Pixar, now with 20% less funny!
Cars
So I watched Cars this weekend. I have a lot of faith in Pixar, and despite my relative disinterest in the film as I've seen it marketed so far, I figured I owe it to them to give them a shot.
The show is cute, and caters to little boys and NASCAR fans. The animation style is something akin to a very, very advanced Thomas the Tank Engine. The story is a bit slow-paced but carries a generally expected Pixar undercurrent of a bittersweet lesson. Just as Nemo emphasized independence and Incredibles celebrated uniqueness, Cars tells us to (metaphorically) slow down, appreciate our elders, and have a sense of respect for small-town Americana.
The problem, as mentioned before, was that it was slow. Most jokes were patently unfunny car puns, and the lines that made me laugh the most were subtle jokes that had nothing to do with automobiles whatsoever. (For example, when a spotlight goes on Lightning during a fan visit, you hear the faint voice of a car in the back, yelling "Freebird!").
So a good movie, but not a great one. Somewhere around the realm of A Bug's Life or Monster's, Inc, I would place it. But hey, a mediocre Pixar movie is better than most of the dreck CGI films other studios are putting out. And the movie is almost worth seeing just for the Ratatooie teaser at the start.
Score: * * *
So I watched Cars this weekend. I have a lot of faith in Pixar, and despite my relative disinterest in the film as I've seen it marketed so far, I figured I owe it to them to give them a shot.
The show is cute, and caters to little boys and NASCAR fans. The animation style is something akin to a very, very advanced Thomas the Tank Engine. The story is a bit slow-paced but carries a generally expected Pixar undercurrent of a bittersweet lesson. Just as Nemo emphasized independence and Incredibles celebrated uniqueness, Cars tells us to (metaphorically) slow down, appreciate our elders, and have a sense of respect for small-town Americana.
The problem, as mentioned before, was that it was slow. Most jokes were patently unfunny car puns, and the lines that made me laugh the most were subtle jokes that had nothing to do with automobiles whatsoever. (For example, when a spotlight goes on Lightning during a fan visit, you hear the faint voice of a car in the back, yelling "Freebird!").
So a good movie, but not a great one. Somewhere around the realm of A Bug's Life or Monster's, Inc, I would place it. But hey, a mediocre Pixar movie is better than most of the dreck CGI films other studios are putting out. And the movie is almost worth seeing just for the Ratatooie teaser at the start.
Score: * * *