Flimsy plot

Cars 2 may have shifted the action to a higher gear with technical
wizardry but in the bargain has been divested of its soul

IT has been said before but it needs repeating that no amount of glitz, glamour, FX or technical wizardry can make up for the lack of soul or in other words a good narrative. That the honchos of the theatre, Dolby and distributors prefaced the screening with their little speeches did not help either. The damage had already been done and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not save Cars 2 from the fate that awaits it at the box office.

What’s more? It is all of 113-minute-long, which seems much longer because all the slam-bang action, cars coming out of the ears and into orbit is merely one-dimensional and a struggle to keep awake. But if one looks very closely or googles the synopsis, there is a flimsy plot.

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson’s voice) is a sleek race car pitted against an Italian car named Francisco. Now there’s a larger picture, all very noble — gasoline vs eco-friendly fuel. But it is well and truly buried in bushels of chaff.

McQueen and his loser friend, the buck-toothed tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) head for the World Grand Prix and apart from Mater getting on one’s nerves with his lovable-idiot-from-Hicksville-act, they chug along until Mater gets mixed up with a very British spy sedan Finn McMissile (Michael Caine), who is trying to stop the villain from sabotaging the races.

The Grand Prix races are to be held in Japan, Italy and London and it is here that directors John Lassiter and Brad Lewis are at their best with an eye for the sounds, landscapes and cultural details, which is easily the saving grace of the film. Otherwise it is a lot of jazz that tries to substitute a good narrative or even a semblance of cumulative build-up. Well Cars 2 may have shifted the action to a higher gear but in the bargain has divested it of soul and all one can do is brave it out till the finish. A real bore.

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