Review of Cars 2 (2011) by Harry W — 23 Mar 2014

I always loved Cars. In fact I think I've seen it at least 20 times with family and friends and such on several occasions, so a sequel to it sounds good.

Cars 2 doesn't exactly have the most original story to it, but in this case I don't really blame the filmmakers because they are working with very limited context as their film is about cars who have living consciousness, so racing is one of the best things that it can do. At least they tried by capitalising on the humourous charm of its funniest character, Tow Mater. But even that is a massively flawed decision because one of the main the appealing elements in Cars was the range of characters, but in Cars 2 it is essentially all Tow Mater. He's a great character, but audiences are likely to find themselves missing members of the old crew. And really, he isn't enough to carry the story to its end because in Cars he was the supporting character who provided the majority of the comic relief, but they really overdid it by making him the main character in Cars 2. Larry the Cable Guy proved that he couldn't play a funny lead in the awful 2008 comedy Witless Protection, and while Cars 2 is streets ahead in quality, it's just never best to have a story rely on his comedic skills to lead it. He can support a story, but not lead one Also, Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater barely get any screen time together so the humourous buddy aspect of its predecessor is left out in Cars 2. So for the lead character Lightning McQueen to play second fiddle to someone else just doesn't make sense. I will admit that in the end I laughed at Tow Mater enough to say that him in the lead wasn't the worst decision, but it results in the story being handed over to someone without the depth to be a lead. The story tries to give some to him, but in the end it proves to be a fairly generic character element.

Also, a lot of aspects of Cars 2 are a bit dark for a kids movie, particularly since the film is a Disney Pixar one. And I don't mean that it's dramatically gritty, I mean that it deals with the cars who are characters facing torture, death and assassination which is a bit dark for a kid's film. And while it's a certainty that an animated action comedy is fairly awesome, it still has some dark elements to it which really don't constitute its G rating.

But overall, I honestly enjoyed Cars 2.

While it was a flawed film, I found that in all honesty I was really pleased with Cars 2. I found that I thoroughly enjoyed its excellent animation above all, because the quality of CGI in Cars 2 is just refreshing. Its edgy and its fast paced without ever speeding to quickly for the viewer's eye, and it is very colourful. And combined with some awesome sound effects, the entire experience feels fairly genuine and entertaining. The music adds to the atmosphere very nicely as well, and really as a visual experience Cars 2 is very vibrant and rich with energy which makes the entire experience exhilarating and entertaining. There is a lot of colour in Cars 2, and the simple fact that the film animated in some entertaining action sequences as well makes it an entertaining feature to touch upon the action genre. It's actually fairly appropriate to do that because since the film is about Cars, it is about racing and chasing too which is a common action theme. So yeah, Cars 2 is an entertaining action film which never takes itself too seriously and allows for audiences to truly appreciate the fun in it. Its soundtrack is pretty effective and energetic as well.

Really, if you can kick back and enjoy the story then it is easy for viewers to enjoy themselves in Cars 2. And while it really isn't nearly as meaningful or original as its predecessor Cars was, it does find a new use for the fact that its characters are all forms of vehicles and plays that from its potentially into a lot of entertainment. While its humour may not hit at every turn, I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed Cars 2 for being a nearly-consistently funny comedy which did have me laughing quite a bit while I fell under the spell of its animation and dedicated voice cast.

Larry the Cable Guy returns to potentially his best film role and articulates his voice into the role of Tow Mater perfectly. He delivers his line with a sharp comedic wit to him which maximizes the humour and occasionally makes up for half-assed screenwriting. His infection charm makes Tow Mater a great character once again.

And Owen Wilson returns to the role of Lightning McQueen without any problem and implements in the same basic strength he put into Cars to ensure that the character is everything that he can be. He never fails, though he should have gotten more screentime. Owen Wilson has no problems in the role of Lightning McQueen.

And newcomer Michael Caine is a great touch because his iconic cockney accent is one of the best characteristics of him as an actor, and putting him in the role of a British intelligence automobile is just awesome. He consistently fills Finn McMissile with charm from start to finish.

And lastly, the one touch that I can never miss for being in a film is the cameo appearance by Bruce Campbell. It is legendary that he was given a role in the film, and he proves that it wasn't a waste because his iconic voice proves itself as good as ever.

So Cars 2 falls into the section of the lesser quality films to be offered by Disney Pixar, but some will find that its animation quality and humour is enough to entertain.