Cars 2

4.5/5

I hold Pixar at an extremely high standard. Since I was a kid, I loved their movies, and as I've grown up I've seen their movies as the wonderful pieces of art that they really are. People often think that I blindly love Pixar without any regard for the film itself. This isn't true. That being said - did this film surpass my Pixar standard? Not quite. It came close to not matching my standard too. But what the film lacks in an original story it makes up for in sheer fun! Cars was a movie I went to expecting to see cars participating in exciting races or something of the like. Instead, we got a Doc Hollywood clone that is, yes, endearing and fun, but not nearly as exciting as I wanted it to be. THIS is what I wanted Cars to be! The spy fights in this film are so fun to watch, i love the gadgets and tools used by the spy characters. I found the characters themselves to be more likable and endearing than they did in the first Cars too. I found the danger to be a bit ridiculous, yes, but at the same time do you really take the villains in other spy thrillers that this movie pays homage to all that seriously? As annoying as he sometimes gets, Mater's character is fun as a lead instead of a supporting character, and the character played by Michael Caine (Finn McMissile) is the kind of secret agent I wanted to be when I was a kid. The races in this were fun, exciting, and got me emotionally involved and excited. To conclude - I don't give a crap what critics might be saying (Roger Ebert loved it, that's all that counts for me) - this is a GREAT, fun, energetic movie with a lot of heart. I will be buying it on DVD when it comes out, and my faith in Pixar is not swayed!

PS- the short before this movie is worth the price of admission, even if you might not like the film. I certainly can't say the film itself is for everyone.