Friday Film Time - Cars 3: A full throttle adventure of fun and friendship

Heyhey Internet!

I hope you are doing well wherever you are in the world right now 🌏

Now isn't it exciting that I am actually uploading at a semi-decent time right now?? Yay for me guys, because it has been really difficult in the past week to do anything consistently.

I don't really know why this is, but if I figure it out I'll let ya know 😉 Never the less, I am super excited to keep on trying to be consistent and focused on creating some cool stuff for whoever stumbles upon these pages.

Today's blog post relates to something exciting I did on Tuesday.... I went to the movies! 🎬

Yes, that's how interesting my everyday life is. Going to the cinema is really, really fun for me and an excellent excuse to leave the confines of my house.

I love film and often don't have the patience to wait until movies come out on DVD or even make it to TV broadcast, so the cinema is a happy place for me.

Right now there are a bunch of movies that I desperately want to go and see, so prepare for a flurry of reviews coming at you. If there is something I love more than movies, it's talking about them in ridiculous detail 😜😜😜

So here's my thoughts on the subject of Tuesday's cinema excursion - Cars 3....
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4 STARS

The high-speed world of Piston Cup racing returns for another film in a feel-good, wholesome affair that combines the intense rivalry of competition with heart-warming stories of self-discovery.

Red rocket #95 Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is back in the spotlight and battling to keep up with the next generation of high tech, cutting edge racers. Unsure of whether it is time for retirement, McQueen goes searching for his roots once again in a quest to prove that he still has what it takes to come out on top.

Director Brian Fee hits the ground running with his debut at the helm of a feature, and delivers an exciting and colourful extravaganza with sentimental heart and soul at its core. There aren’t a whole lot of references to the spy crazy events of Cars 2, but it wasn’t necessary for this next installment to succeed.

It’s a whole new chapter in Lightning’s career with the perfect blend of familiar faces and new characters to properly shake things up.

Protagonist McQueen delivers his best story arc yet. In previous films he has been somewhat hard to deal with, but it would seem his newfound veteran status has mellowed him right out. His undying resilience and determination to prove his critics wrong is strong and a wonderful thing for young fans to aspire to.

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) team up to help rediscover McQueen's mojo
SOURCE: Fandango

Newcomer Cruz Ramirez is one of the standout characters on screen. Voiced by fierce Latino comedian Cristela Alonzo, she delivers some sweet and hilarious moments alongside an underlying deep and relatable arc that is quite touching at its peak.

As far as antagonists go, high-tech racing rookie Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) serves his purpose quite well. He certainly has some jaw-dropping moments and drives around with an air of smug superiority that audiences would expect from a Disney/Pixar villain.

Veteran racer McQueen faces a whole new level of competition from sleek, technologically innovative cars like Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer)
SOURCE: FSM Media

Much of this film is based around an overarching battle between gritty old school grit methods and the flashy numbers game of technological development. Although the focus was racing, the thematic sentiment around stripping it back to your roots and self-belief through Lightning’s characterisation was something thought-provoking to watch unfold on screen.

The nostalgia elements of this film which feed this idea of going back to your roots were spearheaded by the inclusion of some Piston Cup racing legends. They tell some great stories and teach McQueen some old tricks, which strengthen the sentimentality that Cars 3 conjures up.

This film ultimately emphasises a sense of equality for everyone on the racetrack and us as individuals being able to control our own destinies. Agency is key here, with McQueen giving viewers the memorable line “I decide when I’m done” and a surprise finish that is guaranteed to make audiences smile.

Old school legends of racing give a few words of wisdom to McQueen when it comes to beating Storm and the high tech racers
SOURCE: Indiewire

Accompanying the visual rollercoaster is a strong selection of music. The understated yet still dynamic score from musical maestro Randy Newman is accompanied by a compilation of pop/rock songs that adds to Cars 3’s comtemporary feel.

Artists like James Bay and Brad Paisley lend some classic road trip rock to montages of McQueen and Mack driving across the length of the United States. These subtle call-backs to Life Is A Highway in the original Cars film were really cool alongside new musical highlights like a jazzy version of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Glory Days’ sung by forklifts.

Even though Lightning McQueen and the Cars franchise screeched onto screens 11 years ago, their experiences are still fun and relevant for the whole family in 2017.

There are a tonne of light-hearted, hilarious moments to love, but Fee and his team have done well to also include a sentimental weight to the story that helps audiences to quickly move past that troublesome and trivial notion of not taking a film about talking cars very seriously.

We aren’t sure if the adventures of McQueen and the gang are over, but if this is the end of the franchise then they certainly went out with a bang. Cars 3 has grit, heart, soul and a strong sense of purpose which is reflective of classic Disney/Pixar collaborations. Regardless of whether you are into racing or not, this film is definitely worth a watch with an open mind.

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So there you go, I hope you enjoyed this review because I had a lot of fun writing it 😁 If you did like it, please share it and recommend to friends 💖

Question of the Day: Who is your favourite character from the Cars franchise? Leave me your answers in the comments section below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram (@miss_memphis98) to keep up to date with all things blog and me related 😉💙😁

Thanks for reading,

Love and pit stops, Emily xxx 🚗