Cars 3 (2017) review

The Cars franchise has always been one of the more fascinating facets of Pixar Animation’s prestigious filmography. And that’s because while the films have been highly successful at the box-office, along with amassing an impressive $10 billion in merchandise sales, they’re generally considered to be some of Pixar’s weakest efforts. The first Cars film, released in 2006, did do well with critics but not necessarily on the same level as some of Pixar’s most beloved films (e.g. Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, etc.). Things only got worse with the 2011 sequel, Cars 2, as that film became the first Pixar film ever to receive primarily negative reviews from critics. Thus, Cars basically became Pixar’s ‘black sheep’ franchise and, if you ask me, was the catalyst for what I feel is the current internet mindset when it comes to the legendary animation company. That mindset is that if a Pixar film isn’t a ‘critically-acclaimed, 15/10 masterpiece’, then it isn’t worth a damn. This is the mindset that would ultimately affect films like Brave, Monsters University, and The Good Dinosaur. But I’ve never held Pixar to those standards, hence why I still love the first Cars film and will even argue that Cars 2 isn’t as bad as the internet puts it out to be. But now, here we are with Cars 3, which Pixar fans are either anticipating or dreading depending on their opinions of the franchise. It does promise, though, to return to the series’ original roots, and it certainly grabbed the attention of everyone when its first teaser showed main protagonist Lightning McQueen in a devastating crash. And while this ultimately may not be enough to convert those who aren’t fans of the series, Cars 3 is a worthy follow-up to the original Cars thanks to a solid and poignant story that gives a satisfying conclusion to its main protagonist’s overall arc.

Year in and year out, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has been one of the most successful racers in the league. However, that success is soon threatened by the arrival of hot-shot rookie Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) and a new line of racers who train using the most advanced technology on the planet to be the fastest on the race track. The growing dominance of these new ‘high-tech’ racers soon lead to many of Lightning’s old racing pals being forced into an early retirement, and it seems like Lightning’s future is doubtful as well after he suffers a devastating crash during the final race of the season. Not wanting to be forced out of the sport the same way that his mentor Doc Hudson (who, despite having passed away after the events of the first film, returns in this film via flashbacks and unused audio of his voice actor, the late Paul Newman) was back in his day, Lightning realizes that he must start training the same way that the new rookies are training if he has any chance of beating them. Luckily for him, the company that sponsors him, Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment, has just built a new training facility with all the upgrades courtesy of the company’s new owner, Mr. Sterling (Nathan Fillion). Now guided by enthusiastic trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), Lightning begins a journey of redemption as he attempts to adapt to the newest racing techniques to not only stand a chance against his new opponents, namely Storm, but to also save his career.

One of the key things that Cars 3 does is that, from a story perspective, it does return to the series’ roots after Cars 2 took an admittedly interesting but ultimately rather messy diversion into the world of ‘car espionage’ which, in turn, was based around a separate ‘world tour’ story. This time around, there aren’t two different plotlines that are struggling just to co-exist with one another to the point where the main plotline ends up becoming a ‘secondary’ one. Like the first film, this one’s all about racing again and this time it’s based around an effectively poignant story in which Lightning McQueen, who was the hot-shot rookie back in the first film, now finds himself being outdone by a new generation of racers. Thus, this film manages to make the entire trilogy of Cars films have a clear beginning, middle, and end. After all, it was during a crucial scene from the first film in which Lightning learned about how Doc used to be a famous racer until a devastating crash resulted in a premature end to his career. Now, Lightning finds himself in the same situation in racing’s modern landscape. Sure, like its predecessors, this film’s plot is a rather simplistic one for a Pixar film. However, I’d argue that the divide between generations in this film, and the ways in which the characters deal with it, does give Cars 3 a great amount of emotional depth. From the arcs that the main characters go through to the film’s effective use of the character of Doc Hudson despite Paul Newman’s passing in 2008, this film is steeped in poignancy. Granted, this may depend on whether you did like these characters in the previous films but it does work in the long run.  

