Cars 3

Note: This review contains spoilers for Cars 3.

Sometimes when watching a film series, you might skip any entries past a certain point because you felt burned by one of the sequels. Such was the case for us with Cars 3, the only Pixar film we hadn’t seen, since we viewed Cars 2 as a less-than-stellar sequel to an already okay film. Though we had heard good things about Cars 3, we actively avoided it for about four years until a window of opportunity struck and we could finally complete that unsightly gap in our Pixar viewing via Disney+. As it turned out, it improved on the previous films enough that we now wonder why we didn’t watch it sooner.

Second Look - Cars 2

Note: This review contains spoilers for Cars 2.

I will admit that when I first saw Cars 2 in a theater, my expectations weren’t that high because of how generally underwhelming I found the original Cars film in comparison to Pixar’s output at the time, however I didn’t expect to walk away feeling disappointed at the time for what felt like a poorly-executed storyline for Pixar. This even led me to outright skip the original theatrical run of Cars 3 due to my reaction to Cars 2, though in the years since then I decided to give Cars 2 another chance after watching Cars 3 on Disney+ and finding it surprisingly good. Unfortunately, however, I still wasn’t that impressed by Cars 2, though now I have a better understanding as to why.

Cars

Note: The review contains spoilers for Cars.

When you start off good and you’ve been practicing your craft long enough, you are likely to have at least one weak point somewhere in your career. In the case of Pixar, their first arguably weak movie in their catalog was the original Cars film in 2006. When I saw the first trailer in front of The Incredibles in a theater, I will admit the concept of basing a movie around a world of anthropomorphic vehicles was baffling to me, however I watched it anyway out of my loyalty to Pixar, finding it surprisingly average for them at the time and their weakest film until Cars 2 came out in 2011. In the 15 years since, I have only watched Cars again sparingly, however I recently decided to give it a closer look to see how well it held up when compared to its sequels. Though I generally enjoyed it, it’s still not exactly one of Pixar’s better movies.

2011 - The Highlights (EHeroFlareNeos)

With 2012 upon us, it's time to look forward to what we can enjoy in the new year. However, this is also the perfect time to look back at what releases made 2011 so great, as well as others that didn't quite hold up. Below is my list of the top movies, games and disappointments of the year (in no particular order), along with links to the reviews of each title on this blog for further reading.

Top Movies of 2011

Captain America: The First Avenger
Among Marvel Studio's run of contributions to comic book movies, Captain America is easily one of the best. With a great cast and a greater emphasis on the title hero's original time period, this film provides a great balance of action, comedy, and drama to stand as one which all Superhero movies should aspire to be. If other studios took notes from this, then the comic book movie would definitely blossom into a much more widespread and competent genre than it is now.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
If you're like me and have read the Harry Potter series of books since you were a child, then you were no doubt looking forward to seeing this movie for years. As an adaptation and continuation, it sticks very closely to the book and yet manages to make the final fight against the powerful Voldemort even more of a spectacle worthy of cinema. It served as a fitting conclusion to the franchise, save for perhaps the epilogue, and I'm very happy to be able to say my final goodbye to the boy who lived.


Kung Fu Panda 2
As one of the few movies from Dreamworks Animation that feels worthy of being called a movie, Kung Fu Panda 2 shows just what the studio is capable of creating without stuffing a film with dated pop cultural references. In addition it stands as a great modern martial arts flick, with plenty of over the top action and lore to keep the action fan in you satisfied, combined with a great blend of humor and character development to leave you wanting more.


The Artist
As a black & white silent film, The Artist sticks out among every other movie released in the past few decades. When viewing it as a movie in general, it is a masterpiece of cinema that lets the audience learn not only what life was like for stars during the transition from silent films to talkies in the earlier days of Hollywood, but also that sometimes a movie doesn't need to be filled to the brim with special effects and sound to be enjoyable. It is one of the few films I have ever cried at as much as I did during one especially emotional scene and also one of the few that gave me time to actually care about what happened to the characters onscreen. I would encourage anyone interested in this era of film making to watch this masterful throwback to a time where less was more.

