As you may know, the previous sequel was acting more like a Mater spin-off, but this one is closer to the first movie. In fact, if you never watched 2, then your not missing out on anything, surprisingly, this wasn't directed by Lasseter, who worked on the first 2, instead it's Brian Fee.
The plot is on the more cliche side then the second one, which was unpredictable. Basically McQueen isn't as fast as he was in the past, because new electro cars join the game, and they have innonative technology. Everyone tells Lightning to quit racing and retire, but he insisted that it's his personal decision when he's done. He trains himself with a new character Cruz Ramirez. Honestly, the chemistry between the two was interesting. It has a generation gap that was best described as a young cheerful fan and a mature racer. Both have something to learn from each other, which makes them have flaws, thus making them believable. I also liked the flashbacks to the first movie with Doc. They added more depth to already inspiring story. Sure, it was more predictable, and sometimes felt generic, it was still well executed. It had more race scenes, to be more specific, they happened on a beach, on a derby with monster cars, and obviously, grand prix. These scenes were exciting! And it felt more like a sports film then the previous 2. The backgrounds felt immersive, especially on high speed. The new character designs were nice! Especially the neon colors on the electro ones and the horns on the monster cars.
I've also noticed that it ignores everything that the second built up. So, no spies, no eco fuel, not a single mention of what happened before. Which could be good or bad depending on each viewer. In fact, Mater has only a few scenes, perhaps, even less than in the first movie. Sure, I felt bad for him, since I liked him in the prequels. But since not a lot of people liked the sequel, it didn't hurt the threequel a lot. Perhaps, it was more faithful to the original, by having the same tone, and a moral about teamwork, rather than being just a mindless blockbuster. Cruz Ramirez felt like a very relatable character, who wanted to make her dream of being on the race track come true, she was sadly mistreated by others due to her trainer status. McQueen is the soon to be retired racer who doesn't want to give up and rather continue his job, despite of himself being too weak compared to the new generation. Seeing him in a new role as a mentor that realises that he's maybe too old to do the same stunts like in the past was an interesting take for the directors. The proprotagonist also deals with new problems along the way. And I'm glad that the creators are putting focus on him again. Speaking of him, his voice acting by Owen Wilson was improved and he actually sounded great. Not perfect, but he doesn't sound tired anymore, which is so good in my opinion. It looks like he took up some voice acting lessons before working on it. As for Jackson Storm, he's the rival rookie, that seems to be very mean to others, especially Cruz. He wasn't very special in my opinion, other than just being futuristic. There was also Sterling, the avid fan who wants to milk Lightning to sell merchandise and Miss Fritters, the crazy school bus who likes derby racing and seems to enjoy kicking others a lot. One last thing I'd like to mention is that both Chick Hicks and King returned for this film, which was also a great comeback from the original. I can't say much about the rest, still, the characters felt believable.
I'd say that if you want a great sequel to Cars, then this should be the perfect movie for you. The story was more predictable, but it was still a good movie with inspiring ideas, likeable characters, great animation and being closer to the first movie. Not a must watch, but still a good choice. I liked it to be honest. Sure, I still prefer the original, but this one is interesting too. Recommended for the fans of the first movie and people of all ages who enjoy racing and inspiring stories!
The plot is on the more cliche side then the second one, which was unpredictable. Basically McQueen isn't as fast as he was in the past, because new electro cars join the game, and they have innonative technology. Everyone tells Lightning to quit racing and retire, but he insisted that it's his personal decision when he's done. He trains himself with a new character Cruz Ramirez. Honestly, the chemistry between the two was interesting. It has a generation gap that was best described as a young cheerful fan and a mature racer. Both have something to learn from each other, which makes them have flaws, thus making them believable. I also liked the flashbacks to the first movie with Doc. They added more depth to already inspiring story. Sure, it was more predictable, and sometimes felt generic, it was still well executed. It had more race scenes, to be more specific, they happened on a beach, on a derby with monster cars, and obviously, grand prix. These scenes were exciting! And it felt more like a sports film then the previous 2. The backgrounds felt immersive, especially on high speed. The new character designs were nice! Especially the neon colors on the electro ones and the horns on the monster cars.
I've also noticed that it ignores everything that the second built up. So, no spies, no eco fuel, not a single mention of what happened before. Which could be good or bad depending on each viewer. In fact, Mater has only a few scenes, perhaps, even less than in the first movie. Sure, I felt bad for him, since I liked him in the prequels. But since not a lot of people liked the sequel, it didn't hurt the threequel a lot. Perhaps, it was more faithful to the original, by having the same tone, and a moral about teamwork, rather than being just a mindless blockbuster. Cruz Ramirez felt like a very relatable character, who wanted to make her dream of being on the race track come true, she was sadly mistreated by others due to her trainer status. McQueen is the soon to be retired racer who doesn't want to give up and rather continue his job, despite of himself being too weak compared to the new generation. Seeing him in a new role as a mentor that realises that he's maybe too old to do the same stunts like in the past was an interesting take for the directors. The proprotagonist also deals with new problems along the way. And I'm glad that the creators are putting focus on him again. Speaking of him, his voice acting by Owen Wilson was improved and he actually sounded great. Not perfect, but he doesn't sound tired anymore, which is so good in my opinion. It looks like he took up some voice acting lessons before working on it. As for Jackson Storm, he's the rival rookie, that seems to be very mean to others, especially Cruz. He wasn't very special in my opinion, other than just being futuristic. There was also Sterling, the avid fan who wants to milk Lightning to sell merchandise and Miss Fritters, the crazy school bus who likes derby racing and seems to enjoy kicking others a lot. One last thing I'd like to mention is that both Chick Hicks and King returned for this film, which was also a great comeback from the original. I can't say much about the rest, still, the characters felt believable.
I'd say that if you want a great sequel to Cars, then this should be the perfect movie for you. The story was more predictable, but it was still a good movie with inspiring ideas, likeable characters, great animation and being closer to the first movie. Not a must watch, but still a good choice. I liked it to be honest. Sure, I still prefer the original, but this one is interesting too. Recommended for the fans of the first movie and people of all ages who enjoy racing and inspiring stories!