Of course, like any Pixar film, the animation is excellent. In fact, this may just be the best-looking Cars film yet in terms of lighting and some of the new ways in which it creates a world inhabited by cars. Like its predecessors, this film features great racing sequences that are set within fun and unique locales, like the one ‘race’ that Lightning and Cruz participate in that’s ultimately more of a demolition derby. Plus, as is also common with Pixar films, Cars 3 features an excellent ensemble cast to portray this franchise’s lovable cast of characters. And this time around, they thankfully aren’t all under-utilized like most of them admittedly were in Cars 2. Granted, the Radiator Springs crew are still just side characters at the end of the day, as the focus is more on Lightning and his trainer, but they are utilized better in this film, especially Mater. Fear not, folks, this isn’t like last time where he ended up becoming the main character whereas Lightning was relegated to what was basically a minor supporting role. Lightning is truly the main character in this film, and Owen Wilson does a great job once again in not only making Lightning a likable protagonist but also a sympathetic one in this instance given that his storyline in this is one of redemption. The big standout of the show, however, ends up being Cristela Alonzo as Cruz. Her infectious enthusiasm instantly makes her a likable character, and she’s also given a nice character arc in which we see that she can hang with Lightning and the other racers on the track. As for Lightning’s new rival, Jackson Storm, he’s a serviceable foe just like Lightning’s rivals from the previous two films. Though, at the same time, he does serve as a nice foil to Lightning in this film given that he acts the same way that Lightning did at the beginning of the first film (i.e. an egotistical show-off).

Now, if I were to be honest, if you weren’t a big fan of these Cars films, to begin with (and not just because of Cars 2; I’m talking about the entire series in general), there’s a good chance that this new film isn’t going to win you over. Like the two films that came before it, the plot is admittedly a simpler one compared to other Pixar films. And heck, this is only Pixar’s first 2017 release, so I have the feeling that this film will, unfortunately, be completely forgotten about by the internet once Coco gets released in November. However, I will always argue that these Cars films (yes, even Cars 2… it’s not THAT bad!) are much more than just ‘middle-of-the-road’, ‘below average’ Pixar films that are ‘just for kids’ and are only there to sell toys. Cars 3 manages to come full-circle on the story of Lightning McQueen on his journey to prove that he can still be as successful of a racer as he used to be in a sport that is continuously evolving at a faster rate than he is. And through a plot that does indeed have the emotionally poignant moments that you can always expect from a Pixar film, Cars 3 does succeed in this regard. No, this isn’t the best film that Pixar’s ever made, but it doesn’t have to be. As I’ve said time and time again, not every film that they make will be a masterpiece. It’s just that the unfortunate downside of all the success that they’ve had since 1995 is that the internet now expects a masterpiece from them with each new release. Thus, given this film’s measly 66% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (which, for the record, IS still a fresh rating!), I know that many out there will regard it as an ‘unnecessary’ continuation of Pixar’s so-called ‘weakest’ franchise. But, as a fan of this so-called ‘black sheep’ of Pixar franchises, I enjoyed its newest installment. And if you are a fan of these films, I think you’ll like this new one just fine. 

Rating: 4/5

Disney/Pixar's Cars: Double Feature Review (2006/2011)

