Surprisingly better than the original

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2011)

I didn't like Cars. There, I said it. Go ahead and throw your tomatoes at me. So I didn't go see Cars 2 in theaters because I didn't think I would like it either. But then I finally decided, once it was released on DVD, to give it a try.
Now, I don't regret not seeing it in theaters because I wouldn't put it on my list of favorite Pixar movies. But I liked it much better than Cars. Now I will admit, The Incredibles is my favorite Pixar movie and it's pretty violent (but by action movie standards, it's relatively tame). But I actually thought Cars 2 was more violent and I was pretty surprised at the death toll. In fact, I'd have given it a PG rating as well. But while Cars didn't make me laugh at all, Cars 2 made me laugh a few times. Mater definitely held the movie together while McQueen who, in my opinion, is the more boring character is just supporting.
Actually, I guess what I'm saying is that if you didn't like Cars, you'll probably like Cars 2. And I find it kind of funny that the percentage of critics who gave Cars 2 a bad rating is almost equal to the percentage of critics who gave Cars a good one. Coincidence? Probably. But I think that if Cars didn't do anything for you, Cars 2 just might.