Cars Review
by Jerry Saravia (faust668 AT msn DOT com)November 22nd, 2006
CARS (2006)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: Two stars
Pixar's latest animated feature, "Cars," is pure automobile nostalgia
or, perhaps, animated automobile porn. If you love cars of all
different sizes and shapes (and trucks too), then "Cars" is the
movie for you. For the rest of us, it is certainly sleek yet overlong
with a flimsy story that feels padded out to two hours. Still, tots
and adults may enjoy it more than I did.
Set in a world populated by cars and trucks only, "Cars" begins
with Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), a bright red
race car whose dream is to win the Piston Cup, the major prize for
winning at NASCAR-type racing. In his latest race, he is tied with
two other formidable competitors, Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton)
and The King (Richard Petty), by literally his tongue on the passing
line. Lightning McQueen is on his way to California for another race
when he is accidentally let loose while sleeping in a truck onto Route
66. He is chased by the police in a virtual ghost town called Radiator
Springs. This town used to be a busy section of a time long forgotten
where all the cars would ride along the main highway for leisure.
Still, the angry judge of this town, Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul
Newman), sentences Lightning to community service - Lightning's
job is to clean up the ripped apart road leading into town.
Meanwhile, Lightning makes fast friends with tow truck Mater (voiced
by Larry the Cable Guy) and Sally (Bonnie Hunt) the Porsche who
has a soft spot for Lightning. We have scenes where sleeping tractors
are tipped over, houseflies are minute cars with wings on them, a
couple of fast-paced racing sequences, a statue of a deceased car,
and much more.
Director John Lasseter and his team of animators have invested a lot
of ingenuity into the visuals and lifelike animation - it is clearly an
astounding technological job. I like some of the personalities of the
cars but, let's be serious for a moment, this movie is monumentally
silly and didactic. And there is only so much I can take of Owen
Wilson's voice, plus Larry "Get 'Er Done" the Cable Guy's voice can
be monotonous. Only Paul Newman comes through with cynicism and
humanity as the Judge that seems to belong to a better movie than
the nostalgic one we are stuck with.
As I've said, kids and adults will probably love it. I am no fan of talking
pigs or animals or cars in general (except for "Watership Down").
But on the Pixar meter of quality animated fare, "Cars" is still far below
"Monsters, Inc.," "The Incredibles" or the "Toy Story" flicks.
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