This weekend sees the release of Pixar Animation’s first release of 2017, Cars 3. It is, of course, the third installment of the studio’s highly successful franchise… at least, from a commercial perspective. In terms of merchandising sales, this series has earned over $10 billion worldwide, easily making it one of Disney’s most commercially successful brands. But in terms of critical reception, the Cars films are generally regarded as some of Pixar’s weakest outings. The second film, especially, is quite infamous for being their first negatively-received film, breaking a ‘win-streak’ that had been going on ever since their first feature film, Toy Story, back in 1995. Thus, there’s quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding this new film. Will it be subjected to the same mixed reception as its predecessors, or could it potentially turn things around for the franchise? We’ll soon find out, but until then, today I’ll be doing a double feature pairing of reviews for the first two Cars films. Now, technically speaking, I did review these films before back in 2013, when I did a ‘Pixar Retrospective’ in time for Pixar’s then-newest release, Monsters University. However, those ‘reviews’ didn’t have much to them content-wise, meaning that the following reviews are going to be more constructive by comparison. Also, I’ll admit that I haven’t watched either of these films in quite some time, so it’ll be interesting to see if my opinions on them change in any way. Finally, I just want to mention that I won’t be doing reviews for the two Planes spin-off films that were released in 2013 and 2014. No, it’s not because both were subjected to generally mixed reviews and, from what I’ve read, were initially meant to be direct-to-video releases. It’s just that I wanted to focus solely on the Cars films for today’s post. Plus, the Planes films were not made by Pixar. While they were produced by Pixar’s John Lasseter (director of the first two Cars films) and are considered spin-offs of the Cars franchise, they were instead made by DisneyToon Studios, Disney’s home video division. We’re only talking about Pixar today, folks! Ka-Chow!

CARS (2006)

We start things off, of course, with 2006’s Cars, the film that spawned one of Disney and Pixar’s most successful franchises in terms of its merchandising. However, while it did do fine with critics, it wasn’t considered one of the studio’s best efforts. Thus, it could be argued that this film (and its sequel) basically went on to spawn the internet mindset which argues that if a Pixar film isn’t an outright critically-acclaimed effort (or, as I like to call it, a ‘15/10 masterpiece’), it ain’t worth a damn. Here’s where I disagree with that notion. Yes, I’ll admit that the plot of Cars is a simpler one compared to other Pixar films; in fact, many have pointed out the similarities that it shares with Doc Hollywood, a 1991 film starring Michael J. Fox which has a similar plot. And I’m also well-aware of how quite a few people have questioned the concept and logistics behind a universe in which cars are portrayed as sentient beings without human drivers. But, even with all this in mind, that doesn’t mean that the film doesn’t have any heart because it does. It’s a story about an egotistical celebrity, a racer named Lightning McQueen, who learns to have a greater appreciation for the old-fashioned charm of a simpler lifestyle when he gets stuck in a forgotten town on Route 66 while on the way to a big race. This overall arc that Lightning goes through is well-handled, and the film also does a great job of making the residents of the Route 66 town that he comes to, Radiator Springs, a lovable bunch. Case in point, I dare you not to get even a little bit emotional during the ‘Our Town’ sequence, where we see how Radiator Springs was severely impacted by the development of a nearby interstate that caused a severe blow to their town’s tourism.

These characters are portrayed excellently by a great ensemble cast that includes the likes of Owen Wilson as Lightning, Larry the Cable Guy as Lightning’s dim-witted but loyal best friend Mater the Tow Truck (I know Larry the Cable Guy isn’t the most popular comedian out there, but Mater IS a legitimately lovable supporting character), and the legendary Paul Newman in his final film role* as Radiator Springs’ resident judge/mechanic Doc Hudson, who is revealed to have been a famous racer himself back in the day known as the ‘Hudson Hornet’ before a devastating crash forced him out of the game. This, by the way, also happens to be a retroactively subtle set-up for the events of the new film, which will see Lightning go through the same hardships as his mentor. And, of course, the animation is just as great as you’d expect from a Pixar production. I do love all the ways in which the film reimagines our world through the eyes of cars (e.g. cows are portrayed as tractors (the ‘tractor-tipping’ scene… need I say more?)). So, in short, I’ll admit that my love for this film may partially stem from the fact that it was one of those films that I saw at a young age and then proceeded to re-watch numerous times when I got it on DVD. However, upon this most recent re-watch, I find that I still stand by my overall opinion on this film; that it truly is a worthwhile entry in Pixar’s prestigious filmography and an underrated one at that. No, I’m not saying that it’s one of their absolute best; some parts of it are, admittedly, kind of slow. But at the end of the day, it’s more than enough proof that not every film that Pixar makes needs to be a game-changing masterpiece.

