Cars 2

We all know that Pixar makes incredible movies, I personally have never disliked a Pixar film. The first "Cars" film, was a great movie, not a perfect film. It was one of the least better films, Pixar has made, but that's like saying, Insomnia was one of Christopher Nolan's worst films. I had high expectations when coming to see the film, like I always have before I see a Pixar film.

After my viewing of the film, I have to say Pixar never fails to produce a great, entertaining film. Although it doesn't reach the heights of Wall-E, Toy Story 3, etc. It still stands by itself pretty high up there. The animation is extremely well done, the look of the film is amazing. The voice actors are great, I miss Paul Newman though. Although the film is not perfect. The movie is not perfect though, the story is not great, but not bad, the movie does not have the emotional as other Pixar films, but it is definitely not a heartless film. But the film is definitely entertaining and a great beginning to 2011 Summer movie season. Take your whole family to see this movie, it will probably not disappoint. It will not only satisfy kids, but also the adults, this film is for everyone. Fun for kids, but the adults can also connect with it and will have a great time watching this movie in theaters. It is quite an adventure and I will be glad to give it a second viewing.

The best of Pixar's films have protagonists who are a small part of a very large world and are almost helpless against incredible odds - Toy Story, Wall-E, Finding Nemo etc. The protagonists of Cars are very big in a very small world, so do not play to the strengths of Pixar.

However, being Pixar, they still make these films better than anyone else would have with the same material. Cars and Cars 2 are intelligently written and filled with more detail than you could comfortably fit into a single screening.

This movie is not so much a sequel to the first as an affectionate James Bond parody that happens to be set in the Cars universe. Whereas the original Cars was thematically slow and patient, this one deliberately takes things in the exact opposite direction. Whether anyone will prefer the first film or the second is entirely their preference, and it is wrong to say that one is better than the other. Each film has its own appeals and drawbacks.

The main weakness of this film is a failure to create any kind of sympathy for the characters. They are not alone, they are not lost, they have friends and allies and the resources to get out of any situation. It never feels like there is any real danger, as there is with the Toy Story films. Whereas the first film had enough focus on character development to compensate for this, the subplot about the tested friendship between McQueen and Mater seems especially insubstantial here.

Nevertheless, I feel like this is an enjoyable installment in the franchise, never letting your attention wander and always ready with a clever idea. They have demonstrated that they are willing to go in entirely new directions with this world - maybe if they make a third film, they can make something truly worthy of the Pixar name?

If I were rating this in comparison to other Pixar films, my score would be lower... but scoring this as a film on its own, I think it is deserving of between five and seven stars.

Cars 2 The sequel to Pixar's success movie about one car's journey to achieve his dreams follows the same premise; however it's Mater turn in the fast lane, this time. When Lightning McQueen brings his best friend along to a world cup racing championship, based in Tokyo, Mater finds himself caught up in serious matters concerning spy cars and terrorism on an international level. What turns out to be a series of potentially deadly situations throws Mater into a fast-paced world of secrecy, gadgets, guns, disguises and heroics. It's James Bond meets the original Cars, in this film packed with racing, romance and rendezvous. A fun flick for the whole family to enjoy!

Espionage, assassinations, sabotage of renewable energy, propaganda, corporate cover-ups, media manipulation and The Mob...

James Bond? Nope. Jason Bourne? Nope.

Disney/Pixar's CARS 2. Wow. This movie wasn't at all what I was expecting. In the second serving of Lightning McQueen and his pals, they take their show to the international stage in a world championship race-off sponsored by oil-alternative manufacturer, Allinol. But turmoil behind the scenes pulls the gang into a world of spies, the Mob, Big Oil, evil German scientists and hit men. Now they have to save the world before it's too late. Oh, and they race too. The animation is amazing. Water, large balloons, backgrounds during races...pay attention because the quality of the graphics in this one are world-class. There are some goofy, funny moments and some nice one- liners for the older crowd. The themes of being true to yourself and bonds of friendship run strong throughout this film but it's the remainder of the message that worried me. There were non-stop put downs throughout and some other questionable topics. I was beginning to question the G rating when the villain ordered his henchmen to "kill" several other cars. Thinking back to the innocence and the good spirit of the first movie, I began to wonder how we got from there to here. Adventures in racing take a back-seat to the more mature plot of an espionage thriller. Looking around the theater, I could tell that kids younger than 4 or 5 were beginning to get lost. Even my ten-year-old had a hard time understanding the socio-political messages. On top of all that, I'd be willing to bet that Cars 2 is a contender for most guns, explosions and bullets fired in a G-Rated movie. This movie had much more violence than the first one.

Aside from the appropriateness of the movie, it wasn't bad. All the likable characters from the first movie were back with bigger roles like 'Mater & Luigi and there were many new characters added that also brought their own personalities into the mix. To me, this was an espionage-thriller so the added bonus of some comedy made the movie move right along at a good pace.

It was engaging for me, I enjoyed it, but the entire time I couldn't help but wonder why Disney/Pixar chose to tell this story through a kids movie.

I know I'm WAY late on this by over a year. Overall I liked it. Loved a lot of the new characters, especially Finn McMissile and the arrogant Italian car guy (whatever his name was). Liked Raoue Carole as well. I just had two major pet peeves with it: it focused on Mater. Mater already had his own little spin-off of "Mater's Tall Tales" which I love. A movie centered on him just didn't do it for me. Had it been on Lightning (like the first one) or any other character I would have been okay. It may have to do with the fact that I'm no Mater fan. My second beef was Doc Hudson wasn't in it. I know why, I understand wanting to honor Paul Newman (whom I adored), hate to sound callous, but the show goes on. If he ended up with a different voice then so be it. Better yet, he could have been in it for a few seconds, and just not say anything at all. Fillmore's voice actor passed and he was still in it so to me there was no excuse not to have Doc in it. My two cents, of course.