Within the entirety of Pixar's 30+ years of making films feature-lengthed and short, the most notable black mark that even the most unbeknownst of audiences could comment on is the often-criticised Cars franchise. Despite the 2006 original film clearly coming from a place close to Executive Producer and Toy Story director John Lasseter's heart, and in turn got a moderate amount of praise despite being a drop in quality following the double-whammy that was Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, 2011 sequel Cars 2 was evidently all about the merchandising dough (the brand had earned over $10bn in revenue at that point); throwing out the smaller story about a big-shot finding true happiness and instead having the comic relief go on a worldwide spy adventure with gunfire and explosions. Cars 2 ended up being the studio's first big dud; with no Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination for the first time and a Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, the only saving grace came once again through the merchandise sales. And with spin-off franchises such as Planes making their own impact on the brand, and these films essentially pay for Pixar to make riskier productions such as Inside Out and the upcoming Coco. But with this third instalment going back to basics and the marketing going hard on the image of a destructive Lightning McQueen, can this entry save the franchise?
McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is an unstoppable driving machine when it comes to the Piston Cup, winning countless seasons whilst still keeping a fine comradery with his fellow racers. That is until a rookie called Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) makes a big splash onto the field, using statistics and technology to perfect his performance and in turn shunning his competitors. With many either retiring or being fired in response to the surge in technological advancement, Lightning soon becomes one of the few traditional racers left, and even then he has fewer wins under his hood than ever before. But things truly come to a head when, in a mad dash to catch up with Storm, McQueen loses control and ends up in a similarly severe accident that his former mentor Doc Hudson (Paul Newman, here voiced using unused archive recordings from the first film). With that seemingly being the last straw for the racer's new sponsor (Nathan Fillion), Lightning has only a short period of time to prove to everyone that he's not ready to retire; proving that the classic ways that he and Doc were trained are superior to the simulators and treadmills. With unwanted support coming along for the journey in the form of Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), McQueen must prove his worth and come to his own... unless there's another way to find happiness on the race track.
It's a welcome relief to see the franchise return to a smaller-scaled story following the overly bombastic approach taken last time, and in turn it makes the overarching storyline much more appealing. While it does also mean that there's only really one storyline for the entire 110-minute runtime, which the film struggles to fill up with despite countless high-adrenaline sequences, it's at least a somewhat charming venture which long-time viewers and fans will appreciate all the more. It's very much Lightning's story (the majority of the Radiator Springs cast, including Mater, is pushed aside for this focus), and regardless of what you think of the character you do at least feel for him as he pushes himself to become better than ever before.
As ever with Pixar, the film truly shines when it comes to the beloved animation department, as they once again prove just far they've gone as a studio and surprise you with the level of detail and realism despite being set in a world filled with anthropomorphic cars. From the specks of metal that flies across the race track during McQueen's crash to the woodland environments he trains in, the world he resides in looks incredibly realistic. It's especially noticeable when the film flashes back to scenes from the first instalment and you notice the increased detailing and shine on the characters – it personally makes me wish the studio would go back to the earlier films and remaster them in the same vein as video game companies do with their properties. Add some solid (if a tad unremarkable) direction from newcomer Brian Fee and you have a movie that looks good.
Resuming the lead role once again after being relegated to the sidelines in Cars 2, Owen Wilson delivers a great lead performance as Lightning McQueen, really showing off his dedication to the character and his desires. He can occasionally come across as a little grumpy and intolerant during the film's darker moments (a mandatory moment when he butts heads with Cruz comes to mind), but he hits his strides elsewhere. Cristela Alonzo's Cruz makes for a good foil though, and if future instalments do come out it wouldn't be surprising if she took over the series. She's likeable, dedicated, and likely will come across as a good role model for young female viewers. Armie Hammer, however, has so little an actual presence in the overall story outside of being a target for McQueen to beat – he's practically absent for a solid hour of the movie – that it's difficult to properly hate him. While he takes a lot of influence from former antagonist Chick Hicks (who returns as a TV show host, except jarringly voiced by Bob Peterson instead of Michael Keaton), he doesn't even get a majorly evil moment like Hicks attacking the King. He just makes snarky comments and drives fast.
