Cars 2

I went and saw this movie today hoping it would be an excellent film. While this movie isn't as bad as everyone says, it still is a sub-par movie. I'll tell you that you will enjoy this film and it can get exciting, but there is nothing beyond that.

Lets start of with the good things. The action sequences are well done and there are a lot of them. And the visuals are top notch. It really does feel like you're watching a big summer spy blockbuster. There were more explosions in "Cars 2" than there are in Micheal Bay films. Another good aspect of the film was the first race sequence. It felt very authentic and exhilarating as if I was there on the race track cheering on Lightning McQueen to win the race. The beginning was also done very well which parodied a James Bond flick, making the film feel like it would be a very  exciting and well crafted. Finn McMissile, Holly Shiftwell, and Francesco Bernoulli are all very good characters. They are fun, witty, and steal the spot light at time from the lead Mater.

Yes Mater is the lead in this film, which is one of the negatives of this film. In the first he felt like a powerful sidekick, but in this film he feels like a lost puppy mixed with Jar Jar Binks. He is way to over the top at times and is as confused throughout the movie as the audience. He does have some touchy moments, but nothing compared to the Mater that helped out good old Lightning from the first "Cars." Ah, Lightning McQueen, the character that started the series is very underused in this movie and sort of reverts back to his big shot self in "Cars 2." However, he quickly changes. Now where the movie really lacks is in the story, which is ironic because Pixar has always said that story is king. The story is very thin and everything just sort of happens. It's way to situational. Somethings happen out of sheer coincidence, such as the scene towards the end with Mater and McQueen or the scene involving the race in Italy. The ending is very cliched and to an extent predictable.

Overall "Cars 2" is a very entertaining and enjoyable film, but that's all that it is. The story is very thin and the film feels like "a Ferrari without a engine." Pretty and beautiful, you can have a good time with it, but overall it's useless and you can't fathom why you have it if you can't interact with it. This is Pixar's first sub-par film and not just by their standards, but as a movie.

I give "Cars 2" a 2.5/5, a entertaining movie that is nothing beyond that.