My Review: ⭐⭐ So, it was the Saturday before the trip and my sister decided to watch a movie. She chose Cars 2, and I thought “Hey, that’s kinda cool, I remember watching that movie several times as a kid.” So, I’m a little jazzed, I love revisiting nostalgia. And then the film begins and the first 20 or so minutes go by. It’s then I realize, Cars 2 is actually kinda bad. Look, I wanted to like the film. The original Cars was a great movie, and despite what some reviewers said, it’s just as inspired as other Pixar films like Toy Story or Incredibles or Finding Nemo. But Cars 2 is an example of a really bad sequel. If it was its own film, perhaps I would be swayed towards 3 stars, it could potentially deserve that. But being a movie that follows a Pixar classic, Cars 2 has no leg to stand on – aside from some generic, cookie-cutter, pop culture-reliant fluff that comprises most of the film. First of all, let me tell you what I DID like. The actors – like always with Pixar films – did a fantastic job. Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Eddie Izzard, Micheal Caine – these are people who are connoisseurs with their voice. They’re entertaining and worth listening to; they even make the movie somewhat worth watching. In addition, the music and visual aspect of the movie is actually impressive. For a 2011 movie, I was blown away at the skill and attention to detail. The film looks nice and it’s a partial treat to look at, especially the scenes in the city. And for a movie that borrows from James Bond, it does so faithfully. Much homage is donated to the cause of spy movies, but Cars 2 successfully creates a reminiscence of the Bond movies that many of us know and love. There’s action, violence, intrigue, gadgets, the whole kit and caboodle. Had the film not focused on anthropomorphic cars, perhaps the plot could have been fashioned for an actual average Bond movie. However, this aspect of the movie is its very downfall. By substituting a passable sequel with a genre change (in this case, to a blend of the sports genre with the spy films), the entire tone carried over by the previous film is subverted and ruined. In other words, by abandoning a focus on races and Radiator Springs in favor of espionage and Europe, the entire charm of Cars is lost. It is a terrible sequel that loses the motivations and quirkiness of the original. Second, the dialogue is poorly crafted. The characters do not feel like themselves and some scenes are just painful to watch. Likewise, the plot has little to offer beyond a vague conspiracy-theory-addled vendetta against oil companies masking greed with ill-intended “environmentalism”? To be honest, I’m trying to understand what the theme was other than the all-too-generic “friendship solves everything, including the reason for this movie’s existence.” After all, this is most definitely a film that sacrifices content for presentation; that is, it has lots of explosions and action and wit that is sure to appeal to the younger and more simple-minded audiences, but leaves nothing profound for filmgoers to enjoy. At least Cars could highlight the emptiness of winning at all costs versus the value of relationships, a theme that is much more developed that the drivel presented in this film. And finally, this movie was rated G yet had lots of content aimed at a PG audience. For example, there was the infamous torture scene that stirred some controversy at the movies release. Like the Bond films, several henchman cars are dispatched in stylish fashion, but to maintain the G rating seems to be a stretch. In conclusion, this is a film that isn’t completely awful per se, but it completely fails as a sequel. I only recommend a watch if you really really really enjoyed Cars. In fact, I may suggest watching Cars 3 instead, it’s a better film than this. What I watched it on: DVD Other critics: Rotten Tomatoes: 39% Metacritic: 57, "mixed or average reviews"
"Tow Mater. Average intelligence." One of the only things that made me almost laugh. More reviews coming soon! #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2 #movie #review #film #critic #shadow #shadowsight #cars #2