Top Video Games of 2011

Batman: Arkham City
For a studio with only two other games under their belt, it is very clear how passionate Rocksteady is about Batman. With an absolutely powerful script penned by Paul Dini, fantastic performances by Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, improved combat, and plenty of incentive to explore the titular city, Batman: Arkham City is a game that literally no one with a gaming system should pass up. For me personally, it stands as a great contender for the best video game I have ever played, though it is safe to say I feel that way regarding Superhero games in general.


Dead Space 2
While Dead Space 2 may reside in a genre I would normally avoid, it managed to build up the right atmosphere and tension to get me sucked into the action onscreen. Having to retrain yourself to shoot the limbs instead of the head also brings out the player's more tactical side in a great effort to stay alive in space. If more games like this and Bulletstorm existed to help introduce more variety in this fashion, then there would probably be more worthy single player campaigns out there for the FPS genre today.

Portal 2
While the original Portal was a very short game, it also provided plenty of entertainment to make repeat trips into Aperture Science enjoyable every single time. For the sequel, Valve Software managed not only to retain what made the first one fun, they made the overall experience even better. From expert integration of Cross-console Co-op to wildly fun new game mechanics, there is hardly anything this game gets wrong.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
As action games continue to set the bar in video games, the Uncharted franchise will continue to vault over it. Drake's Deception not only defines what is possible to display on PS3, but also sets a new limit on how many setpiece moments you can put in a game without taking away from an outstanding plot and characters. While at least one mechanic hiccups despite improvements to combat, there is a lot to like about Uncharted 3 for PS3 owners, even if the series is just starting to feel a little formulaic at its core.

Top Disappointments of 2011

Cars 2
Right off the heels of Toy Story 3, Cars 2 is a perfect example of what happens when you make a sequel with the sole purpose of selling more merchandise. This movie is not only a drastic drop in quality from most of Pixar's earlier works, it takes a swan dive through every spy movie cliche imaginable and heads straight toward the number in the title. Hopefully their next project, Brave, will restore faith in Pixar enough to help audiences pretend this one never existed.

Green Lantern
While I hadn't been looking forward to this film as much as I did the ones coming out from Marvel Studios, I at least wanted to see if Warner Bros. could help satiate my interest in Superhero movies in between releases. Unfortunately, the overemphasis on loud visuals and constant exposition seemed to really make this the blackest night for its genre in 2011.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations
I wanted to like Assassin's Creed: Revelations after my buildup of playing every other game, really I did. But when you take the increased emphasis on Multiplayer, abysmally incorporated Den Defense, and zero incentive to take advantage of bomb crafting into account, it creates a game that, while more enjoyable than Brotherhood, almost looks like a mess when you look at the big picture. With 2012 comes a new protagonist to the Assassin's Creed franchise, and hopefully one whose story isn't nearly forgotten in the pursuit of attracting the multiplayer crowd.

2011 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

2012 is just around the corner, so this is a perfect time to reflect on some of the best and worst releases of 2011. Included is a list of what I liked and didn't like out of my experiences this year, with some added links to the full reviews elsewhere on the blog. Keep in mind that what I list is not in any set order.

Top Movies of 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

It feels sort of obligatory for me to include this, but I really enjoyed this movie as a Transformers fan. The special effects are better than ever, the 3D was spectacular, and there was some nice pacing to the action that eats up about half the movie. It still wasn't my favorite movie this year, but I definitely felt it was exciting, unlike Revenge of the Fallen from two years ago.

Hugo

As an adaptation of a book, this movie does a fantastic job, enough to let it stand on its own. Its theme of older movies is handled quite nicely, mainly in the way it revolves around the life and works of Georges Méliès, and it also gives a nice emotional story that is very unforgettable. The 3D adds a sense of depth to the environments, as well as some of the scenes themselves, and sometimes it's really cool to see very intricately placed automaton parts work in motion.

The Artist

In an era where every movie has sound and most have some sort of special effects, The Artist is unique in that it is a black and white silent movie much like those from the early days of the medium. There is plenty of time to get to know and feel for the characters in this movie, and some scenes can even make you cry because you are given time to care. Though most modern film-goers probably wouldn't be caught dead watching this film, it is one that you have to see if you appreciate the era that this pays homage to.

