Cars 3 (2017) - The Rocky that failed to be | Intricate Films

The most important part of a Disney film is perspective. The eyes through which the story is old. It almost always brings something new to the table. Besides, a flying elephant is arguably a more interesting protagonist than a human in a kids film. This choice is not a gimmick as newer films will make you believe. Choosing a non human protagonist offers a newer perspective. Toy story in particular told the story of toys which were becoming old, toys that no one wants to play with any more.The ending of toy story 3 was greatly impactful in a way that could have not been possible with a human protagonist. Cars 3 has a non human protagonist just because. Perhaps because it is easier to sell merchandise. Perhaps because it is easier to justify its existence. Because take away the cars, the film is an animated rocky sequel.

The movie begins with a montage of Lightning McQueen's races which all end with him winning. This is followed by a lengthier race sequence where Lightning is defeated by a newer, faster car called storm. So, Rocky, i mean Lightning, has to go back to his roots to finally defeat storm. So, this employs a bog standard, by-the-numbers tale whose story seems more preoccupied with checking boxes off a list than making a genuinely compelling watch. There are, however, moments in the film that hint at what could have been.

 Moments where Lightning feels old and weary. He is a beaten champ. He meets with his old rival, Cal, and bonds with him very briefly. This conversation happens because Cal quit racing. He feels that it is not his sport anymore. His small world has expanded and he wants out. Lightning stays because he refuses to accept that he is history. Cal says " I'm gonna miss this. We had a lot of fun". At that moment, they are not old rivals, they are now battling time, battling age. It really feels like the movie Cars 3 is trying to be. It's just that, I don't buy it. I never feel the impact of their bond because their dynamic was never established, so I don't see time having its big impact. When Apollo Creed agreed to train Rocky, it felt genuine and satisfying, because a whole movie was dedicated to their dynamic. The battle against time, which is a central theme of the movie, feels weakened.

Cars 3 might be derivative, but it still has genuinely fun set-pieces. The demolition derby sequence was really exciting . I wish the film had more like that. For a film primarily about cars and racing, its racing scenes lack panache. The film may be sub-par but it is gorgeous ; the dusty tracks, marshy derby area and the crisp asphalt are all wonderfully animated. The film, however does not make much us of its settings. For a Pixar film, its slapstick comedy is surprisingly inept and unfunny. When the joke comes, the scene lingers for far too long and over-does the joke. Slapstick requires a thorough understanding in knowing when to cut. Cars 3 has slapstick jokes that are not charming just plain bad.

The worst mistake that cars 3 commits is failing to create or even attempting to create a memorable character. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Scar, Belle are not going to be forgotten anytime soon, or any time for that matter. They are unique, they have a lot of time for their character development. Scar, in one film has had more character moments than Lighting McQueen in all three . Most characters in Cars 3 feel like they are a punchline for a joke that never comes. If you want to make a children's film, why not make the hero more heroic, the villain more villainous and the side-kick funnier. The hero goes through no change in character throughout the film, the villain is shown so sparsely and without any character defining scene that one might probably forget his name when the film is done.

 Maybe that was the point, showing that the villain is not the most important person and focusing more on the hero, but when you build a story about the old losing to the young, it might do some good to show what our protagonist is fighting. By the end of the film, I don't know anything about storm, in fact I am a little not very sure if he is even called storm. He is given no motivation, no purpose and I'm not even sure if he is a villain. He never does anything bad enough to be considered a villain, he is just faster than lighting. The film expects us to hate him for that. Storm is not a villain by morality or motivation, he is a villain simply because his opponent is the protagonist. That might have worked in a different film, not in this one.

A good villain is required to do something evil, to make it clear that he is a villain. Or, at the very least, make us root for the protagonist. This applies doubly for a Disney film, whose target audience are kids who simply do not care about the grey morality of characters. When Scar pushed Mufasa off the cliff onto the stampede, we knew that we wanted Simba to win. That's how a villain should be made. I've said that Cars 3 is animated Rocky, I take it back. The rocky sequels had the hero - villain dynamic right. When the film approaches its end, the final race is over and triumphant music plays. It tells you how to feel and does it unsuccessfully, you don't hate storm because you do not remember him, his defeat is not that triumphant.

 Cars 3 commits the cardinal sin of holding your hand and telling you what to feel when you clearly are disinterested. To the undemanding, it might be acceptable. I don't suppose any kid would like to see this rather than Coco. So, Cars 3 is an animated, family friendly version of a rocky sequel with fights replaced by uninteresting car races. Frankly, I fail to see the point in that.

Intricate Meter - 4/10

                                                   - Arvind Narayanan

The important characters and their voiceovers :

• Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, the franchise protagonist, a legendary race car (ex).
• Cristela Alonzo as Cruz Ramirez, Lightning McQueen's trainee. 
• Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, a jolly tow truck and Lightning McQueen's best friend.
• Armie Hammer as Storm, the new car you are supposed to hate.

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                                                           - Abhyjith and Arvind