You've seen him in Toy Story. You've heard of his epic battles with Emperor Zurg. You probably know many of his trademark quotes. Now we get to meet the real (fictional) Buzz Lightyear, in the 1995 blockbuster that spawned the sold-out toy, as he goes to infinity and beyond! OK, so it's a pretty convoluted framing device, but the result is a pretty good sci-fi movie and fun ride.
Chris Evens makes a very good Buzz Lightyear, one that will feel familiar to Toy Story fans, but is quite different from the Tim Allan version. The well-known catchphrases are all there, along with the frequent overconfidence and fondness for charging headlong into danger, but with a greater seriousness and sense of duty, plus the skills and experience to (mostly) justify that nearly boundless self-confidence. Toy Story Buzz is a toy who thinks he's a Space Ranger, a comic relief character trying to be an action hero. This Buzz is the chiseled, square jawed action hero, if an occasionally comedic one.
Alongside Buzz, the film introduces a whole cast of new characters. The cat is the best by far. I mean who doesn't love a talking animal? Especially one that acts, and often thinks like a cat, but is also polite, helpful, a scientific genius, and has a gadget for nearly every situation. He's kind of like the Doctor's sonic screwdriver or R2-D2, but cuter. I also quite liked the curmudgeonly old parolee/demolitions expert. She's a born scrounger and MacGyver level tinkerer who can turn anything into a bomb, which probably has something to do with why she was incarcerated in the first place.
Buzz's sidekick Izzy is kind of generic, but plucky, sympathetic, and quite relatable. She makes a good audience identification figure, even if her character development arc is thoroughly predictable. The only character I didn't like much was Morrison, the comic relief sidekick voiced by Taika Waititi. He has his moments, and Waititi certainly knows how to deliver the jokes, but his clumsiness, carelessness, and tendency to panic or give up in every tough situation are honestly more irritating than amusing. He's not full-on Jar-Jar Binks, but there are definitely some similarities. Shame that such a talented actor should be wasted on such a dumb character, and it's nothing some minor re-writes couldn't have fixed.
Even if the character arcs and some of the jokes are fairly predictable, the story is surprisingly not. The narrative structure is simple enough, but there are some surprising twists, and one truly jaw dropping reveal. It also makes very effective use of number of classic sci-fi plot devices, some very familiar, others rarely used in recent years. There are no outright plot holes either, which is admirable for a family film that deals with a number of complicated, high concept plot devices.
There are however a number of plot points that could have used more- or in some cases any- explanation. I really wish hey have told us more about Zurg's plans, certain characters' reasons for taking rather drastic actions, or any number of other non-technical plot points. For once, I think this movie could use more exposition. Maybe even a monologue or two.
Perhaps the biggest narrative issue is that the movie doesn't get to the main conflict with Zurg until almost the halfway point, So Buzz's showdown with Zurg feels kind of rushed, exposition gets the short shift, and the movie doesn't do as much as it could have with that shocking reveal I mentioned earlier. And to be honest, Lightyear almost feels like two movies, with the extremely sudden shift from a narrowly focused, deeply personal story of an astronaut pushing himself to his limits, to an action blockbuster. Having said all that, the story still mostly works, but it could have used some more polish.
On a more positive not, the animation is beautiful. Cartoonish yes, but in an extremely detailed and polished way, that makes the setting and environments feel more grounded and realistic, at least by science fiction standards. There's some very good weapon, creature, and starship designs here, and the lasers, explosions, and other "effects shots" are all great. I especially liked the dazzling hyper-speed sequence, which reminded me more than a little of 2001.
So overall, Lightyear isn't exactly an outstanding or groundbreaking entry in the sci-fi genre, nor is it on the same level of the main Toy Story franchise, but it's still an entertaining and mostly satisfying summer blockbuster and family movie. Kids will love it, and most Disney, and science fiction fans will like it too.
Chris Evens makes a very good Buzz Lightyear, one that will feel familiar to Toy Story fans, but is quite different from the Tim Allan version. The well-known catchphrases are all there, along with the frequent overconfidence and fondness for charging headlong into danger, but with a greater seriousness and sense of duty, plus the skills and experience to (mostly) justify that nearly boundless self-confidence. Toy Story Buzz is a toy who thinks he's a Space Ranger, a comic relief character trying to be an action hero. This Buzz is the chiseled, square jawed action hero, if an occasionally comedic one.
Alongside Buzz, the film introduces a whole cast of new characters. The cat is the best by far. I mean who doesn't love a talking animal? Especially one that acts, and often thinks like a cat, but is also polite, helpful, a scientific genius, and has a gadget for nearly every situation. He's kind of like the Doctor's sonic screwdriver or R2-D2, but cuter. I also quite liked the curmudgeonly old parolee/demolitions expert. She's a born scrounger and MacGyver level tinkerer who can turn anything into a bomb, which probably has something to do with why she was incarcerated in the first place.
Buzz's sidekick Izzy is kind of generic, but plucky, sympathetic, and quite relatable. She makes a good audience identification figure, even if her character development arc is thoroughly predictable. The only character I didn't like much was Morrison, the comic relief sidekick voiced by Taika Waititi. He has his moments, and Waititi certainly knows how to deliver the jokes, but his clumsiness, carelessness, and tendency to panic or give up in every tough situation are honestly more irritating than amusing. He's not full-on Jar-Jar Binks, but there are definitely some similarities. Shame that such a talented actor should be wasted on such a dumb character, and it's nothing some minor re-writes couldn't have fixed.
Even if the character arcs and some of the jokes are fairly predictable, the story is surprisingly not. The narrative structure is simple enough, but there are some surprising twists, and one truly jaw dropping reveal. It also makes very effective use of number of classic sci-fi plot devices, some very familiar, others rarely used in recent years. There are no outright plot holes either, which is admirable for a family film that deals with a number of complicated, high concept plot devices.
There are however a number of plot points that could have used more- or in some cases any- explanation. I really wish hey have told us more about Zurg's plans, certain characters' reasons for taking rather drastic actions, or any number of other non-technical plot points. For once, I think this movie could use more exposition. Maybe even a monologue or two.
Perhaps the biggest narrative issue is that the movie doesn't get to the main conflict with Zurg until almost the halfway point, So Buzz's showdown with Zurg feels kind of rushed, exposition gets the short shift, and the movie doesn't do as much as it could have with that shocking reveal I mentioned earlier. And to be honest, Lightyear almost feels like two movies, with the extremely sudden shift from a narrowly focused, deeply personal story of an astronaut pushing himself to his limits, to an action blockbuster. Having said all that, the story still mostly works, but it could have used some more polish.
On a more positive not, the animation is beautiful. Cartoonish yes, but in an extremely detailed and polished way, that makes the setting and environments feel more grounded and realistic, at least by science fiction standards. There's some very good weapon, creature, and starship designs here, and the lasers, explosions, and other "effects shots" are all great. I especially liked the dazzling hyper-speed sequence, which reminded me more than a little of 2001.
So overall, