After 20 something times still can't stop watching!

Rating: 10/10 (24 September 2009)

Cars and racing are really not my favorite subject, and the only reason I (reluctantly) decided to watch Cars was because it was the only Pixar movie I haven't seen, so I just wanted a complete collection. Thank goodness for my obsession with completeness. This movie isn't about cars or racing at all, even if it features both. Of course, there is nothing original in the plot (almost a remake of "Doc Hollywood") or in the concept of a human world populated only by non-humans ("Duck Tales"), or a world of sentient cars ("Transformers"). But the lack of originality is characteristic of every Pixar movie to date, and they always get away with this. But there is one unusual twist this time - the cars don't try to be human! Unlike "WALL-E", "Bugs Life", and many others, it's often difficult to draw parallels between humans and cars. What is a human equivalent of a paint job? Tattoo? Ramone does call it "body art", but they change their colors as easily as clothes. So maybe it's clothing? If so, then rusty cars are naked, but they aren't regarded as such. And many characters seem to retain the same pain job for decades, day and night. So what is a paint job? It's paint job and that's all it is. And what is oil? Mack refers to "oil-thirsty parasites", but the Sheriff goes for a "quart of oil" at Flo's. So which is it, blood or drink? It's both. The moral is - don't try to draw parallels, just enjoy this new world of cars and take it for what it is. The decision to put eyes on the windshield is brilliant! Not because it makes the cars "more expressive", but because it solves a very big problem, which plagues the world of Transformers - why would a car in a world devout of humans even have a windshield? Or doors, or seats, or steering wheels? These cars have none of this. Look closely - we never get a look inside any of the cars. These are truly living Cars, not vehicles made by humans for humans. The final piece that puts it all together is the soundtrack - every song is so catchy it stays in your head, and it flows with the movie. If you need proof that a weak music score can ruin a movie, watch "Harry Potter". I had to watch Cars at least 10 times before noticing that the end of the final race doesn't make much sense and could have been made better (I wouldn't say more so as not to spoil anything), but if it takes that many times to notice that, I guess it's as good as it gets. I don't remember any other movie that was so close to being perfect (despite all the mentioned flaws), so it's 10 hands down.