Powerful

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This movie is one of the biggest turnarounds from what seemed to be a doomed franchise I've ever seen. It seems like Pixar did learn from most of their mistakes with Cars 2, because this film is another example of what Pixar does best. I came into the theater with not a lot of optimism, due to Cars 2 being a disappointment. But, to my surprise, I really enjoyed my time, as I might like this movie almost as much as I do the first, which was, in my opinion, a Pixar classic. The story, premise, CGI, and animation are all great in this movie, which is what made the first one a smash hit in 2006. This movie looks beautiful, the story is poignant, the premise is really good, and best of all, this movie isn't a stupid spy movie for once, which is a breath of fresh air if I say so myself. I did notice that this movie can sometimes rely too heavily on a few plot points that were in the first movie and how the flow of this movie, while still really good, is a bit stretchy at times, which can make a scene or two either feel long or short. These minor flaws did not hinder my feelings of this film too much, because it is still one of the best comebacks I have ever seen, as the franchise is getting back on track to being great again. I recommend everyone who loves the Cars films to see this movie, because this has most of the great things that made the first film great while still feeling like a proper continuation, as this film is an amazing sequel that Cars 2 should have been.

Lightning McQueen is humiliated when he crashes in a race won by arrogant - and very fast - upstart Jackson Storm. After moping about for a while, McQueen decides he is not ready for retirement. He finds a news sponsor, but has a rocky relationship with Cruz Ramirez, the trainer provided for him: her ideas about training are very different to his, and he can't help thinking back to his mentor Doc Hudson. And it is a fact that he is getting older and slower.Cars is probably my least favourite Pixar franchise. The first one was OK+ and the second one was merely OK. So here we are with the 3rd entry in a franchise which has never thrilled me, and which has gone slightly downhill in the two preceding entries - and it's really, really good.There were three reasons why I liked this so much. One was the technical side of the CGI - the background design, the lighting, dust and water animation etc. were all superb. The second thing I liked was Paul Newman's voice cameo, nearly 9 years after his death, with dialogue heard here for the first time. And the third thing which I liked - loved, actually - was the way the story stopped being silliness about an old car which couldn't go fast enough, and started to be about self-image and self-worth, heritage, and sacrifice for the benefit of others.And the final race has you seriously on the edge of your seat, not just because of suspense over the result, but because of the emotional stakes.If the Cars franchise finishes with this film, it would be a very fitting film to go out on.

The franchise may be close to the last checkered flag. CARS 2 was a letdown from the original and now we have CARS 3 and hate to say...a busy disappointment. The legendary Lighting McQueen (Owen Wilson) has just about ran all the tread off his tires as a new generation of blazing-fast racers seem to be close to forcing him out of the sport he loves. Lighting will need some tips from a young technician, Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) and some much needed inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet to even have the chance to prove he can still race with the best of the young generation.Other featured voices in this animated , adventure feature: Armie Hammer, Chris Cooper, Larry the Cable Guy, Nathan Fillion, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, John Ratzenberger, Kyle Petty, Bob Costas, Jeff Gordon, Andra Day, Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty.

If you loved Cars when it came out in 2006 and liked Cars 2 for the fun spy theme, you won't be disappointed in Cars 3. It doesn't matter what anyone else says, this movie had me grinning from ear to ear the whole time. Whenever I wasn't exclaiming: "That was so good!" Maybe those who swim in the dark waters of other films can't handle the heart this story offers us, but I love it. And I'm a guy who really enjoys the action/ adventure movie category! Yet animation gives us something entirely different. Cars 3 is it's own unique style of different, but relatable characters and quirky one-liners bring us back to home...where laughter rings clean and true... where our grandparents lessons are what we teach our kids... where it's not all about you, but how you help others be who they are. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of movie we all need to experience.