Cars 2

CARS 2 (2011) - Aug. 7, 2011
Well made and enjoyable enough, this can't help but feel like a let-down coming from the previously untouchable Pixar.  Even by the standards of the first Cars, a lesser Pixar effort, this was still a let-down.  At least the first Cars, though not exactly a masterpiece, had an endearingly earnest sensibility that made it well worth watching, and which helped to compensate for some of its weaknesses.  Here, earnestness has been traded in for over-the-top action and hijinks aplenty, and the film definitely suffers for it.  It probably doesn't help that Mater -- barely tolerable in his supporting role in the original -- has been thrust into the spotlight, despite the fact that this is a character that is best in small doses (if that) who was clearly never intended to headline a film.   **1/2