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Cars 2 (2011)

Director: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis

Time Out rating

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6 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

The new ‘Harry Potter’ notwithstanding, this summer’s rash of family blockbusters seems to consist of one substandard sequel after another, all in fuzzy 3D. One was hoping Pixar’s Midas touch would ameliorate the situation with the sequel to its admittedly lacklustre 2006 Hicksville lament ‘Cars’. But, alas, this follow-up – co-directed by head honcho John Lasseter – never really gets into gear. While wee fans of the franchise will doubtlessly revel at the sight of a fleet of new toy cars to pester mummy for, the rest of us can only ponder the reasons behind a premise that mixes ’60s globe-trotting spy-jinks and brash, computer- game-style racing with humdrum messages about the eco virtues of alternative fuels and how important it is to respect the intelligence (or lack of intelligence) of one’s peers.

Much of the story revolves around a stiff-upper-lipped Aston Martin-esque super-spy called Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine), who unearths a fiendish plot to destroy all petrol-driven vehicles. By sheer coincidence, rickety hick pick-up Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) is taken for a fellow agent and unwittingly embroiled in the scenario. And that’s pretty much it.

Pixar’s technical expertise is not in doubt: the animators’ elaborate vistas and extraordinary level of detail is a marvel. But creatively, ‘Cars 2’ is a bit of a scene-hopping mess made worse by dint of a million car chases and hardly any gags. The most obvious weakness is characterisation. Unlike those of, say, ‘Toy Story’, which ooze individuality and make the audience feel emotionally connected, here it’s just a bunch of shiny vehicles that sprout mouths and eyes from out of the blue. As a means to flog merchandise, ‘Cars 2’ ticks all the boxes. But as a character-led film it doesn’t work. Time, perhaps, for the franchise to be towed off to the scrapyard. Sorry, Pixar. A Fan.

Author: Derek Adams

Time Out London Issue 2135: July 21 - 27, 2011

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User reviews of this film

FilmFanNL said...

Posted on Sep 13 2011 21:42 Just OK especially when I saw it during a recent wet & windy afternoon (during the worst Dutch summer in the Netherlands since 1906!): quite funny actually at certain moments especially during the *Japan* scenes for me personally!!!

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R Wright said...

Posted on Aug 28 2011 15:20 The people all commenting here are insane, this film was boring from start to finish and was only made for merchandising purposes. I sincerely hope they all go down the hospital to get treatment for their critical faculties, and they start showing their kids some quality films.. like every other Pixar movie (apart from the original Cars)

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Sarah said...

Posted on Aug 11 2011 19:18 This films was amazing. My 2nd favourite animated film of all time behind the first Cars. My only critism is that they didnt have much of Sally which I found sad because I love her and Lightning Mcqueen's moments. I luv how Mater took over as the main character even though I love Lightning Mcqueen. I would rate this movie 5*!

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janet cooper said...

Posted on Jul 29 2011 23:02 i sat in the cinema expecting the same as in cars, wow was i glad to be disappointed it was none stop action from the moment it started and i couldnt pry my eyes of the screen, although aimed at younger audience's there is definatly a subtle adult under current that should appeal to most adults. the whole room was laughing and gasping, as well as very excited children going "look mum/dad". luckily its fairly loud in there definatly a must see, deserves 4*

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Ric said...

Posted on Jul 29 2011 10:18 Started of pretty bland then got going right through to the end.Yes it had more of everything but that doesnt make it better. I watched the 1st Cars(4 star in my mind) last week again-simple yet brilliant.You can tell car manufacturers queued up to 'plug' their brands-no doubt to fund the movie,However it was nice to see more real world cars in it-I seen my blue Audi TT which was nice :-)
Cars 2 (3 star) good but by no means a failure!

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scrumpyjack said...

Posted on Jul 27 2011 20:15 If this is the worst pixar is going to get we have little to worry about. I was concerned by the running time but need not have been. It's a non stop blast. Fuzzy 3D? B/S! it lifts it into 4* status. Granted, not one adults will want to see again and again but on first viewing, i thought it very good. Pity the grey skied London cliche is present. small gripe, go see - esp. if you have kids (of course)....not a peep out of the ones in my screening. 7+/10

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