New to Home Theaters: Third ‘Cars’ film new to DVD this weekend
Lightning McQueen has a lot to prove in the third installment of the beloved Pixar movie franchise.
The film is Brian Fee’s directorial debut, though he’s known for his work in the art department of other animated classics like “Cars 2” and “WALL-E.”
When a new generation of faster, cooler cars hits the market, the well-known Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson, “Midnight in Paris” and “Wedding Crashers”) finds himself out of a job, unable to match their speed.
It’s up to a new, up-and-coming mechanic and race technician, Cruz Ramirez (voice of Cristela Alonzo, “Cristela” and “The View”) to help McQueen. Inspiration is also drawn from Fabulous Hudson Hornet, while the plot takes a few twists and turns.
McQueen will be put to the ultimate test when he’s plotted against the best of the best with the help of trusty friends like Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy, “Cars” and “Blue Collar Comedy Tour”). A number of other cars, new and old, appear in the third installment including Smokey (voice of Chris Cooper, “American Beauty” and “The Patriot”), Sterling (voice of Nathan Fillion, “Castle” and “Serenity”), Jackson Storm (voice of Armie Hammer, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “The Long Ranger”), Luigi (voice of Tony Shalhoub, “Monk” and “Men in Black”), Sally (voice of Bonnie Hunt, “Return to Me” and “The Green Mile”), Miss Fritter (voice of Lea DeLaria, “Orange Is The New Black” and “Edge of Seventeen”) and Natalie Certain (voice of Kerry Washington, “Django Unchained” and “Scandal”).
“Cars 3” received a 68 percent and 71 percent fresh rating from critics and audiences, respectively, from the media review website, RottenTomatoes.com, while members of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) gave it 7 out of 10 stars.
The film was met with mixed reviews from critics, with Christopher Orr asking in a review for The Atlantic if Pixar was running out of gas.
“The good news is that ‘Cars 3’ is better than ‘Cars 2.’ The bad news is that by Pixar standards, it’s still not good; a lightweight and exceptionally familiar story about a written-off old guy making his Big Sports Comeback,” Orr wrote.
Noting Pixar’s seemingly new business model of releasing “second-tier sequels for every groundbreaking new film,” Orr said it might work in another studio.
“But this is Pixar, the studio that revolutionized animated storytelling and has long boasted of its ethos of excellence or bust,” he wrote. “For now, the studio is clearly lowering its sights.”
Other reviews, however, highlighted the film’s sentimentality and overall success, including once from James Berardinelli for Reel Views.
“‘Cars 3’ starts out looking like a big comeback movie then pulls a switcheroo,” Berardinelli wrote. “It morphs into a more thoughtful film that explores how no one, not even a great hero and champion, can defeat time. Rather than trying to recapture past triumphs, the key to living a meaningful life is to move forward.”
The film rated G.
Other films that arrived on Blu-ray and DVD this week include:
n “Ingrid Goes West” starring Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen and O’Shea Jackson Jr., directed by Matt Spicer, follows an Instagram star and her social media stalker.
The film is rated R.
n “The Glass Castle” starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts, directed by Destin Daniel Creeton, follows a young girl through her life of poverty and a dysfunctional family.
The film is rated PG-13.