Cars 2 (2011)

 

Genre: Comedy/ Action

Time: 1h 46mins

Director: John Lasseter

Quick Summary: Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

McQueen is a dick is this one just to warn you

Thought the previous one lacked action? (I dunno who does) Well, this one ramps up the action by throwing our beloved Mater right into the middle of a secret spy mission.  Admittedly, this one does have a lot of action jammed in, car chases, explosions, various secret spy montages, and even more Mater shenanigans. Oh and McQueen competes in a world grand prix, but we don't really care about that.

It was really fun to watch Mater have his own film to completely mess around in. Sure, not all of it was entertaining, but what could beat the first one. This whole film is basically one big comedic relief moment, especially if you are watching through the trilogy. Don't get me wrong, this isn't bad at all, just doesn't live up to quite what the first one was. Maybe it doesn't have the same emotional hold and depth it previously had and swapped it for fun lighthearted moments. 

The animation was definitely a step up, and more shiny too! Though the racing scenes were as interesting, they were visually better to look at, with dynamic camera angles, fast-paced action, and more fluid animation of their bodies. Shame the music choices weren't as good in this. 

Humour-wise, it really banks itself on Mater and the things he gets himself into. I don't think the script was written as well this time around either. Mainly, we witness various slapstick, sort of dump one-liners, and Mater just simply being an idiot. You know what, I still enjoyed it though. 

If you like spy films or want to introduce a kid to them, this is probably a good idea as it has a lot of elements from them. The gadgets used are honestly pretty inventive considering they are cars, and it pays homage to a lot of the older spy films. 

The story isn't great, I won't lie, but it's still fun and watchable. 

7/10

"Finn McMissile: I never properly introduced myself: Finn McMissile, British Intelligence.

Mater: Tow Mater, average intelligence."

"Finn McMissile: Siddeley? Paris, tout de suite.

Mater: Yeah, two of dem sweets for me too, Sid."

"Finn McMissile: Mater, are these cars considered lemons?

Mater: Is the Popemobile Catholic?"