Cars 2

By Pixar's standards, it's cruelly declassed, although in theory the film has everything a restless lamp product should have. But it’s put together so stupidly, unbearably and boringly that the film absolutely lacks the universal magic of the best Pixar films. Worst of all, we're not talking about some kind of childish naivety, but a film that is really stupid and incredibly annoying in places, which, from my point of view, dulls and corrupts the child viewer with the latest garage smudge. It is sad to see how empty Pixar's otherwise precise universe can feel when it is turnkey and without ingenuity. This is not the way! (27/07/2011)

Did the magic of Cars in Kardanová Lhota disappear? Hard to say, but there is one small argument. Doesn't the second part take place everywhere except for a few minutes NOT in Kardanová Lhota? Lightning McQueen needed to find himself and he did it in a typically Pixar-style semi-adult way. But Mater was always a functional tool to brighten the eyes of the youngest rascals in the audience, and his naivety works even the second time around. Although the screenplay jumps from one thing to another and fragments the main plot, the obvious message about friendship and self-confidence surprisingly works very well, not only immediately after leaving the cinema. The perfect animation of the races and all the world's metropolises can be almost taken for granted. A 70% that is funny and growing, though understandably quite childish. (11/08/2011)

The truth is that there are few action cartoons. But this one definitely isn't lacking in action. At the beginning I have to point out a few funny scenes (wasabi, toilets). I also liked the few minutes at the airport. My overall impression is a bit scatterbrained, though. Beautiful colors mixed into one incomprehensibly mottled picture. Almost 2 hours is too much for an animated film for kids. This time the 3D was pretty well done. 3 stars. I liked the short before the film (Hawaiian Vacation) more than the film itself. I guess it wasn't meant to be, was it? (02/08/2011)

The weakest Pixar, although it is a decent spy film for “kids”. For this giant, though, it's still a bummer. (24/11/2011)

A perfectly animated ode to friendship that everyone else writes off for God knows what reason... The much-talked-about story is no more of a clichéd atrocity than the (rightly) cursed plotline of the first film. On the contrary, I would say that the filmmakers' effort to make Cars 2 a different film is commendable. The film seems more mature (Bond-esque action and many non-childish references) and is somehow darker (the fuel patch, the "dying" cars) and as a lover of spy spectacles, it certainly didn't leave me cold. Fortunately, it does not forget the main thing - to entertain the young and old alike. A big, maybe even a giant plus is of course the (almost main) character dubbed by Michael Caine. Other pros: A sophisticated world full of little details (the first scenes set in Paris or the whole English ending are full of so many details that I have a lot to explore again), Giacchino's music, the imaginative action sequences, which could be the envy of any feature film. Negative aspects: The fecal humor (or its equivalents - oil leaks, etc.), the length of the film (killer). I give it four stars. But it really is the weakest Pixar. (28/11/2011)

Pixar Studios is currently not one that specializes too much in sequels. "Toy Story" was a long-time exception, which - it seems - will be the rule since "Cars 2" was made. Pixar built on the idea that each of their films was unique, creating new worlds, new stories. I was quite surprised when it was announced that "Cars" would have its sequel because I could imagine it more with "The Incredibles," but there's no use fretting. By the way, the next sequel - actually a prequel - will be the film "Monsters University." But we can also expect original films, such as the first one, "Brave," also known as "Rebelka" in Czech. Some Czech distributor got really excited about that. Well, back to the cars. The concept of the film is original, styled as a spy film/comedy, but there are not many jokes and they are quite childish. The funniest part was the final scene with the royal guard. This wouldn't be bad at all with any other studio, but these are the Pixar people and one - especially after the beautiful "Toy Story 3" - expects a little more. But the level of animated films at Pixar is still high. The animation itself is simply beautiful, always adapted to the story and surroundings. You may be somewhat disappointed, but I strongly doubt it would make you give up on Pixar completely. More information: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/06/rockova-lod-cruise-diaz-shawshank.html (21/02/2013)

While the first installment belongs to one of the best animated movies ever, the second one is not even half as good. It doesn't bring anything new, it’s mediocre, with a few jokes here and there, but pretty weak compared to the first one. Exchanging the racing environment for an espionage theme wasn’t a good move for this franchise. 3 stars. (10/01/2012)