Outside of the core cast, Larry the Cable Guy has a smaller presence but works just fine for kids to enjoy him, Bonnie Hunt provides just the right amount of support for her boyfriend, and hearing Paul Newman again nearly a decade after his death makes his appearance all the more endearing. Doc's former mentor appears in the form of a mimicking Chris Cooper, with help from a trio of former racers and makes a fine splash on the series, even if they are just fulfilling Newman's role. Meanwhile, Nathan Fillion is a mixed bag, as he can't decide whether he's friend or foe, and Lea DeLaria is so over the top as a school bus/demolition derby champion (don't ask) that she's only a tad intimidating.
Cars 3 is the true sequel to Cars, borrowing plenty of elements that made that film good to rectify the errors made in the film's first successor and pumping gas into a franchise that had quickly been left to run on fumes. Whilst the argument can still be made that this didn't need to be a franchise, let alone one that consists of a trilogy, the great animation and partially charming story make the film noteworthy enough that it may end up elevating the franchise and become less of a sour patch for the beloved studio behind them. 6/10.
It's somewhat bizarre to imagine that, within the timespan to the countless X-Men entries, that we've reached the sixth (seventh if you include Captain America: Civil War) feature-lengthed adventure for the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man in now his third incarnation. From the overly cheesy yet charming days of the Tobey Maguire-headlined trilogy to the darkly stupid escapades of Andrew Garfield's webslinger, Homecoming comes about with yet another interpretation of Peter Parker, with Tom Holland reprising the role last seen in 2016's Civil War with two different twists: being centred around the high school setting that the character's spent his early years in (the prior adaptations quickly moved past the setting) and - after years of fans badgering Sony Pictures – being a proper Spider-Man movie within the beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe; with Robert Downey Jr. having a substantial supporting role as Peter's mentor/pseudo-father figure. But with the studios undecided where exactly the future of the character and his universe is at (various Spider-Man villains are getting their own movies that are unrelated to the current Spidey) and the character already having so many introductory movies this century, can the titular Homecoming be a solid return to form for the character after a disastrous Amazing Spider-Man 2 or is it a tangled web?
A couple of months after the big Avengers fight at the airport and Peter Parker is still waiting for the big call from Tony Stark (Downey Jr) about becoming an Avenger. While he's embracing his super-heroic abilities by taking on smaller crimes though, he's putting aside focus on his extra-curricular activities; excusing himself because of the 'Stark internship' he's a part of. He inadvertently lets slip to best friend and fellow nerd Ned (Jacob Batalon), who reckons that his superhero persona may help him win over the heart of the high-achieving Liz (Laura Harrier). But during a planned attempt at making himself look cool in front of his friends and bully (Tony Revolori), the web-head catches wind of an illegal arms trade made up of alien and Avengers technology. With his mentor not answering his calls and a greedy winged menace (Michael Keaton) in the midst, can the swinging sensation prove his worth and save the day?
The thing with doing yet another Spider-Man 'origin' (no spider biting but it's still his first steps into the forefront) is that the writers are running low on ideas as to where they can take the character that’s new to both the character and the wider world he now resides in, and it shows on screen. It is refreshing to see the focus on the high school environment that past films have glossed over and using it to progress the narrative rather than just as a backdrop (like the Lizard fight in the library in The Amazing Spider-Man) and it is great seeing a version where the arachnid adventurer has a right-hand man helping him out instead of just a love interest, but the film ultimately suffers from having a so-so main story that was partially ruined by the marketing – when will Sony learn? – and not quite feeling as strong nor imaginative as previous entries to previous franchises. It is certainly less crowded, with only one major villain and only a couple of storylines tied together against the overly-stuffed Amazing Spider-Man 2, and the smaller scale does make it refreshing in the same way as Ant-Man against the larger blockbuster that preceded it (Age of Ultron in Ant-Man's case, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in this case), but overall it works as mostly re-establishing the character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The most joyous thing about the character's reinvention into the more comedically-tuned MCU is that it brings about a funnier tone, while not focusing too much on foreshadowing future storylines like the previous Spider-Man franchise did. With a couple of comedic writers within the six-man screenwriting team (perhaps a few too many) it does continue to bring about the levity that prior incarnations went about with either too cornily or forcibly. It keeps up the classically quippy nature that we've grown accustomed to and leads to some hilarious moments, albeit arguably not as funny as the Guardians and Avengers movies. As for the aforementioned foreshadowing, while there are plenty of Easter eggs and character mentions that'll likely excite hardcore Spidey fans, here's It's nothing more than that. No big lead-ups towards Infinity War; no Sinister Six being built up; hell, there's not even a glimpse at Oscorp, a massive part of both of the previous versions. It's as if Sony finally learned their lesson - although that doesn't stop them from reminding the viewer that they're now making MCU-based movies, with references abound and a recurring appearance from a PSA-reading Chris Evans. It does get old fast, although a couple of them are genuinely well-done and funny.
