Hmmm! This outing for the now well past his best "Lightning McQueen" reverts back more to the first film, only by now we are all maybe just a bit tired with the formula? The shiny red champion is having to face the reality that technology and engineering have evolved since 2006 and he is simply no longer the best. Of course, he's not going to give up and with the "Piston Cup" looming, he determines to recover from what looked like a career ending crash. To that end, he coaxes up-and-coming engineer "Cruz" and his own motivator "Smokey" - who worked with the legendary "Hudson Hornet". He needs discipline, he needs to re-learn all he knew, he needs to listen - if he is to seriously challenge the all-conquering "Jackson Storm". There are a few nice touches to this, but essentially it's a rehash with a little too much cheesy sentiment and I found the musical numbers just a bit more intrusive, too. There's also a little more pontificating here. The script exudes loads of virtues but rather more in your face than by using the humour and personalities to illustrate loyalty, affection and dedication. There's still plenty of lively action animation and it doesn't hang about, but for me this franchise has matured now, and needs to get to a motor museum near you.
