As a huge Pixar fan and specifically a fan of the Toy Story movies, I was excited for this new addition to the franchise. I thought the concept of this movie was different but would be a refreshing take on what we already knew of Buzz Lightyear, the toy. As I watched this movie, I was underwhelmed by the entirety of the movie. Now, before you gather the bucket of tar and bag of feathers, let me, hopefully, explain why.
I went into this movie understanding that this was not going to be the same as any of the Toy Story movies. This was not going to be filled with the bits of humor that permeate the franchise. This movie wasn’t going to have the nostalgia of the toys, themselves, that so many of us grew up playing with and the feelings that we got seeing them come to an animated life. I knew this was going to be a different kind of movie separate from the franchise but still involving one of its most loved characters. To compare this movie to the rest of the franchise is unfair to this movie. It’s not the same type of movie. Because of this, I was excited for the possibility that this movie could be, separate from the others.
Visually, it is stunning. The sci-fi look and feel of the movie is great. This movie is a direct testament to how far animation has come in the last 25-30 years since Toy Story made its way to our hearts. Pixar has always been top-notch when it comes to the animation itself and this movie delivers.
Let me address a couple of the controversies that have troubled the movie before it even had a chance to get to theaters. First, Chris Evans replacing Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz. I thought this was kind of a faux issue of sorts. I didn’t expect the “real” version of Buzz Lightyear to sound exactly the same as the “Toy” Buzz, so I wasn’t in that camp where this was a huge issue for me to start with. I thought Evans was fantastic and there were times where I thought he sounded like Allen in some of the ways in which things were said or expressed.
The second controversy more plaguing this film is the same-sex scene that has gotten this movie banned in many countries. This scene was done in a way that didn’t take away from the rest of the movie. People have strong opinions on both sides of this topic and Disney and Pixar have to continue to make a decision whether they want to risk money at the box office in place of putting forth their social agenda. This controversy will ultimately be settled by the box office numbers and whether the company’s willingness to continue to create content that some people deem to be controversial will outweigh its pocketbooks. Disney’s decision making right now is under intense scrutiny as their stock continues to trend downward over the last year, going from nearly $200 a share to now being under $100 a share.
The storyline is where this movie loses me. The jumps in time, while seeming like a great concept was just poorly used. I was left wondering what happened in between those years. Instead, it just jumps and things happen and it goes to the next jump in time, until finally, a spaceship is seen above inhabited world. I thought the first half of the movie provided so much potential and then the last half just kinda seemed flat and long. There were good moments but those good moments were surrounded by moments that just seemed dull. This movie could have cut about 15-20 minutes out and still provided the same effect. I remember sitting there 2/3 of the way through the movie and wondered if I really was enjoying what I was watching. The storyline at times seemed like an episode of a TV series that is meant to set up the next episode. Assuming there will be a sequel, maybe the combination of movies will make the storyline work better. I am skeptical.
Besides Buzz, Alisha Hawthorne, and her granddaughter Izzy Hawthorne, the other characters were very poorly developed. I can’t even tell you what the other characters names were. I thought this was a complete miss. Even Zurg and his band of robots were also a miss for me in the way in which they were introduced and used. Sox, Buzz’s robot cat, was a great addition and made the movie bearable at times.
Overall, after letting this movie marinade for half a day, this was a disappointment for me. “Lightyear” is a decent to average sci-fi film with great visuals. However, it was not up to Pixar standards in terms of storytelling and if the movie didn’t contain a beloved Pixar character, it would be one that I would say, don’t see. But, being in the Toy Story franchise, give it a try and see what you think.
If I had to rate this, it would maybe get a 5 out of 10 only because of my love for the character and Pixar films in general!