Pixar’s Cars was a big commercial success and made heaps of merchandising money, so it is not surprising that this is the only franchise that Pixar has revisited for a sequel besides Toy Story. The sequel, simply called Cars 2, is a slick production but it lacks the intelligence and warmth we have come to expect from one of the world’s most consistent studios.
Cars 2 brings back the talking, driverless cars for a new adventure. Lightning McQueen (with the cockily laidback voice of Owen Wilson) is sidelined in favour of his Cars 1 sidekick Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The story swaps out the homely 1950s nostalgia of Cars for a globe-hopping espionage adventure with accidental secret agent Mater trying to uncover a dangerous plot that will affect all of car-kind.
Racing car McQueen takes Mater along for the ride when he is goaded into taking part in a grand prix spanning Tokyo, London and the Italian Riviera. Mater finds himself drawn into the world of international intrigue when British spies Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) mistake him for an American agent.
The film starts out in top gear with a high-octane James Bond-style caper that sees McMissile trying to infiltrate a nefarious supervillain’s oil rig hideout. The snatches of humour, Caine’s voice and McMissile’s many cool gadgets all hit the right note for a film that takes its cues from 1960s spy thrillers.
But the film starts to skid when it returns to Radiator Springs on Route 66 to reunite us with McQueen and Mater and it has spun completely by the end of its last chase and the closing credits. If there is one major fault with the film, it’s the decision to focus the story on the irritating tow-truck Mater and Larry the Cable Guy’s broad sense of humour.
Turning the klutzy Mater into the lead character of the film is rather like making a Star Wars movie starring Jar-Jar Binks. Although Larry the Cable Guy’s southern-accented slapstick is amusing in small portions, it’s as sickening as a bucket of deep-fried chicken in excess.
Mater’s character arc isn’t terribly convincing. The film tells us that you should be yourself, even if you’re a loud jerk with the cultural sensitivity of Homer Simpson who bungles around behaving badly in other people’s countries. Um, yes. There’s also a reliance on pee jokes that used to be way beneath Pixar’s level.
Things improve somewhat in the scenes where Mater isn’t around. Caine, who acted in more than a few of the spy and caper films that Cars 2 borrows from, is great fun in the role of a great British spy that is modelled on the classic 007 Aston Martin from Goldfinger.
Other highlights include a comical turn by Coen Brothers stalwart John Turturro as a smug Italian racing car and Eddie Izzard’s Richard Branson mimicry in the British billionaire-adventurer Sir Miles Axelrod.
The visuals are also as strong as one would expect from a Pixar production, bursting with vibrant colours and clever details. The Tokyo sequence with its garish neon lights is particularly impressive. Though the 3D effects don’t add much to the film, it doesn’t suffer the loss of colour and definition that is too common in the format.
Automobile aficionados may get a kick out the way the animators have translated a wide range of classic cars into anthropomorphic characters. Pixar CEO and Cars director John Lasseter has a real love for motor vehicles that shines through in the visual designs of his characters. Cars 2 will probably also delight car-mad younger boys with its high-speed chases and explosions.
Cars 2 trailer (via YouTube):
But the lack of an emotional engine under Cars 2’s shiny bonnet may mean that other viewers will find it a difficult film to love. The few good jokes in Cars 2 have been spoilt by the trailers and it lacks the poignant undertow and thoughtful subtext of most Pixar productions.
Cars 2 isn’t a terrible movie, especially not compared to most of the animated films it is competing with, but it is far below Pixar’s usual standards. Normally we can count on the annual Pixar film to be one of the highlights of the summer blockbuster season, which means that the disappointment is especially keenly felt. — Lance Harris, TechCentral
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