Les Bagnoles 2

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.

This is not the worst movie ever made, contrary to popular belief. It's honestly pretty entertaining.

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.

Sometimes you go to a Pixar movie and get a deeply insightful, heart-tugging classic that sings to the deepest corners of the human condition.

And sometimes you go to a Pixar movie for some uncomplicated fun and adventure.

"Cars 2" is unapologetically the latter; it never reaches the emotional depths of "Up" or "Toy Story 3", but it never tries to be. Instead, this is a family-friendly action-packed adventure movie, the kind of movie you watch because you just want to sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Whether it's the gorgeous scenery, the breakneck chase sequences, or Finn McMissile's never-ending arsenal of cool gadgets, "Cars 2" is a movie that simply wants you to have fun as you follow along with its whirlwind escapades.

Some might feel this is a disappointment from Pixar, but I think that's being unfair -- after all, no one begrudges Steven Spielberg for producing both "Schinder's List" and "Indiana Jones".

"Cars 2" isn't high art, but it never tries to be. Even the best creators deserve to cut back and have fun once in a while.

The saddest thing about Pixar today is, they don't know what movie they are going to release on their 25th Anniversary since one of their upcoming projects "Newt" was cancelled despite from Blue Sky's Rio plot. Cars 2 feels like it's a direct-to-DVD film. It's not really bad but it's just unnecessary. Though, the action is pretty cool. The kids will enjoy it but the rest is like Rango. Instead of Western Themes, it's Spy movies. The story isn't bad except it doesn't give anything emotional and heartwarming unlike the other Pixar movies. Cars 2 is pretty fun but the most important ingredient of their movies is missing.

Firstly, the lead of the film is Mater. The theme of the film is Espionage but it's just some sort of an animated version of a particular spy movie. Everything moves here. There are too many action that any kid can enjoy but the story is probably too interesting for grown ups. If the movie gets focused to the plot, the kids might get bored. The missing Pixar element here is the heartwarming moments. The movie still has a heart but it fails to be compelling. Don't worry about the humor, that is one thing they will never fail. Some of the writing seems rushed.

The voices do what they do best. John Lasseter knows what to do in this movie. The animation is obviously pretty good. The score is a bit generic that you may hear in any movie or television show. The action keeps everything moving. Watching the car fighting scenes is like watching a kid playing his little toy cars and let them do something fun. Which is pretty impressive.

In Pixar, the craftsmanship or the animation doesn't quite matter. It's all about the compelling story and the emotional heartwarming moments. It's hard to say Cars 2 is bad film. Pixar still knows how to make a good movie but without their important elements, it's like you're watching a movie from a different studio. Once again, it's pretty fun but if you expect a lot of Pixar magic then you might get disappointed.