Herbie: Fully Loaded

Yeah, OK. I watched the new Herbie: Fully Loaded film. I was on a long flight, OK? And… it wasn’t bad. Not just because of the lead actress (Lindsay Lohan) who’s rather hot and about 15 years too young for me. Ah, well.

What I really liked about this is it has all the character of the original films without going mad with the CGI. Herbie‘s mischievous, gets his own way and even moves the way he used to back in the 70’s.

Plot in a nutshell: Herbie turns up in a junkyard about to be scrapped. The daughter of a racing driver spots him and buys him. By accident, she ends up in a drag race with an Indy car driver who then demands a public re-match… which he will win by all costs.

The little spark between the lead actress and her mechanic is obviously one that’ll work out in the end. The good guys are going to win. Herbie’s going to mess stuff up because he’s stubborn. Someone will overcome odds to prove they’re better than anyone thought they were. It’s a Disney film, for crying out loud.

I don’t remember the details of the old films too well – it’s been many years since I saw the parade along Low Fell when Herbie Goes Bananas came out – but this is certainly an excellent addition to a classic canon. If Hollywood insists on dredging its history because nobody can come up with something original then this is how to go about it.