Cars (John Lasseter and Joe Ranft, 2006) Review

Pixar. I don't think they really need any introduction. They are one of the best animation companies around and there's a good reason for it. They make nothing but masterpieces (well, until 2011) so I thought it was about time I looked at one of their films. I might have to save the best ones for later (like Toy Story and Up) so I thought I would look at one that was as well received but is still pretty decent. Let's dive into (or should that be drive into...I apologise) Cars.

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is an arrogant rookie racer who, when racing against rival Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) and champion The King (Richard Petty), manages to draw against them. On the way to the final race, Lightning's carrier truck, Mack (John Ratzenberger), loses him. While trying to get the race on his own, Lightning ends up trapped in a small town on Route 66 called Radiator Springs. While in town, he ends up destroying the main road through town. Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), the mayor of the town, orders Lightning to fix the road or else he can't leave. Now Lightning has to fix the road and get to the race in California in order to beat his rival and win the title of champion.

Let me just throw this out. Excluding sequels and remakes, this is definitely one of Pixar's worst films. It just doesn't feel as good as the others while watching it. I think "Man, I could really watch Finding Nemo or Monster's Inc. right about now". Sure it has a great cast of characters and actors and the racing scenes are fantastic to watch (probably the high point of the film) but the story is a bit cliché and it just feels a bit off. It doesn't mean it's a bad film by any means...just not Pixar's best.

Cars does have a lot of good qualities going for it. I already mentioned the racing scenes which are fantastic. The character development that Lightning goes through as well as the moral of the film is pretty well done and is believable enough to stand well. It is definitely more of a kids film than previous Pixar so it's harder to enjoy at my age. I would rather watch another Pixar film.

Cars is one of Pixar's worst films but it can be enjoyable especially if you are a racing fan. My dad loves racing an the really enjoys this film. It's a specialist subject type film thingy. Cars is a decent enough Pixar film but it isn't as bad as that film Pixar made in 2011. Luckily that is unrelated to this particular film. Wait a second......oh noooooo....

Verdict:
6.5/10
A decent film that does have a decent moral and some great racing films. Shame about what comes next...