Cars 3 - movie review

Cars 3

Plot: Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he's still the best race car in the world.
Cast: Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper
Director: Brian Fee
Certificate: U (very mild threat, language)
Runtime: 1hr 42 mins
Release Date: Friday 14th July 2017

Are you ready guys? Finally, the years of hoping, praying and anticipating are over. The Pixar sequel you have all been waiting has arrived. Is it Toy Story 4? No. Incredibles 2? Not yet. WALL-E 2? No, I have a feeling that was a one story type of film. Up 2? I don't think that's possible. What would it be called? Down? Monsters Inc. 3? Considering we've already seen them working and then at college, I doubt Pixar will be making Monsters Retirement Home. After years and years of millions of people screaming at Pixar to make this film, they have plucked up the courage and made Cars 3!!! Why??? TOYS!!! That is the only reason that we have three Cars films and only one Incredibles as of now. Am I bitter? Not in the slightest...

Have you had an accident at work that wasn't your fault?

To be fair to the Cars franchise, I did start off as a fan. The original Cars movie came out in 2006 and I remember going to see that film as a plucky eight year old and being completely bowled over by it. If memory serves, I think I saw that film four times in the cinemas and saved up the money to buy it when it came on DVD. And much to everyone's surprise, I still feel mostly the same way eleven years later. I understand that I'm in the minority that feel this way and looking back at the film (which I revisited in preparation for Cars 3), it has its fair share of flaws but personally, I can overlook them due to the sheer joy it gives me each and every time. The race sequences are thrilling and exciting, it has some of the best jokes in a Pixar film thanks to a very funny and endearing tow truck named Mater (yes, I like Mater) but most unexpectedly, it has a strong yet understated message of how to appreciate the quieter and more homely things in life. Lightning McQueen's journey is extremely fascinating to watch as are his interactions with the residents of Radiator Springs. They are the ones who make that film as tremendous as I believe it to be. Cars may not be Pixar's best but it has a special place in my heart. Then Cars 2 happened. Yikes. If anything, Cars 2 proved that Pixar can bleed. I didn't hate it as much as everyone else (personally, I think Brave is Pixar's weakest film) but it's unimaginably boring and dull. As great as Mater was in the original, deciding that the sequel would focus on him becoming a spy was the worst decision they could have made. 

No one wanted to be the first to tell him about the mud.

And so now, we reach Cars 3. Immediately, fans of the first Cars that were disappointed by its sequel can find solace in this third installment. I may be wrong but I don't think there is even a single mention of the events from Cars 2. No joke about Mater's time as a spy nor any reference to McQueen competing in the world championship. It seems as if the writers and head honchos at Pixar have just decided to disregard everything about Cars 2 and push it to the side as if it never happened. It's a ballsy move but because Cars 3 reverts back to a focus on racing and brings Lightning McQueen back into the spotlight, it was necessary. As for Cars 3, how is it? Well it's better than Cars 2 but unfortunately, for the handful of you that are diehard Cars fans, this is nothing that remarkable. It's not that this film is bad, far from it. What Cars 3 suffers from is its inability to feel warranted. With such a plethora of films under their belt that have people dying to see sequels for, Pixar had to pull something special out of their bag to make Cars 3 feel necessary. Whilst I didn't leave upset or angry about how Pixar have fluffed up again, Cars 3 did make me feel extremely underwhelmed. To sum it up perfectly, Cars 3 is nothing special but there isn't anything especially wrong with it either. It just isn't as good as we've seen Pixar do before. The funny thing is, because it's Pixar, we have this perception that every film they release will be ground-breaking. If Cars 3 were released by DreamWorks or other animation companies, I don't think the backlash will be as extreme. It's only because it's Pixar that so many people complain because we know they can do better. With all of that being said, Cars 3 is a more than watchable film. Out of the two animated threequels currently in cinemas (Despicable Me 3), Cars 3 is the one I would recommend.

Do these cars have to take out life or car insurance?

