It has problems, but it delivers an action packed, comedic punch.

Rating: 5/10 (29 June 2011)

his is a sequel to the first film from the masterminds at my favorite animation studio, Pixar. The film has recently been receiving a huge wave of negative criticism, and it's the first Pixar film that has ever received a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
It takes off five years after the events of the first film, with Lightning McQueen (Voiced by Owen Wilson) now a winner of four Piston Cups. So, he is invited to the first annual World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car, and to advertise a new brand of alternative fuel. He invites his friend Mater along, and while Lightning is racing in the tournament, Mater (Voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) gets swept up in a case of international espionage. He's mistaken for an American spy by a sleek, British Intelligence agent named Finn McMissile (Voiced by Michael Caine), and an agent in training named Holley Shiftwell (Voiced by Emily Mortimer), two cars seeking to bring down a plot to take over the world by a league of old fashioned, more broken down cars.
The recent reception mentioned earlier had made me a bit gloomy, as I'd hoped I'd never have to see Pixar make a bad movie. And you know what? While it's worth noting that it's their worst film, and isn't among the ranks of WALL·E, Ratatouille, or Finding Nemo, I was incredibly relieved that, personally, I still haven't had to see Pixar make a bad movie. I think it's just as enjoyable as any of their other movies.
This is Pixar's second stab at a full on, fast paced action film (The first of which was The Incredibles), and the movie is highly gleeful in its 1960's spy movie tone and stylistics. The plot is like an animated twist on a James Bond film, right down to the cool cars and gadgets, international jumping between scenic locations, even the film's villain, Professor Zundapp, delightfully based on the foreign, scientific masterminds of the James Bond series. That, and Finn McMissilie is clearly an homage to Bond, himself.
I do think it slightly lacked the same stellar character development we usually expect from Pixar, and sometimes it feels a little too crowded, but I think Cars 2 has a lot of charming factors that propel it. The action is really exciting, the movie moves briskly, and it's filled with so many hilarious gags. I especially admire the voice-over performances, which also includes the likes of John Turturro, Thomas Kretshmann, Eddie Izzard and Joe Mantegna.
The technical side of the film is also utterly amazing. I need not bring up the animation, as anyone who's ever seen one of Pixar's movies would expect it to be of the highest quality, which it is. The sound design by Tom Myers will surely go down as one of the year's best, and I would be a fool not to mention composer Michael Giacchino's thrilling mixture of John Barry and surf guitar. And while 3D is a polarizing factor for movies, I think it really added to the excitement of this one.
And now, while I go anxiously await Pixar's next feature film, Brave, I'll most likely be back to the cinema once, or even twice more to give Cars 2 some richly deserved business.
I give it *** out of ****