Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
I've long believed that CARS has long been held as the weakest of the Pixar offerings because it has the broadest appeal and seems more squarely aimed at younger viewers than any of the other works. Beyond that, it's also the one that seems the most "red state," featuring an abundance of racing and core messages about homespun values as seen from the vantage point of Smalltown USA. Those of us who adore what Pixar does in terms of innovation and not always casting the most obvious voice talent for its movies seemed to flat out reject the presence of Larry the Cable Guy's tow truck character Mater, perhaps the broadest stroke in the Pixar character army.
But for reasons that most cannot understand, Mater has grown into his own franchise to the point where he even got a DVD of shorts based on his silly adventures. I'll admit, it's strange to see the focus shift in CARS 2 from race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) to Mater. While the film pretends to be about a fracture in the friendship between McQueen and Mater, what this really means is that they don't spend a lot of time on screen together. Shifting the setting in the sequel away from Radiator Springs and most of the characters based there (including those voiced by Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, and others) was probably a wise decision on the part of directors John Lasseter and Brad Lewis and screenwriter Ben Queen, and it gives the filmmakers a chance to explore the rest of this auto-controlled planet.
The plot this time around involves Lightning and Mater hitting the road as part of the three-race World Grand Prix, run in Japan, Italy and London, which is mean to promote the use of a clean alternative fuel designed by Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard). But an evil consortium of "lemon" cars is determined to stop Axlerod and the racers using his fuel by means of a ray gun that someone reacts with the new fuel to make engines explode. Yes, folks, there is a great deal of car death in this movie, and I'll admit, that's kind of weird. Meanwhile, McQueen gets into a little friendly adversarial back and forth with Italian racing champion Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro), while Mater is mistaken for an American spy by British agents Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell (Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer), who are trying to stop the lemons and their leader Professor Z (Thomas Kretschmann) from ruining the races.
In case you were wondering, yes, Finn McMissile is the greatest character ever created for this franchise, and Caine finally gets a shot at doing his best James Bond characterization. Finn has gadgets and weapons in every corner of his sleek frame, and in many ways, he seems designed specifically for older audiences, as he represents the most adult-acting character in the film. Holley is the classic desk jockey-turned-field-agent, and she too has a few tricks up her rims, many having to do with getting Mater to work with them. Mater thinks she just wants a date, and by the end of the film, he must come to terms with the fact that many see him as a buffoon. It seems a little heavy handed for a kids film, but it's one of the few aspects of Mater's character that didn't annoy the bejesus out of me.
What truly floored me about CARS 2 were the cityscapes for the three main city locations. The production design and photorealistic views of Tokyo, London, and the Italian seaside is breathtaking, and as with the first CARS, the races are spectacularly rendered. And I have to admit, pretty much all of the material with Finn and Holley is great stuff, both in terms of creativity and the visuals. But what is sacrificed is the presence of Lightning McQueen (outside of the racing scenes), which isn't necessarily a bad thing. In Cars, the relationship with Lightning and Doc (Paul Newman, who for obvious reasons isn't in this film) was the heart and soul of that film. Lightning and Mater's friendship doesn't hold a candle to that, and so less Lightning didn't bother me.
When all is said and done, CARS 2 is better than its predecessor by a fender's length. Turturro's borderline stereotype Italian accent is actually very funny. And hearing Vanessa Redgrave as the Queen of England is kind of inspired. The vocal cast is hit and miss, with talent like Jeff Garlin, Franco Nero, Jason Isaacs, Paul Dooley, Edie McClurg, Richard Kind , Katherine Helmond, John Ratzenberger, and Bruce Campbell (who gets in quite a few choice zingers) rounding out the voices. At times, the film feels a bit cramped with characters, especially when the Radiator Springs crew is brought back in late in the film, but there's enough awe-inspiring animation and solid spy story to keep things moving and exciting. I will admit, there's a dopey twist about the villain behind the scheme to destroy Axlerod's fuel that you'd have to be an idiot not to see coming, but that's a minor complaint.
The overhauled CARS 2 is a much-improved version of what we got several years ago from the first film, and it's good to know that even weak Pixar is better than most animated offerings in a given year. As it should be, the 3D is fantastic in the brightly-lit sections of the movie (which is most of them). I may be on the verge of a coronary when it comes to 3D in live-action movies, but it still looks great in animated works, especially in films by the perfection-minded wizards of Pixar.
Just to by crystal clear, I'm in no way torn about my feelings on CARS 2. It's a step up from CARS, and I think you'll all agree. But there's still something empty about it, despite its eye-melting visuals. And I'm happy that the filmmakers actually give us a few extra seconds to soak in the work that they've accomplished to make their film so stunning. A lot of animated films force us to fly from set piece to set piece, without giving us a real chance to take in the scenery. I dare you to take in the sweeping Italian vista that serves as the opening to that section of the film and not go "Wow!" There's quite a lot to like about CARS 2, and fortunately much of it has to do with what was missing from CARS. It's still doesn't contain the emotional punch of a WALL-E or UP, but they can't all be that compelling as much as we'd like them to be.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
Follow Me On Twitter
