Cars 2 review

Finn McMissile: My apologies, I haven't properly introduced myself. Finn McMissile, British intelligence. 
Mater: Tow Mater, average intelligence. 

Director: Jon Lasseter
(2011)

Like many film lovers, I adore Pixar films. Toy Story is ingrained in my childhood and since I saw toy story 2 (my first cinema experience), I've loved their films ever since. This affection continued for some time, why wouldn’t it? Yearly releases, excellent visuals and a focus on story made their films must watches. That was until 2006, when they released cars. The story of racing champion Lightening McQueen wasn’t a bad film, but more of an unspectacular one. Why a sequel to this underwhelming film would be made is beyond me, but needless to say, Cars 2 is unmistakably un-Pixar.

After the unfulfilling ending of the original Cars, Cars 2 returns to radiator springs, a thriving community once again. Racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is off winning races and his best friend mater (Larry the cable guy) spends his days towing broken down cars and planning his return. Events soon transpire, and McQueen enters the grand prix, a set of races through Japan, Paris and England. While this seems like a decent story, things quickly take a remarkable U turn and Mater becomes embroiled in a secret agent plotline with Finn Mcmissle (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). The grand prix and lightening McQueen are tossed to the background as maters ‘hilarious’ antics take centre stage.

The focus on this shallow spy parody is what hurts Cars 2 the most. Its grating and unfunny thanks to the childish script. Whereas the rest of Pixar’s films appeal to all ages, Cars 2 is aimed solely at children, and boy does it show. From cars wetting themselves to characters speaking is silly voices. The worst culprit is the John Turturro voiced race car Francesco Bernoulli; equipped with a stereotypical Italian accent and not a single funny piece of dialogue. Worse can be said about Mater though. He has far too much screen time and is horrendously written, the choice to make him the main character is the most misjudged in Pixar’s history. It’s obvious from this alone that the animation giant has totally forgotten about their older audience.

While I'm not the biggest fan of the original cars, its story about a town that is getting forgotten in a rapidly advancing world was interesting and poignant, a factor that cars 2 eschews for outright speed. The races are furiously fast and are smartly paced to add adrenaline to the film at the right moments. The same can be said for the action scenes, which are in abundance. Explosions and fight scenes are littered throughout, and are actually quite enjoyable. This is the only time the spy subgenre is effectively utilized; various weapons and gadgets add considerable flair to set pieces.

Once cars 2 limply rolls over the finishing line, its safe to say the pangs of disappointment will be felt by every member of the audience who thought they were watching a Pixar film. In the place of brilliance we have been given a poor script and story, lacking the dimensions that we've come to expect from such a brilliant studio. Even the trademark credits that finish their films are dull and uninspired. Here’s to hoping brave will be a return to form.

4