Cars 3
Year: 2017
Director: Brian Fee
Starring: Cristella Alonzo & Owen Wilson
Runtime: 102 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 10/04/23
Director: Brian Fee
Starring: Cristella Alonzo & Owen Wilson
Runtime: 102 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 10/04/23
The Cars franchise has been the black sheep of Pixar since its debut in 2006. The first film fell short of audience expectations, and whilst not a bad film it definitely lacked the panache that makes Pixar films so special. Cars 2 meanwhile was a major critical disappointment, and whilst it did well at the box office, audience reactions were generally negative (and is still widely considered to be Pixar’s worst film by a considerable margin). Despite this, a third film went straight into development, and the world collectively sighed at the fact that Pixar weren’t dedicating time and resources to more deserving projects. So, when Cars 3 released in 2017 it came and went with little fanfare, a modestly successful box-office total, and has faded into the background of Pixar’s filmography to be forgotten by almost everyone. Much like the first film, I won’t make out that Cars 3 is actually an overlooked gem that shines brilliantly, but I do feel that it’s better than people tend to let on.
Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has been professionally racing for around a decade, and in that time, he has dominated, taking home seven Piston Cups. But this latest racing season is proving to be considerably more difficult thanks to a set of new rookie racers that are replacing seasoned veterans thanks to their application of cutting-edge technology. With McQueen’s glory days behind him, will he be able to finish the season with the help of his new trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), or will he need to hang up his racing tyres for good?
Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has been professionally racing for around a decade, and in that time, he has dominated, taking home seven Piston Cups. But this latest racing season is proving to be considerably more difficult thanks to a set of new rookie racers that are replacing seasoned veterans thanks to their application of cutting-edge technology. With McQueen’s glory days behind him, will he be able to finish the season with the help of his new trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), or will he need to hang up his racing tyres for good?
Story has never been the Cars franchise’s strongest suit, but Cars 3 makes a decent go at presenting a compelling narrative. Where the original Cars was the story of a hothead rookie getting his slice of humble pie from a retired veteran and using his wisdom to become not just a better racer but also a better person, Cars 3 sees Lightning having to make the choice as to whether to step into the Doc Hudson role for a young and promising talent. It works really well to see the story come full circle like this, and it uses the best elements of the first film to form the basis of the story (whilst also wisely ignoring the entirety of Cars 2).
Lightning was not a particularly compelling character in the original Cars because of how unlikable he was, but in Cars 3 he’s almost an entirely different person. He has matured and mellowed over the years, and his unwillingness to give up his dreams is admirable and understandable, it makes you root for him. Unfortunately Wilson’s performance is less than impressive, he can do the jumped up self-obsessed rookie with ease, but now that Lightning’s supposed to be older and wiser Wilson’s performance no longer fits.
Following the backlash levelled at Cars 2, the decision to put Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) well out of sight and out of mind was wisely made. In his place comes Cruz, Lightning’s trainer. I like the dynamic these two share, and Alonzo brings the same level of endearing energy to the role that Bonnie Hunt did in the original Cras as Sally. Unfortunately, neither of these come close to replacing the gaping hole left by Paul Newman, which is kind of ironic considering the film kind of gravitates around the idea of Lightning filling that role.
Lightning was not a particularly compelling character in the original Cars because of how unlikable he was, but in Cars 3 he’s almost an entirely different person. He has matured and mellowed over the years, and his unwillingness to give up his dreams is admirable and understandable, it makes you root for him. Unfortunately Wilson’s performance is less than impressive, he can do the jumped up self-obsessed rookie with ease, but now that Lightning’s supposed to be older and wiser Wilson’s performance no longer fits.
Following the backlash levelled at Cars 2, the decision to put Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) well out of sight and out of mind was wisely made. In his place comes Cruz, Lightning’s trainer. I like the dynamic these two share, and Alonzo brings the same level of endearing energy to the role that Bonnie Hunt did in the original Cras as Sally. Unfortunately, neither of these come close to replacing the gaping hole left by Paul Newman, which is kind of ironic considering the film kind of gravitates around the idea of Lightning filling that role.
Visually Cars 3 strikes a peculiar balance between impressive and disappointing. Impressive because, like The Good Dinosaur, the environments border on photorealistic at times. The sheer level of detail when it comes to dirt roads, tarmac, and lighting is worthy of very high praise. But the character models aren’t as impressive as one would hope given the jump to Presto from Marionette which was used in the first two films. The first Cars was, if anything, visually impressive, particularly in the character models which used advanced (for the time) and complex real-time reflections on the bodywork of the cars themselves. In Cars 3 however those details are mostly absent, they do rear their head occasionally, which is odd as you’d think it would be something applied across the board, but perhaps some areas of the film were given significantly more time to be touched up over others?
A good soundtrack also makes a welcome return after being absent from Cars 2. Pop-rock tunes like ‘Run That Race’ give Cars 3 an energy that carries you through to the finish line with ease. It’s easy to overlook how important licensed songs are to the Cars films, but Cars 3 reminds us of that following a largely forgettable offering from Cars 2.
Whilst far from being in pole position for Pixar’s extensive filmography, Cars 3 is a return to form for the series and in many ways is the best of the trilogy. It takes its character s in interesting new directions and follows through on the premise of being a sports movie that kids can really get behind.
It has some moments that are really quite visually impressive, and the soundtrack is a real headbanger. Cars 3 may not be the most refined Pixar film, but it is fun and I can respect and appreciate that.
A good soundtrack also makes a welcome return after being absent from Cars 2. Pop-rock tunes like ‘Run That Race’ give Cars 3 an energy that carries you through to the finish line with ease. It’s easy to overlook how important licensed songs are to the Cars films, but Cars 3 reminds us of that following a largely forgettable offering from Cars 2.
Whilst far from being in pole position for Pixar’s extensive filmography, Cars 3 is a return to form for the series and in many ways is the best of the trilogy. It takes its character s in interesting new directions and follows through on the premise of being a sports movie that kids can really get behind.
It has some moments that are really quite visually impressive, and the soundtrack is a real headbanger. Cars 3 may not be the most refined Pixar film, but it is fun and I can respect and appreciate that.