FACT: The pizza planet truck makes an appearance during the demolition scenes.

Beginning with some positives, Cars 3 is undeniably a phenomenally animated venture. From the detail of the track, the design of the cars (both inside and out) and the luscious landscapes that we see McQueen and his entourage drive through, Pixar has never failed to produce a stunning film no matter if it's lacking in substance. Cars 3 may be it's most technical and lifelike animation yet. There is also the fact that Cars 3 has steered well clear from the spy aspect and gone back to what made this franchise so popular in the first place; racing. Watching McQueen swerve and speed around the NASCAR track reminded me of why I love the first Cars film. It's also refreshing to see some new faces pop up that McQueen encounters on his journey. The most important is Cruz, McQueen's new training partner who harbours some dreams herself but whilst the film is aiming to build Cruz up to be your new favourite character, I was intrigued with Armie Hammer's Jackson Storm, a new rival for McQueen. Storm's approach to racing and his competitiveness with McQueen was interesting to watch. Unfortunately, the film doesn't focus on Storm anywhere near the level that it should considering that the trailers have billed it as a big 1V1 match. Instead of a wannabe Rocky movie, Cars 3 becomes a road trip with McQueen and Cruz trying to find the true reason and motive to race. It poses the question of knowing when it's time to say that enough is enough and allow yourself to adapt to change. Well, at least that's what I thought the film was going for. The message is very unclear here as to what the writers were aiming for. Clearly they have a passion for good old fashioned racing but for a film that is suggesting that it's OK to embrace change, the viewpoint on the use of technology in racing and how it's ruining the sport is almost hypocritical. Imagine two senile gentlemen sitting back in their rocking chair, reminiscing over the good ol' days and complaining how technology is ruining everything just because they can't use a mobile phone properly. That's how I envision Cars 3 being made. Halfway through the film, it feels like the script completely clashed in how they would approach this change and the overall consensus was to forget about it entirely, move on and hope the audience didn't notice. 

They even have the Grand Theft Auto games in the Cars universe.

Another problem Cars 3 ran into was the joy that made the first so special. Radiator Springs and its residents are a huge component to the Cars world and whenever time is spent there, it brings a warm and fuzzy feeling to one's heart. Unfortunately, similar to the sequel, our time spent with the Radiator Springs folk is ridiculously brief. I understand that Mater isn't for everyone but for him to be reduced to about five minutes of screentime is blasphemous. You can't just pussy out with a character just because some people don't like him. Listen to the criticism and work on it rather than chuck him to the back of the heap and hope no one notices. And finally, Cars 3 plays out very similar, in tone and plot, to the first Cars. Now, I understand that Cars 2 was not a success at all but at least it tried something different. All of the other negatives about Cars 3 are fairly minor because there is redemption to be found in the heartfelt characters, the state-of-the-art animation and the exhilarating races. Sadly, one issue that cannot be redeemed by the positives is how much this is a beat-for-beat copy of the first Cars. McQueen is now the veteran racer (like The King). Jackson Storm is the main source of competition (like Chick Hicks). Cruz is the possible rookie that might steal it from the professionals (like the 2006 McQueen). Ultimately, what we have here is just a re-jigged version of the original Cars. Basically, add in a few deleted scenes and an alternate ending and someone could mistake this for the first film. In all honesty, if I wanted to watch a film along the lines of the first Cars film, I'd just watch the first Cars film. It's as simple as that.

What's the secret to Jackson Storm's success? Gran Turismo. Lots and lots of Gran Turismo.

To be clear, this film isn't bad. There is more than enough solace in the newbies, seeing old faces return, the animation and races. Each of those still retain the elements that made the first so memorable. Unfortunately, what Cars 3 fails to do is bring anything new to the table and because of that, lacks a reason for even existing. McQueen is always fun to see but I can live with just one Cars film. If anything, these sequels are just forgettable.

My Verdict: 6/10

What did you think of Cars 3? Which of the Cars films is your favourite? Sound off in the comments below.

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