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The newest film in the Pixar’s Cars franchise, Cars 3 seeks to come full oval, as Lightning McQueen, the veteran of motor racing, suddenly begins to feel his irrelevancy. A newer, sleeker, and incredibly uniform generation of racers bursts onto the track, led by the arrogant Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), usurping the older competitors. The film strives a little too hard to hark back to the original: Lightning (Owen Wilson)’s crash early in the film is used as a reason to force clips of McQueen’s old mentor from the first Cars, the Hudson Hornet, down the audience’s throat. The plot really brings nothing new to the franchise, and personally I felt Pixar, perhaps taking the easy road after the justifiably-outraged reception to the abysmal Cars 2, simply fell back too much on what was tried-and-tested, rather than take any more risks.

Despite that, the first half of the film still runs a bit too close to Cars 2 than is comfortable, with a smooth-talking billionaire eager to take advantage of McQueen’s brand in order to rake in merchandise revenue. A mid-film scene where Lightning and his instantly likable trainer, Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), unwittingly find themselves in a demolition derby felt far too over the top and dispensable, really only of entertainment value for kids (and adults) who want to see some crashes and explosions. After that, the film gets into gear, returning to the rustic, small-town Southern charm of the original film. Pixar’s vault of imagination opens up, with that feeling of nostalgia for the American heyday returning as Lightning and Ramirez drift around an abandoned dirt oval, and visit a swinging bar where a band of forklifts play “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen.

For all the film’s reuse of the original’s plot, it’s still entertaining watch. The core of the film is the same as the first: racing. I felt the best scenes in both Cars and Cars 3 were the ones in which the studio simply let loose its characters onto tracks, kicking up dust, burning down tyres and weaving in and out of traffic, all while accompanied by the soundtrack of high revving engines and Randy Newman’s fantastic score. Compound this with the racing-themed attention to detail: I liked that the mountains were shaped like cars, and that Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton plays Ramirez’s Siri, and retired Nascar champion Jeff Gordon makes a cameo as one of the “old guys” – those little easter eggs and clever humour makes the film so much fun to watch.

The movie, especially the third act, really captures the thrill of auto racing, so if you’re a motorsport fan, this film is definitely worth seeing. If you’re not, it’s still an enjoyable watch, having a female Hispanic lead was a welcome move, and there’s a nice message in the movie too. Even if it is a bit uninventive, it’s worth the drive.

Cars 3 is in cinemas now.