More Than Just A ‘Kid’s Film’
Cars 2: Cinematic Masterpiece
C. D. Michel
DESPITE ALREADY PREACHING MY ADMIRATION FOR John Lasseter’s Cars 2 (2011) in an article last year, it was only a brief note, so I assume you took it with a grain of salt. Before you go off and state how “Cars 2 is a kid’s movie … that’s made for babies … I’m too mature for this” blah, blah, blah. Shush. I’ll ask you what kids’ movies can claim to be a romantic, comedic, adventure, mystery, family film that tackles contemporary political and social issues such as the modern-day corruption in the petroleum industry. While yes, I agree, it may seem like Cars 2’s demographic is little petite human beings, but once you see behind its façade you’ll realise, that the true demographic is for the much wiser, and more logically capable, made for those who can appreciate this film as an art piece.
Before even starting the film, you can already tell it’ll be something special. The casting for Cars 2 is phenomenal. How can you go wrong with Owen Wilson voicing Lightning McQueen, and even better – Michael Caine playing the eloquent and intelligent British spy, Finn McMissile.
The opening scene. Wow. Finn McMissile is stranded in the Ocean, on a mission to uncover the secret plotting of the oil cartel. The music that accompanies this scene (Finn McMissile’s theme) sets the fast-paced tone for the rest of the film, and complements this scene so well, making it one of
the most intense and suspenseful action scenes brought to cinema. If anything, this car chase deserves to be in the Fast and Furious franchise; it has bombs, machine guns, flamethrowers, missiles, torpedoes, fake deaths. I mean how can it get more exciting? Look for yourselves, and watch “Cars 2 – Oil Rig Chase – HD Clip” on YouTube, you won’t regret it.
Not only does this movie take you through fast paced action scenes, with fake deaths, and guns blazing but it also takes you travelling on a cultural journey across the world. The film immediately delves you into Japan’s rich culture; ‘car-sumo wrestlers,’ Japanese pod hotels, cars dressed in kimonos, karaoke, Japanese electronic toilets – what more could you want? Then the film takes you travelling to Italy with its beautiful Italian coastlines, glorious views from Monte-Carlo, Monaco, and even a ‘Pope-car.’ Finally, in the denouement of the film, you travel to London. There’s the famous London architecture: Big Ben, Tower Bridge, and most importantly London’s infamous cloudy weather. Why go on holiday when you could just watch Cars 2?
When a director can successfully pull off a dual storyline, it can elevate it among the greats: Christopher Nolan in Dunkirk, Quentin Tarantino in Inglourious Basterds, and most definitely John Lasseter in Cars 2. The dual storylines perfectly complement each other; the family-friendly car-racing plot, in conjunction with a spy mission to stop the oil industry’s corrupted cartel, perfectly mixes the two worlds. One world is thrilling, balanced by the other which is more light-hearted.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but the ending plot twist is genius. The discovery of the hidden antagonists is so unexpected, that it will leave your jaw dropped. So yeah. This is more than ‘just a kid’s film’. But if you need more evidence, I guess you will just have to watch the full movie to find out.
