untitled
CARS
Directed by: John
Lasseter
Written by: Dan Fogelman, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin & Jorgen Klubien
Internet Movie
Database Entry for full details
GRADE: C+ (2.0/4)
2006.
Some
people
wanted to think it would never happen, and some people still refuse to
admit that it has, but, let's face it, it was inevitable: Pixar made a flop.
After an unbroken string of
animated masterpieces, from Toy
Story to The
Incredibles, they’ve unfortunately produced a
forgettable failure.
While visually stunning and up to the animation standards
we’ve come to expect from Pixar, the undisputed leader of
contemporary animation studios, Cars has
a lot of problems. First of all it tries too hard to
pander to Middle America and the Nascar contingent. The
film depends too much on a fascination with, and fetishization of,
automobiles that’s above the head of anyone who rides the
subway. Also, the script is as hackneyed and clichéd as
the worst of children’s movies can be, although in fairness there are a
good number of yuks along the way.
I’d
happily overlook those problems, though with a disappointed heart, but
ultimately what can’t be excused is the
film’s generally sloppy construction. Owen Wilson
voices Lightning McQueen, a vainglorious racecar who, on his way to the
big championship race, gets lost and winds up in the small, humble town
of Radiator Springs. The second act, in which
McQueen is forced to adapt to his new situation, is unbearably
predictable and drawn-out, as though Lasseter et al. are seriously
trying to create a sense of tension as to whether or not McQueen will
grow as character. Will he learn valuable lessons in
friendship, teamwork, and modesty? As McQueen is "stuck" in Radiator
Springs, so too is the film. For the first time in my life I
seriously considered walking out of the theater, deciding instead to
squirm in my chair and just wait for the damn thing to end.
On a hopeful note, the trailer for the next Pixar film, Ratatouille, looks
very promising. Hopefully this will be an isolated miscarriage and
they’ll soon return to form. After all, the short
at the beginning of the film, One-Man
Band, was, as is Pixar's praxis, phenomenal. -- Henry Stewart
Post a comment/reply on our Discussion Board
-------
© 2006
Send Us an Email
Cinepinion Home
The Cinepinion Archives
bravenet.com