I took The Boy (4) to see Cars 2 on a Thursday matinee just before the schools let out for summer. His big sister was at school, enjoying her final day of Grade One. The Boy has been dying to see Cars 2 ever since the first teaser came out over a year ago – a LOOOOOONG time in pre-school land. Or adult land, for that matter!
It was a perfect time to see Cars 2. We literally had the theatre all to ourselves! It was a private screening. That made the movie experience stress-free. No worrying about shushing or a fidgety kid.
This how The Boy summed up the movie:
“It was a bad movie with lots of bad guy parts.”
I asked if he would see it again.
“Yes.”
What did you like best?
“I liked the racing parts. I didn’t like the bad guy parts.”
Simple. To the point. And my thoughts exactly.
I’ve been wrestling with this post for a bit. It’s been almost two weeks since we saw the movie. I love Disney Pixar films and I feel bad saying anything but nice things about them, but they dropped the ball on this one. They went too far. (I also think they went too far with the incinerator scene in Toy Story 3.)
Cars 2 is a far cry from Radiator Springs and all the lovable characters we came to love. This movie takes Lightning McQueen (who is NOT the star of this film) and some of his gang around the world – Japan, Italy and England.
This movie is worth seeing for the sheer detail. The various locations around the world are fantastic. The reflections in the shiny sports cars are amazing. Cars 2 is filled with eye candy, for sure.
I would recommend seeing this movie in 2D – especially if you have sensitive kids. There are LOTS of explosions and guns and it can be quite overwhelming in 2D, let alone 3D. The trailers don’t really give you the true sense of the movie.
I appreciate that they were modeling Cars 2 after the spy movies. I get that. But they could have “Disney-fied” it. There were too many guns. Too many truly mean characters. In Cars, even the “mean guy” wasn’t trying to kill anyone. He was just an ass. In Cars 2, they are out for blood (or should I say gasoline? oil?).
There was no need to fit our beloved Mater with automatic weapons.
There was no need to kill a car. You see one car fall into the ocean and smash to pieces. There are a lot of violent scenes.
There was no need to use “I want him dead” and “kill them” so much. I’m not sure if anyone has done a count on the times “dead” and “kill” have been used, but it’s too much. In fact, it’s not necessary at all. Not in a Pixar film.
There was no need to call Mater an idiot. I don’t like my kids using or hearing that term. I didn’t expect it from Pixar. And Mater was truly hurt by this. I was sad for poor Mater.
I know some reviews have mentioned the inappropriate drinking in the movie. Cars are served alcohol/oil in martini glasses, etc. Kids won’t get this and it’s not a big deal to me. In Cars, Fillmore “brews his own” and sounds high all the time. I don’t see the problem with these depictions. Again, kids don’t get the references and to me, it’s not a big deal.
I also had a hard time swallowing the blatant “product placement” in the movie. Cars 2 is sponsored or tied in with State Farm. When Cars 2 did their tour, State Farm was plastered all over it. In the movie Mater is called an agent, and he replies, “What? Like an insurance agent?” Then sings, “Like a good neighbour, Mater is there.” A little too much.
I would still recommend this movie. It is still Pixar and it is done fairly well by general standards.It’s just Pixar has set its own bar so high. Just go in knowing that this ain’t no Cars. We’re not in Radiator Springs anymore, Mater.
