CARS 2: Our thoughts

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. I MAY EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.

We are big “Race Cars” fans (as the girls affectionately call CARS).

So, we were very excited to attend a sneak preview of CARS 2.

Now, maybe I haven’t paid attention, but I didn’t realize it was a 3D movie.  Seems like they all are these days. I was bummed that there weren’t more cool 3D effects (like things flying out at you). It was just more dimension to the movie.

So, the story here is that Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

The part that was, I don’t know a little too “old” for our 4 and 2 year old?  The cars were using guns and shooting and actually “killing” cars.  It wasn’t violent per se, but just not quite what I was expecting.  And, it was a little heavier on a plot, so there was more to pay attention to in the story.

Of course, there were very funny parts.  Parts that only the grown ups get that were laugh out loud funny.  And, in this one?  Mater totally steals the show.  He’s more of a star and he’s hilarious.

Mr. Serious and I discussed the movie after.  We thought the spy part had to be played out the way it was, we just wish it wasn’t so “spy-ish.”  Did the girls like it?  #1 (4) thought it was great.  She was concerned when they were trying to kill McQueen, but she wasn’t scared like other movies.  #2 (2) enjoyed about 15 minutes, and then her attention span was up.

Do I think it was cute?  Yes.  Would I recommend it?  Yes.

Oh, and before the movie, there is a TOYS short featuring all of the original voices. This was super cute and the girls really enjoyed it! (What was too long was the what felt like 10 minute preview of the revamping and 3D-ing of Lion King!)

Similar Posts

9 Comments

  1. It’s funny, I read someone else’s review yesterday where she wrote pretty much the exact opposite of everything you just said. Not enough for adults, too kiddie, too much Mater, etc. I don’t have a point here, really, I just thought it was funny to see the differing opinions. We haven’t seen it yet, I can’t imagine taking all 3 kids to the movie theater, so we’ll probably wait until it comes out on DVD.

    1. Yeah, the littles in the theater isn’t that fun!

      I’m curious which you will agree with!

  2. Wow, the gun shooting and killing of cars is a bit shocking. We haven’t seen the movie yet. Thanks for the heads-up.

    1. It’s not that it’s scary, it’s just like, wow, guns?

  3. great review. exactly my thoughts. we took our 6yo daughter and 2yo son to see the 2D version last weekend. i was surprised at all the car “killing” but it really was just explosions right? my kids didn’t seem phased by it and they are usually sensitive to that kind of stuff. maybe the plot distracted them from the “killing”? it will be fun to watch with them when they are a little older and can follow the spy plot a little better. overall i thought it was super cute and i fell in love with Mater 🙂 oh, and the Toy Story short!? LOVED IT! we can’t get enough Toy Story.

    1. That’s what I think..they were sort of distracted by it, and since they were cars, they didn’t get the killing as much?

  4. How did your girls do with the 3D glasses? We are thinking of taking Matthew to see the 3D Cars 2 also.

    1. N actually kept them on longer.

      Iz took them off during the previews. There is a preview for Brave, and it’s pretty intense, and it scared her. I can’t believe she watched the movie without them, but she did.

  5. I recently read a review, and it wasn’t exactly glowing. The skinny is that it isn’t as good as its predecessor, but still entertaining. MY son loves the original.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *