Review of Cars 3 (2017) by Nate M — 04 Jul 2017

Even though it is not as good as the original, Cars 3 is still another example of Pixar's ability to make a fun, animated film with relatable characters and a message backing it up. Having skipped the second movie, I have no opinion on it but from what I've heard, I suspect Cars 3 is the superior film. Owen Wilson does a commendable job as he returns to voice the franchise's lead, Lightning McQueen. Larry the Cable Guy's character, Mater, has a smaller role in the movie compared to the other films so if he annoys you, you won't have to put up with him (I personally like him). The most notable new character of the film is named Cruz, a trainer who ends up balancing out Lightning McQueen pretty well as she is more knowledgeable of the new world of racing and is not as competitive as she is caring while McQueen is more competitive and old-fashioned. The way her character was set up at the end makes me believe she'll have an even bigger influence on the next film. One thing I really like about the original Cars movie was its villain, Chick Hicks, and Cars 3 was no different for me. Jackson Storm is the new, technologically superior, race car and is very similar to Chick. They are both very pompous, arrogant racers who are willing to do whatever they have to, to win. Storm makes several jokes about Lightning being washed up and takes any chance he can to show off how much better he is. Overall Jackson Storm is my kind of villain and is the perfect bad guy for a movie about cars that race and talk to each other.

The story of Cars 3 is fairly simple and light and at certain points, it drags. There are plenty of jokes that will land better with parents than kids and the movie feels tired during certain scenes. There isn't much originality either as most of the film is spent racing around different tracks, or going through travel montages, nothing new. Also, the film is not as dark or franchise-altering as it appeared it could be from the initial trailers; so, don't get your hopes up, this is still a kid's movie. One thing about the movie I did notice was a lack of development in Lightning and Sally's relationship, as the film most certainly didn't forget they were together but at the same time didn't take any big steps in that particular area. If anything, Cruz felt like she was being set up as a possible love interest for McQueen and the last thing I want in the Cars franchise is a love triangle.

On the whole, Cars 3 is exactly what you would expect it to be, nothing more, nothing less.