An enjoyable, if uneven, ride

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 2011)

It seems cliché nowadays to critique Pixar's work by comparing it to their previous resume, but at a certain point, it is unavoidable. After two decades of churning out successful, critically acclaimed films, Pixar's name has become synonymous with quality animation, making them almost indisputably the most trustworthy studio in Hollywood. However, such a lofty reputation elicits even loftier standards. Considering the fact that general consensus has established that Cars is Pixar's worst film (meaning it is only very good instead of spectacular), it is no surprise that the release of that movie's sequel was met with comparatively low expectations. I'll be the first to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the first Cars and find its status undeserved (both Monsters, Inc. and A Bug's Life are mediocre, in my humble opinion), so I prayed that Cars 2 would surprise everyone by continuing Pixar's streak – and besides, at least at the time, a spy movie with cars seemed kind of genius. Did they deliver on this promise? Not quite. What I got was a jumbled yet consistently entertaining combination between a winking homage to old-timey espionage thrillers and a kid-friendly tale about animated cars. And hey: if nothing else, it looked stunning.
I'll start with what worked. Of course, the visuals were absolutely gorgeous, even for Pixar. The various landscapes (our protagonists jumped all across the globe, stopping by Tokyo, Paris, Italy and London, among other exotic locales) leapt off the screen, alive with color and detail, making the action scenes especially vivid, and I'll never cease to be amazed by Pixar's ability to give inanimate objects such as cars and toys seemingly genuine emotion. I might even venture to say that Cars 2 is Pixar's most aesthetically impressive project to date, except for, perhaps, Wall-E. Also as expected, the voice talent is impeccable. The entire main cast from the first Cars is present, excluding, of course, the late Paul Newman, and as before they all blend nicely into their characters, but of the newcomers, Michael Caine (appropriately suave as the British spy car, Finn McMissile) is the standout. While not quite as noteworthy, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard and John Turturro provide adequate support. Both of these elements combined with frequently sharp dialogue to lend unexpected verve to the proceedings. There is not a dull moment throughout, and as a fan of genre movies, I particularly appreciated the homage to classic spy films, which was not only clever and audacious but also, for the most part, well-executed.
The part that didn't work so well, however, was the sequel. After the Toy Story sequels, Pixar proved that they are fully capable of successfully giving new depth to old plot lines and characters, but the lighthearted story about friendship established by Cars does not mesh well with the more sleek, high-octane concept of Cars 2, resulting in a movie that feels erratic and confused. The leap from Radiator Springs to Europe and Asia is jarring, and the genre-blending at which Pixar usually excels instead comes off as clumsy, much as it did in Wall-E (which many critics adored but I found well-intentioned and visually breathtaking yet ultimately flawed). Much of the problem lies with the ill-advised decision to take Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen out of the spotlight and replace him with Larry the Cable Guy's Mater. In the first Cars, Mater provided a likable, energetic counterpart to the more self-serious Lightning McQueen, but as the central character, he is uninteresting and even, at times, irritating; the audience sympathizes with him but doesn't really root for him. As a result, despite some attempts at a rather muddled and erroneous message about staying true to yourself (apparently regardless of standard rules of courtesy), Cars 2 lacks what makes most Pixar movies stand out: heart. You never get the sense that Mater – or any of the characters, for that matter – is going to change by the end, so, really, what's the point?