Cars (movie review)

The plot (which shares elements with Over the Hedge) involves a self-assured, vain No. 1 who feels isolated and friendless, takes a detour in life, and discovers family and friends, including a possible No. 2.

Then there's always some initial destiny to fulfill, an heroic gesture for an appreciative other. She gets it: he's good hearted after all. A good story, and sometimes a good movie. In this case: definitely a good movie.

I love sampling such pure Americana (Route 66 through nowhere), and consider this an homage to cartoons set amidst desert mesas and cactus, a backdrop for some of our favorite animated friends (meeb meep). I appreciate this wide open desolation, find it in Sims 2, and in Bagdad Cafe.

The time-frozen village, bypassed by I-40, showcases some interesting hippie-vet dynamics around flag time in the morning. Ferrari-worshipping Italians bow down before family icons. And everyone's into neon.

The love story was cool (Dawn loved the Porsche), and I appreciated the lesson in regional planning (how not to -- although in this case of Radiator Springs, it all came out for the best).

Lucky cars! Their civilization took my mind off ours.

Back in my real world...

I still futz with this crippled Windows computer, still unable to update itself and get cured.

Notice how a perfectly good machine world goes bad once those nasty humans show up. I could see where the Ice Queen 'd be suspicious and cold, and attempt to slow their advance (their king is a four-legged, she's noticed -- and perhaps that's to their credit (she's got her dogs)).

Like in Robots, Car World is not competing with another intelligent observer species, except maybe that guy Frank, the combine -- easily stopped by fences, though he may get through in dreams.

And speaking of competing intelligent life, Cars included a spoof outtake from War of the Worlds didn't it, with the jets fighting spark plugs or something like that. Or was that in a preview?

I hope to see Cars again someday, maybe on some Airbus with Dawn and Tara. Maybe I'll write another less quirky review.