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Plot Summary
From the creators of Cars comes a new, laugh-out-loud, heart-warming adventure geared for the entire family. Star racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship on the road from Radiator Springs to exciting new places when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage! It’s turbo-charged action and thrills and “even better than before,” raves Peter Travers of Rolling Stone.
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
39%- Reviews Counted: 204
- Fresh: 80
- Rotten: 124
- Average Rating: 5.5/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: It's an example of what a sequel should, or at least can, be.
Rotten: As lovable as Mater is, let's face it: A little bit of Larry the Cable Guy goes a long way.
Rotten: Although it would be unfair to label Cars 2 as unwatchable, it is surprisingly tedious in parts and not as satisfying as one might expect.
Rotten: Larry the Cable Guy has helped make Mater one of Pixar's sweetest creations. He just happens to reside in the studio's least-magical franchise.
Customer Reviews
WHAT HAPPENED, PIXAR?
Before you go ahead and automatically click the "no" button for this review, please read it before you make your decision. This is solely my opinion.
Pixar Animation Studios, as most of you can agree, is one of the most creative, innovative, and successful film studios of all time. Since 1995, they've given us a number of fantastic original animated movies ("Toy Story", "Finding Nemo", "Up", etc.), as well as some of the most memorable fictional characters of all time. And unlike any other studio, Pixar has released eleven consecutive outstanding movies that have been praised by critics and filmgoers alike. With the release of "Cars 2", however, that pattern finally came to a shocking, yet somewhat expected, end. So what exactly happened that made this unnecessary sequel the inevitable disappointment it turned out to be? Let me explain.
For starters, let me talk about the first film, "Cars". While it may not have been Pixar's greatest achievement storywise, it still boasted incredible animation, memorable characters, and a cast of talented voice actors. However, what made up for the weak reception of "Cars" was ultimately its merchandising. The massive purchases of products based on the film (from toy sets to children's clothing) ended up resulting in billions of dollars in profit for Disney. So a follow-up to "Cars" seemed like the only sensible solution to the multi-billion dollar company. What resulted, however, was a frenzied, glossed-up action-thriller filled with confusing multiple subplots, brand new characters (many of whom didn't get any backstories whatsoever), and an underwhelming lack of depth and emotion as compared to previous Pixar features.
To me, there seemed to be two major reasons as to why "Cars 2" turned out the way it did. First off, instead of Lightning McQueen shining in the spotlight as he did in the first movie, we instead get Mater as the main character. Now, don't get me wrong. I like Mater, but just not when you have to hear his unmistakable one-liners and predictable humor for almost two hours straight. After a while, Larry the Cable Guy's voice can get really annoying, really fast. The other major issue I have with "Cars 2" is that it just doesn't give you any time to breathe. The film concerns itself way too much with Lightning's fast-paced racing scenes in the World Grand Prix and Mater's James Bond-esque espionage missions that it forgets to let you take in any of the beautiful international backdrops or fully understand the complexity of the main plot.
Now, that's not to say I was completely let down with this movie because I certainly wasn't. As in any other Pixar feature, I thoroughly enjoyed the film's breathtaking animation and stunning score by Michael Giacchino. Plus, the original voice cast, as well as some newcomers to the franchise, didn't disappoint. It was also nice to see some clever, hidden touches added to the Cars Universe that made it so uniquely different, yet similar, to ours.
So, all in all, "Cars 2" may not have met the expectations of die-hard Pixar fans such as myself, but kids are gonna love it no matter what. I would say that if you have a child of your very own (or if you're a child), go ahead and buy or rent the film. In the meantime, I'm just gonna have to give this flick a dismal three-star rating. Oh well, better luck next time, Pixar!
Critics are wrong this time!
Most critics didn't like this movie because it came out the year after Toy Story 3, it's probuably impossible for a film to out-do Toy Story 3. But all the critics were saying "Cars 2 is nothing like sequels Toy Story 2 and 3". IT'S NOT SUPPOSE TO BE! Cars 2 is suppose to be better than the original Cars (which it is) but people just assumed that EVERY new Pixar movie has to be better than the last one. But Cars 2 is better the Cars, in so many ways it is. Just trust me and don't listen to the critics on this one. Even if you don't like the whole movie, you'll be glad you watched it. They just say "from the creators of Toy Story 3" because it was one of the top highest grossing films ever (highest animated film, no doubt) It's no Toy Story 3, but Cars 2 is a great adventure you'll want to enjoy agian and again!
What's with all the hate?seriously!!
As a big pixar fan, and and even bigger cars fan, I loved it!
Many were disappointed when
The "spy"theme took up more of the story than lightning's races. I honestly like this one better.
All the hype for mater's tall tales
Made them think this was a good idea. And it was!! Keep making movies!! (And cars 3!!)
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