Saturday, June 10, 2006

Movie Review: Cars

By Alex Bentley

Cars

Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters--including Sally, a snazzy 2002 Porsche, Doc Hudson, a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, and Mater, a rusty but trusty tow truck, who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.

Source: Cinema Source

• Showtimes and more on Cars

Seven for seven.

In the 11 years since Pixar (the geniuses behind Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles) has been making feature films, they have enjoyed an unprecedented level of success. Not only have their six previous films made almost $1.5 billion combined in the U.S. alone (an astounding average of $242 million each), but the critical acclaim for the films has been second to none. The primary reason for both is that the filmmakers at Pixar understand that you don’t have to sacrifice quality to succeed in Hollywood.

Director/Pixar co-founder John Lasseter (back at the helm for the first time since Toy Story 2) knows this better than anyone, and that grasp of the seemingly obvious oozes through every frame of Pixar’s latest effort, Cars. In fact, Lasseter’s desire and demand for originality rescues the film from two possible mistakes. The first was the departure into a world completely devoid of humans. Each previous Pixar film had some connection (no matter how tenuous) to the human world, but Cars exists in an alternate universe where autos/machines ARE the humans/animals, from the lowliest “bug” (the use of the Volkswagen Beetle is another example of straight-forward brilliance) to the fans that fill the stands for the races of Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson).

The second possible mistake was the use of a well-worn storyline. McQueen’s abrupt exit from the fast-paced world of car racing to the podunk town of Radiator Springs is your classic fish-out-of-water plot, and similarities to films such as Doc Hollywood (a decent if not stellar Michael J. Fox outing) are unmistakable. But yet again, Pixar takes the familiar and throws it on its ear. The cast of characters is as eclectic as you get, including, among others: Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), the gruff old-timer who can still teach you a thing or two; Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), the friendly, sexy Porsche who catches McQueen’s eye; and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy, who steals every scene he’s in), the hick tow truck. Each of them influences McQueen in their own way, showing him that there’s a big, beautiful world out there, if only he (and we) would take the time to look at it.

Speaking of beauty, the CGI animation of Pixar is once again a sight to behold. The sleekness of the graphics is never showy, just awe-inspiring in its magnificence. This is never more apparent than when the film takes time to explore the landscape surrounding Radiator Springs. The loveliness of the mountains, rock formations (cleverly shaped like the fronts or backs of classic cars) and waterfalls will have you gaping in astonishment and wondering how the scenery isn’t real.

Cars is Lasseter’s ode to many things: to cars themselves, auto racing, taking the long way. But most of all it’s a tribute to a bygone way of life, in which Route 66 represented not only a way to get across the country but a way to SEE it. Here again, unoriginality threatens to rear its ugly head; films that harken back to a “simpler” time are almost a dime a dozen. But they’re rarely done this well, with this much heart and effort put into making every detail work. That’s why Cars is a worthy addition to the pantheon of Pixar films, which is itself an animation hall of fame. Oh, and be sure to stay through the entire end credits – Pixar has outdone itself in paying homage to its previous films (and co-director Joe Ranft, who will be dearly missed).

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Mike Orren Staff

Doc Hollywood?

3 years ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )