Is there a more underrated franchise out there than “Cars?” The first film was terrific, but is usually ranked in the middle-of-the-pack or towards the bottom when people begin comparing Pixar titles, and “Cars 2” is usually (wrongly) labeled “the worst Pixar film.” Even on Rotten Tomatoes, people seem surprised that they actually liked “Cars 3” and the consensus actually reads “Pixar’s most middle-of-the-road franchise may just have some life left.” That seems awfully down on a sequel that is—yep, you knew I would go there—better than “Monsters University” or “Finding Dory.” And while the “Cars” films will never be “Toy Story,” what is really? So far, “Cars” may be the only Pixar films that audiences like more than critics do, and I feel the movies have never gotten their due largely because most critics just really and truly could not give less of a toss about the series Middle-American (not middle-of-the-road) sense of loss. Make a movie about a young girl experiencing sadness during the transition to adulthood (“Inside Out”) and your snarky, 30-going-on-13 millennial reviewer will cry like a baby, but a movie about small town America drying up and blowing away? Well, let’s just say “Entertainment Weekly” may not be the best place to get a review of a movie like that…
What Works: The first “Cars” movie was all about forgotten small towns (and communities) and the joyless hustle of selfish fast lane success you can’t share with anyone. The second “Cars” movie was about Mater’s thick skull entertaining self-doubt, and how the rest of the world views you (of course it was less touching and shallower, but most critics just really hate Mater). “Cars 3” is so much about encroaching obsoletion and forced retirement it’s really the plot-driver. If races or spy plots powered the first two “Cars” movies, then the “race” between Lightning McQueen’s veteran racer and insufferably arrogant, ruthlessly unbeatable Jackson Storm (voiced by the well-cast Armie Hammer, who excels so much at playing cold, arrogant pricks—like a Hitler Youth version of William Hurt—I don’t know that I’d believe you if you said he was a nice guy) is just a backdrop for a reverse “Rocky” in which the underdog is the reigning champ, who’s looking to beat the symbolic reaper of changing times.
That’s a clever hook for any sports movie, live-action or animated, and many sequences in “Cars 3” are so beautifully animated and emotionally rich that you may forget you’re watching animation. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of adults in the theater that may want Lightning to score a symbolic victory against the data-obsessed Jackson (who uses roughly the same type of technocratic edge that gives the elite an unfair advantage at everything from Fantasy Football to stock manipulation through High Frequency Trading). A race between hard won, dirt-road skill vs. robotically manipulated excellence is so rich that—to me—it’s a huge letdown when…
What Doesn’t: The first 90% of “Cars 3” is so good—from beautiful beach side trainings to awe-inspiring race track wrecks to an excellent demolition derby free-for-all that’s like “Mad Max” for kids—that I almost hate complaining about the ending, but it just doesn’t work. You may see exactly where “Cars 3” is headed—-and I won’t spoil it here, you’ll notice I’ve kept the plot specifics somewhat vague—-but it feels like a spectacular cop-out to stage an entire movie around “new school vs. old school” and present it as the rare senior empowerment movie that says you’re not finished when you hit 40 (or however old Lightning is supposed to be) but then punt. Sure, most of “Cars 3” can be seen as a call to coaching and mentorship and about giving the next generation a chance to shine, but most of the goose-bump inducing lines are things like “I decide when I’m done.” Not “I’m not finished yet…[and to prove it I’ll defer to someone younger to win on my behalf].”
What I Would’ve Done Differently: That feeling of lost Americana nostalgia has always been front and center with “Cars,” but since this sequel spends so much time with newer, shinier models (Jackson, slick sponsor Sterling, even new heroine Cruz Ramirez is a bit too glamorous and workout-trainer-shallow for the Radiator Springs crew) and the folks at Radiator Springs are barely featured, you may wonder how committed the franchise really is to the first film’s vibe or if the new director Brian Fee is just paying lip service to it.