Up front, it's clear that this sequel's main goal is to get the series back to its roots, playing very close to the spirit and themes of the original film, while essentially - hilariously at times - sweeping Cars 2 under the rug, and pretending it never happened. It's so dedicated to course correction, that Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) is deliberately pushed to the sidelines for over 2/3 of the running time. It feels much closer to the kind of film that Cars 2 should have been in the first place. No spies, no complicated conspiracies, just placing its focus squarely on the racing track, and those competing on it.
But even though the first Cars didn't set a high bar to begin with, even then it still falls short. To its credit, this film has much more reason to exist than a movie such as Cars 2 or Monsters University. This doesn't feel like a blatant product, there's actual purpose and legitimacy to this movie, as Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has now become a relic not unlike his old teacher Doc Hudson, quickly overtaken by a younger, tougher generation of new racers, all centrally embodied by new rookie sensation Jackson Storm (a wasted Armie Hammer). It's a bitter rivalry that toys with McQueen, forcing him to see an almost mirror image of his own early arrogance, as the new quickly outshines the old. It's familiar ground we're no doubt accustomed to given the world's own history of athletic legends stepping aside to make room for new blood, and yet a very effective one that Pixar manages to tap into. Just because something is familiar or faded doesn't mean it can't yield surprises, and even as the star fades for one man, it can still serve as a beacon of inspiration, but whether the individual takes those examples positively or negatively offers up even more engaging meat.
But as compelling a theme as that is, it's still just barely enough to cut it. Out of all of Pixar's franchises and films, the Cars series has been without doubt the most child-geared product of Pixar's portfolio. Unlike the best Pixar films which try to weave their laughs, slapstick, and other elements clearly intended for young viewers naturally - so as not to disrupt the mature subject matter, a long staple of the Cars series has always been a distracting habit of going out of their way to include the cheap laughs, for fear of alienating or boring those kids. One such case where the film tries to have it both ways - appeal to adults while entertaining youngsters - is Cruz Ramirez, McQueen's new trainer voiced by Cristela Alonzo, who may as well be a mascot for this film, because she best encapsulates everything good and bad about this movie. A flawed, technically perfect, and promising newcomer with some great surprises up her sleeve, but who clearly still has a lot of maturing to do, and has a long way to go in honing her skills. And even with its compelling themes, it still feels the need to play it far too safe in regards to storytelling, with that early (and widely advertised) McQueen crash sequence promising severity it couldn't, and maybe wouldn't live up to. It just feels like generic and unspectacular ground for Pixar, despite the best efforts of an admittedly terrific voice cast, and Pixar's always astounding animation.
And that's really all I feel like saying about it. By no means is Cars 3 a bad film, and is certainly better than it had any right to be, but it's just another example of Pixar wasting their time on projects beneath them, when they should be focusing on projects with greater potential. We need more original products. Nobody was, and nobody is clamoring that Cars keep going.
**1/2 / *****
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