My 'Cars' Review

[irishjayhawk]

Pixar, recently acquired by Disney - for the better or the worse it remains to be seen - releases Cars this week. Cars follows the line of Pixar animated flicks including Toy Story, Monster's Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. So before watching this movie, it was safe to say I was quite optimistic.

In any case, my theatre got in a print of Cars for a screening on Saturday. I stayed on Friday night to watch the film. And without further ado, continue reading my review.



Pixar's 'Cars' was greeted with animosity as the next film in the great line of Pixar animated films. Despite the seemingly boring premise, 'Cars' didn't seem too afraid to advertise. Of course, this movie didn't seem to get quite the hype or anticipation that Nemo and The Incredibles did. Perhaps it was lack of big name voices. Whatever the case, 'Cars' simply didn't have the anticipation of Pixars previous films.

Voice wise, the cast is damn good. Name wise, the cast seems lacking. Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt and Larry the Cable Guy form the center fold of the cast. Additional voices include George Carlin, Cheech Marin, and Michael Keaton. The core cast is mostly formed by established actors, with the notable exception of Larry the Cable Guy who is on his way up. Both Nemo and The Incredibles had bigger named stars for the time period. This could be one of the main reasons behind some of the skepticism. Though the movie quickly puts those skepticisms and skeptics to bed. It was well casted and well performed. Admittedly, I was able to pick out Cheech's voice but I wasn't able to name Carlin, despite being a big fan.

Boy, was I a big fan of the animation. The animation was simply amazing at some points. I will offer one disclaimer in that it was just cars as opposed to fish or humans, like Nemo and Incredibles, respectively, but I digress. I can't say much more about the visuals without going into a mind numbingly boring paragraph, so I will leave it at: Damn. Good. Visuals. Simply Spectacular.

Now, I may get some flack here, but the plot seemed to be written more for an adult than a child. I should rephrase. The plot was written for kids but the dialogue was more suited for adults. While the kids will enjoy the animation aspect, along with the family themes, it is the adults who will respect the dialogue more. Gone are the kid oriented lines and instead replaced by the numerous themes. Hell, there are probably as many themes in this film as there are bumper stickers on the antagonists' green car in the film. Wilson and Hunt offer some good one on one scenes that the adults will relate to more so than the kids. Presumably, the kids will like Larry the Cable Guy's Mater the best, and without good reason. Laughs seemed few and far between. However, it seems this may be because of the comparison to Pixar's last two films. The credits are probably the funniest segment of the movie, and will guarantee a laugh or two.

The soundtrack was pretty good and had some songs I'm going to have to look up. Since there's not much original score, there isn't much to talk about here.

Overall, the movie works on many levels. It appeals to kids in the way kids like movies. It also is written at a level where adults will enjoy it, rather than being forced into the "I'm being dragged here." mantra. Thus, it's a very carefully balanced film that is accentuated by the cast and animation. Admittedly, however, this film is not up to par with the last two. I proclaim it the worst of the last three, but definitely not a bomb. In fact, I still maintain the position that Pixar has yet to do a bad film. Hurray for Dixar/Pixney!

Bottom-line: Go see it, especially with kids.
DVD Bottom-line: The kids will probably want to own this one, but I don't think it fits with Toy Story, Nemo and the Incredibles as a must own.
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars.


For what it's worth, just like my X3 review. I'd just like to point out that I usually post them on my website pixelpolarity.com - here just for a shameless plug.