July 22, 2011
A tyred retread, Cars 2 is only saved by the sterling presence of Sir Michael Caine as spy-car Finn McMissile. But, really, the only person having fun here is director John Lasseter. Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), the super-red sports car from the original Cars is back in the hick town of Radiator Springs. Teaming up with his old friend the rust-bucket tow-truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), the duo are soon off on a four-city caper when McQueen enters the World Grand Prix. But spy-car McMissile mistakes Mater for a secret agent. And so do the villains.
Each Pixar film takes about four years to make. So it’s testament to John Lasseter’s standing as head of Disney-Pixar, that no one told him - over four long years - that Cars 2 was a disaster in the making. Perhaps more than Toy Story, Lasseter loves the Cars franchise. His daddy was a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership “so Cars was very personal to me”. Box office for Cars 1 was lukewarm. But Cars 2 will be lucky to make its money back.
And it needn’t have been so. The ten minute opener as Finn McMissile sneaks - Bond-like - onto an oil-rig, is a high-octane, super-inventive thrill. Indeed McMissile would have made a great film title and a great film. And Lightning McQueen’s cheeky-slick style is well suited to the glitzy panache of Tokyo, Paris and coastal Italy. Sadly, though, Lasseter fills the film with the character of Mater, the irritating, slack-brained, means-well, talking machine.
As the official Cars 2 production notes needlessly say: ‘Lasseter is particularly fond of Mater’. Mr. Pixar gushes: “Mater is such a special character…” No, Mr. Pixar, sir. McQueen is kind of a special character. Finn McMissile is an outstanding character. But Mater is a gab-happy buffoon whose southern-drawl schtick soon grates. He saps the film straight away. In movies, goofy side-kicks only succeed when they stick to the sidelines. Larry the Cable Guy – member of the Blue Collar Comedy group of ‘red-neck’ stand-ups - may be a big star in the States. But it’s lost in translation. And the convoluted plot about petroleum substitutes isn’t easy to follow.
Still, there’s some great voice work in Cars 2. Caine is super-cool. And Emily Mortimer is equally strong as McMissile’s rookie field agent. John Turturro is unrecognisably good as the cocky Italian challenger Francesco. Eddie Izzard and Lewis Hamilton also lend their tonsils. And the film’s action and animation are superbly rendered. Kids looking for colourful stimulation will be fitfully entertained, even if Cars 2 doesn’t live up to its opening promise.
Lasseter loves his spy movies and that gets through to you. But he loves his cars and many famous landmarks are made to look like car parts: but only a real petrol-head would notice. It’s the kind of detail which shows where Cars 2 went wrong. Enthusiastic, colourful and made with real love, it still misfires. Too talky by far – often a blight of American movies – let’s hope Lasseter’s got it out of his system. Bring on Toy Story 4, Ratatouille 2, or McMissile 1. But, please, no more Cars.
Each Pixar film takes about four years to make. So it’s testament to John Lasseter’s standing as head of Disney-Pixar, that no one told him - over four long years - that Cars 2 was a disaster in the making. Perhaps more than Toy Story, Lasseter loves the Cars franchise. His daddy was a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership “so Cars was very personal to me”. Box office for Cars 1 was lukewarm. But Cars 2 will be lucky to make its money back.
And it needn’t have been so. The ten minute opener as Finn McMissile sneaks - Bond-like - onto an oil-rig, is a high-octane, super-inventive thrill. Indeed McMissile would have made a great film title and a great film. And Lightning McQueen’s cheeky-slick style is well suited to the glitzy panache of Tokyo, Paris and coastal Italy. Sadly, though, Lasseter fills the film with the character of Mater, the irritating, slack-brained, means-well, talking machine.
As the official Cars 2 production notes needlessly say: ‘Lasseter is particularly fond of Mater’. Mr. Pixar gushes: “Mater is such a special character…” No, Mr. Pixar, sir. McQueen is kind of a special character. Finn McMissile is an outstanding character. But Mater is a gab-happy buffoon whose southern-drawl schtick soon grates. He saps the film straight away. In movies, goofy side-kicks only succeed when they stick to the sidelines. Larry the Cable Guy – member of the Blue Collar Comedy group of ‘red-neck’ stand-ups - may be a big star in the States. But it’s lost in translation. And the convoluted plot about petroleum substitutes isn’t easy to follow.
Still, there’s some great voice work in Cars 2. Caine is super-cool. And Emily Mortimer is equally strong as McMissile’s rookie field agent. John Turturro is unrecognisably good as the cocky Italian challenger Francesco. Eddie Izzard and Lewis Hamilton also lend their tonsils. And the film’s action and animation are superbly rendered. Kids looking for colourful stimulation will be fitfully entertained, even if Cars 2 doesn’t live up to its opening promise.
Lasseter loves his spy movies and that gets through to you. But he loves his cars and many famous landmarks are made to look like car parts: but only a real petrol-head would notice. It’s the kind of detail which shows where Cars 2 went wrong. Enthusiastic, colourful and made with real love, it still misfires. Too talky by far – often a blight of American movies – let’s hope Lasseter’s got it out of his system. Bring on Toy Story 4, Ratatouille 2, or McMissile 1. But, please, no more Cars.