Cars 3: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
The legendary Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and spirited trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) team up to beat the new generation of blazing-fast racers.
It’s funny because after Cars 2 I always said that I would never watch another Cars movie again but of course my son wanted to check it out so I had to (sometimes us parents do things we don’t want to do for the sake of out kids…haha!). I’m glad I did though because I really enjoyed it. I thought that the franchise redeemed itself from what they did with Cars 2 and pretty much brought the story full circle. The film had everything that I loved from the first film and didn’t feel like it was just recycling the same old jokes ad gags. This is what the second film should’ve been because it progressed the story fantastically and gave enough call backs to the original that it felt like a traditional sequel. Something that I was legitimately impressed about was the photo realistic representation of racing sequences. Those scenes felt like you were right in the action and they looked fantastic! The one thing that caught me off guard was the flow of the story leading into the finale. It trekked along nicely and then it suddenly felt like it just ended. It might just be me but usually there’s a build up to the finale that includes the score becoming epic and that signifies the film coming to a close. It didn’t seem like there was any of that it felt like it ended abruptly with a subpar payoff. I do think that they did a great job with this film and as an adult I felt like it was fun again instead of overly corny. If you’ve given up on the Cars franchise then I suggest you watch this entry and I’m almost certain that you’ll change your mind. 7/10
4K Presentation:
The visuals in this format are impressive to say the least. Colors are a big part of this film and seeing how vibrant they are presented made me enjoy this film so much more. It really pops when seeing the cars and their each individual paint jobs shine. The black levels are very nice as well in the moments where there is darkness which there isn’t too much but it does offer more visibility of the scene. HDR definitely shows a lot clearer picture when it comes to the environments and makes you feel like you’re watching a live race. This is one of the best 4K titles out there right now!
Special Features:
Lou – A really fun short involving a school lost and found.
Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool – A short/commercial that looks at cars trying to get their “mojo” back.
Ready for the Race – Race car driver William Byron talks about his love for racing and doing it professionally.
Cruz Ramirez: The Yellow Car That Could – This feature focuses on the design and the voice acting for the film’s new character.
Behind the Scenes – A fantastic five part feature that digs deep into the challenges of creating this sequel, creating fake product logos, the toys for the film, studying race car driving and more.
Fly Throughs – A quick run through of some of the digital locations in the film.
My First Car – Some of the cast and crew talk about owning their first cars.
Deleted Scenes – About 26 minutes of scenes here that are decent to check out. They also have an optional introduction by the director.
Promos – A quick clips that offer character moments.
Audio Commentary
