It's good... but not great...

Rating: 7/10 (26 December 2010)

I have seen this film a couple of times now and, I have to admit, I didn't like it much at first, but after a second viewing, it's starting to grow on me a little. Made by Pixar, who have made some brilliant animated features, I expected something of a higher standard, but having said that, it's not all that bad. But more of my thoughts later, here's a brief summary first (summary haters please re-surface Main Street while I write the next paragraph).
Lightning McQueen is a race car; he is an up-and-coming star and has qualified for a race-off in California for the Piston Cup. Loaded onto his transporter, Mack, he sets off for the long trip dreaming of victory. An accident leaves him lost in the desert and he finds himself in the little town of Radiator Springs. Sentenced to re-surface Main Street, which he inadvertently destroyed, McQueen is not happy and, at first, tries to escape. When this fails, he begins to accept his fate and, with the help of his new friends, Doc Hudson, Sally Carrera, Mater, and many others, he discovers that friends are more important than ambition. I won't tell you how it ends, but they are making a sequel.
Technically, of course, I can't fault this one, the animation is spot-on. The story telling, well, it does get a bit baggy in the middle, but there is a rather good ending which I found, after a second viewing, partly makes up for it. The performances were OK too, but nothing particularly special. Honourable mentions go to; Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, Paul Newman as Doc Hudson, Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera and not forgetting Larry The Cable Guy as Mater.
I guess this is one of those 'almost, but not quite' movies that you'll come back to several times hoping it will be better. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but not quite up to the high standard I'd expect from Pixar. I guess they set the bar very high with the Toy Story trilogy. So, over all, although it's not as good as the other Pixar films (IMO), it's still perfectly watchable and so Recommended.
My score: 7.1/10