Rating: 4.5/5

(*It’s recently been confirmed that Doc Hudson will appear in Cars 3 via unused audio of Paul Newman taken from this film)

CARS 2 (2011)

And here we are… Cars 2, the film that effectively killed Pixar’s ‘winning streak’ as their first effort that garnered generally negative reviews from critics. Sure, it did solid enough at the box-office and it did continue to impact the franchise’s impressive track record when it comes to merchandise sales. But as for Pixar fans, some felt that this was a betrayal (a criminal offense, even) from the legendary animation company to put out an ‘inferior’ film like this after all that they’ve done. Seriously, I wish that I was kidding about this, but my friend and fellow blogger Kyle Ostrum (kylesanimatedworld.blogspot.com and kylelovesanimationnmore.wordpress.com) has informed me that he once saw comments like that in online forums. Now that I have finally seen this film for the first time ever since I saw it at the Wellfleet Drive-in in Cape Cod back in 2011, what do I think about it now? Well… it’s honestly not THAT bad. Granted, though, it’s far from perfect. Ultimately, the biggest issue with Cars 2 is that the overall narrative is a messy one. The main plot consists of Lightning McQueen participating in a worldwide Grand Prix after he’s challenged by a hot-shot Italian formula racer named Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro). This then leads to him, Mater, and the Radiator Springs crew going on a world tour to spots like Japan, Italy, and London. Now that alone would be a cool idea for a Cars sequel, as it allows us to see this world of cars expanded upon in fascinating ways. But then there’s the other plot of the film, which involves Mater unintentionally getting caught up in the world of espionage when two agents, veteran Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and rookie field agent Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer), confuse him for one of their contacts. This is also a rather cool route for a Cars film to explore. I mean, sure, maybe it’s a bit ‘out there’ given this franchise’s simpler roots, but it does lead to some fun action sequences.

But ultimately, that’s the big problem here… when paired together, these two plotlines don’t properly co-exist. Despite what I said earlier about the World Tour/Grand Prix being the focus of the plot, it’s ultimately the other way around. It’s the spy plot that comes first, basically making Mater the main character of the film. And remember what I said earlier about how not everyone is a fan of Larry the Cable Guy? Well, if you aren’t... then you’re probably not going to like this film for this exact reason. As for me though, as I noted before, I am a fan of Mater the character, so I personally didn’t mind him getting more screen-time in this film. However, this also means that Lightning, AKA the MAIN CHARACTER OF THE SERIES, is relegated to a supporting role along with the other members of the Radiator Springs gang. And yet, based on the film’s teaser trailer, it seemed like Lightning was going to be involved in the spy stuff as well… that’s ultimately not the case here. With that said, though, I do genuinely like the arc that Mater goes through in this film as he tries to prove to everyone that he’s not just some goofball. Plus, the animation is excellent, as one can always expect from Pixar, and the racing scenes are entertaining as are the action sequences involving the spy characters. Thus, in conclusion, Cars 2 seriously isn’t as bad as the internet has consistently put it out to be. I mean, to be fair, if I had to rank this amongst the other films in Pixar’s filmography, it would admittedly be near the bottom of the list… in fact, maybe even the exact bottom. Still, in my book, that’s not too much of a bad thing because I don’t hold Pixar to the same high standards that the internet holds it to. And from what I’ve heard, a lot of this film’s shortcomings were just the result of Pixar being somewhat rushed into getting this film completed. Hopefully, that isn’t the case with Cars 3, which is set to re-embrace the series’ roots.

Rating: 3.5/5

And those are my [potentially controversial] thoughts on the Cars films. Thanks for following along and stay tuned, as a review of Cars 3 will be posted sometime in the next week. Until then…

KA-CHOW!