberger again) drive straight to LA through the night, which results in Mac dozing off and a near-accident that sends McQueen falling out of the trailer, finding himself lost, and soon in trouble with the small town of Radiator Springs after accidentally ruining their main road. McQueen is tasked with fixing the road before they allow him to leave, making him stress about the big race. However, McQueen also meets a group of locals, primarily featuring a Porsche named Sally (Bonnie Hunt), a tow truck named Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and an experienced Hudson Hornet known as Doc (Paul Newman), who might collectively be able to teach him that winning and fame aren't all there is to life. My opinion on the 'Cars' series has been more or less the same throughout the trilogy (so far) in that these movies are nothing special, and Pixar doesn't exactly strike the same chord here as with other films. For my money, however, I would lean towards the first film probably being the best of the three (at least easily over 'Cars 2'). When the location of Radiator Springs is seen as an aged and forgotten place that once looked awesome in its heyday, it does provoke a certain nostalgia. I think it's safe to say that many of us live fairly close to an area that would have been a lot of fun in a certain time, but now it's old and forgotten just because people have moved on. That aspect of the film is actually pretty moving, and does tug at the heartstrings a little. So it was good to see that the film certainly still had that Pixar heart behind it. The film's overall emotional impact hits a touch harder when we see that it is dedicated to the late Joe Ranft, who ironically died tragically in a car crash during the filming of 'Cars'. He has several credits to his name in the Pixar collection up to this point - where he would get his credit for co-directing. One has to appreciate that 'Cars' brings the name to the viewer's attention, as if to say "this guy had a hand in everything we've done" (quite literally). He may be best known as a voice actor, but the man worked in the art department and penning scripts as well. Because of this memorial, I end up liking the film more; not just because an important person passed away, but because it makes you take a second look at the film's message of enjoying more of life's simple pleasures and not constantly focusing on one thing, and heading in one direction, as you could be missing something great. I enjoy 'Cars', but it's unfortunate that it's responsible for launching a whole somewhat failed universe of both Cars and Planes. This series has three movies, and Disney (without Pixar) saw some money to be made by spinning off of the universe with 'Planes' (1 and 2). This was one of those cases where it didn't quite work out in their favour due to rough reviews and poor box office returns, and I'm glad they didn't draw it all out by coming up with something like 'Boats' or 'Trains' next. But if I were to recommend any of the titles from this world, it would easily be this one (followed somewhat closely by 'Cars 3', but again, more on that later). It's a film that teaches us about the highway of life and the idea that every once in a while, you've just got to pull over and enjoy the view. 4/5 |
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