Jon Watts may seem like an odd choice considering his limited experiences as a director, but he does do a good job, capturing the school setting excellently and clearly showing good rapport with his actors. However, the film is hardly a visual spectacle, with nothing especially eye-catching and the action sequences mostly out of intensity and direction as opposed to cinematography or visual prowess. But in a way, that helps cement the more grounded approach to this version of Spider-Man: this is a superhero at the beginning of his run, so of course, he isn't going to jump straight into the extravagant battles or adventures. With luck, the franchise will build on that, but it's too early to really guess on that front.
After a winning performance in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland continues to shine as the titular wall-crawler as he takes centre stage in his first solo outing. He truly captures both personas of the character that his predecessors failed to fully grasp and we're all the better for it. While the younger take may have put some people off him in Civil War, here he wins over any naysayers and makes you forget all about the troublesome past. His best friend Batalon is an outright scene-stealer though, bringing big laughs and a lot of heart into his performance and being the perfect person for Holland to bounce off from. Similarly, Holland and Harrier share some strong and palpable chemistry despite her role being ultimately underdeveloped outside of being a Type-A love interest. Fellow school chum Zendaya is a little too overhyped in her Allison Reynolds-esque role, but she makes a good enough mark in a role that's probably the only one with a future fully planned out, whilst Revolori is a far cry from his charming Zero in The Grand Budapest Hotel, with his bully character being a little one-note with his taunts. Meanwhile there's plenty of other bright and upcoming child actors sprinkled around the place which do good enough jobs, with Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys) and Abraham Attah (Beasts of No Nation) the most notable of which, while teachers include comedy alums like Martin Starr and Hannibal Buress bring about their good work in minor roles.
Outside of school, there's Michael Keaton's Vulture, who brings about a solid backstory in the first few minutes and a menacing performance throughout but does ultimately feel like yet another Marvel villain. Despite an interesting dynamic between himself, Peter and Tony, he doesn't feel as important as he should be in the overall journey, with his Vulture guise looking very dull. Logan Marshall-Green makes for an okay henchman, while Michael Chernus' Tinkerer is mostly there to hint towards the big finale and Donald Glover is mostly one big easter egg (but hooray for him finally getting his Spider-Man wish! Technically). On the opposite side of the spectrum, Robert Downey Jr is thankfully not in the movie as much as the marketing suggests but is always a welcome appearance when he does do his thing; Jon Favreau returning as Happy Hogan is back to his domineering but lacking tricks and a pleasure as ever; and Marisa Tomei is mostly there for comments about how hot she is, which somehow doesn't get old quick, but when she isn't eye candy brings about a good if limited performance.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a difficult movie to comprehend because it has so much to do. It needs to stand up on its own two feet as a successor to not one but two other interpretations while cementing itself as part of a pre-existing universe of movies and spin-offs, and with two different studios taking charge of him you can see onscreen the struggles that the filmmakers faced. But ultimately it worked out: it's a fine fun film that takes things small and acts as a good blend between high school John Hughes-esque comedy and comic book adventuring. With the best version of the character right there on the screen though, it's hard not to love a little bit. 7/10.
