My Beef With "Cars 2"

Rather than put forth a typical review for Cars 2, I'm opting for something a little different. Mostly because I don't feel like going into extreme detail about the film, but I still wanted to let out my anger at why it's such a horrific failure. I'm no huge fan of Cars, but it does have its considerable moments, and I hoped that that might be the stem that John Lasseter was drawing from for the sequel. The thing is, this is a complete and total betrayal of what the first film meant, and perhaps of what this particular series is about.

They could've gone a considerable amount of routes for this sequel, continuing the story from the first film with an emotional tie to continuing the arc of these characters. Unfortunately, Cars 2 wasn't a continuation of anything so much as a rehash of characters and situations. As is the foil of a great many Pixar films, it does a complete 180 and makes it an action spectacle. This isn't just placing an action plot at the end of the film to enhance the already laid out story, much like WALL-E or Up. This is a full fledged action spy film.

Every line that is delivered drops like a ton of bricks, being too obvious and self-indulgent to take seriously. I didn't care about the characters of McQueen or Mater, and I still don't. If I were to make a list of the absolutely worst Pixar characters, they'd land somewhere on that list. Paul Newman's death was bound to make an impression on the plot, but it's a side note rather than an emotionally resonating plot point that enhances the characters' viewpoints on the world. Wasted potential is a word I use quite often in these cases.

Theatrical Trailer: "Cars 2"

Across the past few months, I've gradually come to grips with the fact that this is not a good year for Pixar. If you're familiar with the site, you'll know that every single bit of new footage has painted this film as stupid, corny, and actually useless. Cars 2 has abandoned some of the deeper themes that made the first film something of a success, even if it is widely known as the worst in the Pixar catalog. And yet, this trailer forced me to ease up on the hatred a bit, because all of the stupidity and foolishness that Mater's been up to has actually been worked into the plot. There's the bitter truth to the fact that Mater is dumb, and if Pixar has realized that flaw, all the nonsense could just be seen as them embracing it. Is the film suddenly on the top of my list? Of course not, because that song slapped on the end of the trailer is just atrocious. That being said, I've gone from not wanting anything to do with this film to actually being willing to see it.

Theatrical Trailer: Cars 2

Three trailers in, and there's still no real sign of hope for Pixar's next film, Cars 2. I've really said all I can say about this film already, and not much has changed. This isn't anything new, nor is there much chance of it being emotionally effective. Still, I hold out hope because it features the voice of Michael Caine and the music of Michael Giacchino. Prospects are bleak.