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The ‘Cars’ that could
Playing it safe is a common phrase, common enough to be crooned so much by the media and the powers that be that it sometimes hinders the vision of dedicated film-makers.
In filmdom, playing it safe relates to a tie-in with a scrapped, commercially successful popular brand — whether that brand be a successful book by Dan Brown or an iconographic blend of robust heroes bursting out of a comic book. But perhaps it all makes sense; after all, dealing with a $100,000,000 commodity for a crucial box-office success would entice anyone to be risk averse.
But as far as Cars, the freshly-coated animated film by John Lasseter is concerned, the dilemma isn’t commercial viability; it’s the persistence and flow of the storytelling.
The world shown in Cars isn’t radically different than that of, say, a little fish named Nemo. The characters talk in a universally acknowledged language — English, and they have decorative interiors for drivers. Much like regular folks, the underlying humanity in Cars is quite evident.
A cocky, rookie, scarlet-finished race car, braided with media buildup, Lightning McQueen, ties in with two other cars — Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) and the old hand, retiring title holder ‘The King’, Strip Weathers — in a historic finale of the Piston Cup. The tiebreaker of the event would take place the following week at Los Angeles. En route to the event, McQueen coaxes his transport truck buddy, Mack, into pulling an all-nighter on the highway so he can be the first one to arrive in LA.
The world shown in ‘Cars’ isn’t radically different than that of, say, a little fish named Nemo. The characters talk in a universally acknowledged language — English, and they have decorative interiors for drivers. Much like regular folks, the underlying humanity in ‘Cars’ is quite evident
Mack dozes off, gets pestered by hot-rodders and McQueen slides mid-way into a speeding highway, from where he somehow crashes through a parish by the name of Radiator Springs. Sentenced to community service, McQueen now has to reconstruct the damaged road leading to the highway.
As one watches, one finds that Lasseter’s work plays itself out to a certain degree, and the only flaw one commits to memory was Cars’ one-dimensional account on Michael J. Fox’s yesteryear romantic-comedy drama, Doc Hollywood.
There is a nostalgic longing as Lasseter reflects on the downward gradient of a town which once hosted regular customers travelling through intersecting highway routes. Being a part of Cars, however, the main bread and butter of the town would be tune-ups, garages for R&R’s (posing as hotel rooms) and other vehicular-conditioning services.
Cars carries a ‘G’ rating with a spotless racetrack and a slow 120-minute pace, starring the voices of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub and Jenifer Lewis. With music by Randy Newman and direction by John Lasseter, the film has been co-directed by Joe Ranft.
Cars when compared to earlier films by John Lasseter, stands out as evident as a lone Volkswagen between a regiment of Mercedes.
In the opening scenes, the flashing cars will captivate your senses as they move around the racetrack at the finale of the Piston Cup. You’ll be mesmerised by the fluid movement of their wheels and the magnetic effect of the soundtrack adds to the heart-pumping scenario. But sadly, that fast-paced adrenaline rush doesn’t last. The absence of pace, amusement and real human characters leads to disappointment.
The image and the standard of Pixar is a tough one to follow, as their products always leave you spellbound by their visual splendor. The true driving force behind their films is depth of characterization — from the main lead to the supporting cast — which this one, wretchedly, had only in bits and pieces.
This is on no account a bad film. It has warmth and heart, but the glumness of the journey messes it up along the way. Though it is not as good as Toy Story and its sequel or A Bug’s Life — all three having been directed by Lasseter — it is still far better than most animated fluff coming out these days.
It is truly not meant for restless active children, as it will drive them up the wall or put them to sleep. — Farheen Jawaid
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