Carl the Critic: Reviews "Cars 2"

Experience/Expectations: People who often read my reviews have come to know and understand my feelings towards Pixar movies. To Pixar's face I smile, shake his hand, and offer to help him if he ever need it, and then behind his back I'm throwing my darts at a dart board with a picture of his face on it. I don't really hate Pixar, after making some of my favorite animated movies ever made, but I admit I secretly wanted "How to Train Your Dragon" to win the Oscar ^TM to win last year because I felt that was a better movie, but what ever it's just a kids film, we played the cards we're dealt. But now "Cars 2" will need a miracle in order to be nominated for an Oscar ^TM, because it is the weakest Pixar movie ever made to date, (which many will take to mean that it was "good" instead of "SO FREAKEN AMAZING!!!!!"). Having said that let's get to the story!

Story: In this movie, Mater is the main focus as he travels with his best friend Lightning McQueen to Japan, Italy, and England. You see, Mater had unwittingly entered McQueen into a Grand Prix to prove to an arrogant Italian Race Car that McQueen is the best race car in the world. As the two friends go to Japan to race, Mater is unwittingly mistaken for a clever American spy by two British Secret Agent cars.

You see there is a plot to make a fuel called Allinol, which is an alternative fuel to gasoline, very inefficient, and potentially deadly to anyone who uses it. The villains are a bunch of "lemon cars" such as Gremlins and Pacers, who are very resentful towards the more popular cars. There is an evil antagonist who is not revealed until the very end, but it is up to Mater to help uncover who it is, and he must save his friend lightning McQueen from being killed. (See More in SPOILERS).

Critique: "Cars" is arguably the weakest movie franchise out right now, but I admit I still had some fun with the film. But unlike "Toy Story 3", or "Finding Nemo", "Cars" has a lot of things that made me think about while watching it. For example, there are Oil Reserves, Buildings, Bathrooms, Restaurants, and Bars, and yet no people, which for me I wonder things like how can a car work at an Oil Reserve? Why do they need to use the bathroom? Do they really eat Ice Cream? Do they live in buildings that are not Garages? But these are things that one shouldn't really think about when they watch a movie like "Cars 2" but I felt that it had the same problem as "Gnomeo and Juliette" where the things that happen in the movie are hard to take seriously because we can not imagine our cars going to the bathroom.

The fact that Mater is now the focus of the story is not exactly a bad thing, but the fact that they rewrote his characteristics as a bumbling idiot, and an adequate spy seems to be something that was inspired by a dull brainstorming meeting. But what really baffles me is the fact that the British Spies really think for the longest time that Mater is an expert spy, because he looks like crap. I would think that the fact that he looks like crap would be a good reason to suspect otherwise. And then after Mater tries to explain this to the British Cars, it isn't until they are about to get killed by a giant clock that they realize "I think he is being serious."

I am starting to get convinced that animations are getting more and more violent. This is proven in "Cars 2" when we see Cars explode and die right before our very eyes. Cars can also shoot guns, activate bombs, and create complex guns that look like cameras that work in a very complex way that.

But there are some amazing images, the animation is beautiful, the music is great, some clever dialogue through out the movie, and there's a good message about friendship and the environment. My problems with the film are not as big of a deal as I make them out to be but I do feel like this movie is made for John Lasseter's sake rather than for the audience's sake. Hopefully John Lasseter realizes that, "you know what, maybe someone else should get the Oscar ^TM this year." Because although it is a beautiful looking film, the story seems to lack a little. Especially since it is the most predictable story Pixar has ever made.

Overall: So with all of what I have said in mind I give "Cars 2" a 7.3 out of 10.

Spoilers: If you don't want to see "Cars 2" but still want to know who is the evil car behind the killings, then I have the answer for you:

- The Grand Prix is run by a car named Sir Miles Axelrod, who is "trying to create an alternative source of fuel", but really he is trying to make everyone use gasoline instead. Although little kids will be shocked to learn the truth, for anyone over the age of 6 it's really something that can be predicted as soon as he is introduced.