Top Games of 2011

Portal 2

The original Portal is a very interesting, not to mention fun, puzzle game, and the sequel truly ups the ante. More complex puzzles, new gameplay elements, humorous characters, fantastic music, and the ability to play together with someone else across systems really add to the experience and make it one of the best games this year. This is especially a must for puzzle gamers to witness for themselves.

God of War Origins Collection

The God of War games have been consistently good thus far, and this collection of two PSP games is no exception. Even though the only major differences are shinier graphics and a more dedicated dodge command, it feels nice to play them with a controller in hand on a bigger screen.

Top Disappointments of 2011

Alice: Madness Returns

This game was disappointing, if only due to some flaws. Ledges cannot be grasped, mid-air attacks are impossible, and some of the horror aspect becomes a little generic as the game progresses. Still, while it does not hold up to its predecessor, this sequel provides a solid, worthwhile experience.

Thor (in 3D)

The movie itself isn't too bad, just the awful 3D that bogged down my theater experience. It was difficult to see exactly what was going on in several scenes, particularly when there was any fighting on another world. Hopefully I'll have a better experience once I watch it again on Blu-ray.

Cars 2

This is quite possibly the worst movie I've seen from this year. The plot is made of nearly every spy movie on the planet, it's filled with national stereotypes, and the character we hear for most of the movie is practically unbearable. What's made even worse is that this abomination to cinema was made by Pixar, a very highly respected animation studio with an impressive track record up to this point. It seems rather obvious that this movie was made just to sell toys, which is rather sad, though unlike Transformers 3 which had a similar intent, this one is severely lacking in thrills.

Honorable Mentions of 2011 (Things I Did Not Review, But Deserve Mention)

Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D: Bonds Beyond Time

As a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, I really enjoyed this movie. Sure, there are some logical fallacies here and there, but it was still amazing to watch the 3D make all the monsters pop right out at you. Even if you see this movie and don't like it, it's at least a vast improvement over 2004's Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie.

Tetris (PS3)

Tetris is a game that is pretty much expected to appear on any gaming platform nowadays, and this recent addition to the series doesn't disappoint. I have yet to dip into the multiplayer aspect of this version, but I can say that while it isn't too much different than its PSP counterpart, this game can easily provide hours upon hours of addictive fun.

Cars 2 - It Could Use A Tune-Up

Normally, I look forward to Pixar movies. Pixar is a studio that always manages to churn out a high quality movie with attention to every small detail. However, while I do love what they put out, Cars is the exception. While enjoyable, the original Cars just felt like something was missing that would have made it as good as every other Pixar movie. I wasn't expecting much out of the sequel, and it has done little to impress.

The plot is basically every spy movie you have seen in your entire life, but with cars, down to the character types and sequence of events. All you need to do is make the main character a bumbling idiot, then replace that idiot with Larry the Cable Guy. Instead of a genuine Pixar movie, it feels more like a movie dedicated to him with spy elements shoehorned in. It's very uninspired and clichéd, which is surprising considering Pixar's track record.

While I do applaud the detail in the movie, mostly the cars, there were some things that seemed off. For example, the oil rigs at the beginning of the movie spew flames from the top, but they look unfinished like a low-res video game. It was not only things like this, but also logistically and location-wise. All the different types of cars that race each other in the World Grand Prix, the supposed central race of the movie that feels more like a background event, would not be able to race in real life due to how different the models are. When the race starts in Tokyo, the obligatory bathroom scene has a bit too much focus on Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and the bidet joke doesn't work very well because it is a French bathroom appliance and not Japanese. Also, the "bromance" between Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater seems to come completely out of nowhere, since the first installment did not leave me with the feeling that they were that close as friends.

I wish I had more to say, but there actually isn't much else. While children who enjoyed the original Cars may get some satisfaction out of the sequel, there isn't much to offer for adults, except for the Toy Story short at the beginning which, sadly, is a much more clever and entertaining three minutes than the hour-and-a-half that follows. Pixar has been able to create movie gold since their first feature, Toy Story. If the next offering can keep the same magic as most every other movie the studio has put out before, then consider Cars 2 a pit stop between movies. If you want to watch it to complete your Pixar experience, that's fine, but this one actually seems skip-worthy at best.