McLean Mail

HERO’S BEST FRIEND -- Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” is an all-new, original feature film that presents the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans)—the hero who inspired the toy—following the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure. But Buzz can’t do it alone—he shares space with a dutiful robot companion cat called Sox (voice of Peter Sohn). A hidden grab bag of gizmos in a cute kitty package, Sox is Buzz’s go-to friend and sidekick. Directed by Angus MacLane (co-director “Finding Dory”) and produced by Galyn Susman (“Toy Story That Time Forgot”), the sci-fi action-adventure releases on June 17, 2022.

To Infinity and More of the Same

MOVIE REVIEW
Lightyear

 – star star star star star

Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director(s): Angus MacLane
Writer(s): Angus MacLane (story by,) Jason Headley (screenplay by,) Matthew Aldrich (story by)
Cast: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolin, Uzo Aduba
Where To Watch: In theaters now


A film 27 years in the making, we finally get to see the movie on which the Famous Buzz Lightyear toy is based. This was an exciting idea, but I fear it was an idea that had already been covered. In 2000, there was a direct-to-video 2-D animated film titled BUZZ LIGHTYEAR OF STAR COMMAND: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS, in which we see some of Buzz’s adventures in Star Command; this film was followed by an animated series exploring these adventures further.

I read a theory that I found interesting; they thought this might be a live-action “reboot” of the film that Andy saw as a child. Instead of being the actual film that he saw. I like this idea because it answers more of the questions than this being the film Andy saw when he was young. So in this theory, this film serves as more of a reboot of the 2-D movie for an adult Andy.

I don’t know that this movie ever needed to exist; I won’t say it was terrible. It had some cute moments and some of that Pixar charm, but honestly, it felt more like a blown-up version of the older animated series. I wasn’t overly into any of the storylines; I feel like one of Buzz’s friendships in the film was ultimately wasted with a pretty weak resolution. I get what they were going for, but ultimately it felt like we were just supposed to forget and move on with this vital relationship in the first half-hour of the film. On that note, I think this was too long for what it was; 20 minutes short of the two-hour mark is asking a lot for the simple story that we’re given here.

I was impressed at Chris Evan’s approach to taking over for Tim Allen (who has voiced Buzz for the most part in every variation, including the 2-D animation.) I think Evans gave him his unique personality as “the real Buzz” while also honoring the work that has come before. Most of the rest of the voice cast felt underutilized and almost wasted. This included Taika Waititi and James Brolin, both of whom have unique voices, which got lost in the mix here. The addition of Sox the cat was a fun little wink and nod to adding a “toy” into the real world of LIGHTYEAR.

There is also a lot of hatred being aimed at the film, which is entirely unjust, but that has become an almost normal aspect of cinema, especially from those who don’t follow certain groups' ideas of seeing themselves and only themselves on the screen. I think this has made it nearly impossible to judge a film based on reviews from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, etc. I’ve never judged a movie without watching it first, and that’s multiplied even more of late. I try my best to avoid any information on the film that I can.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a fan of all the little fun easter egg callbacks to the history of Buzz throughout the film, from his iconic catchphrase “to infinity and beyond” and the green, purple, and white suit. I ultimately think the main reason the film has underperformed is that many people wait 45 days to see it on Disney+, which I can’t argue after seeing it. I’m a massive supporter of the theater experience, but I don’t think that this is one of those needs to see on the big screen type movies. I don’t think most would hate that experience, but at the same time, I can sleep easily knowing that it would be just as fun at home.

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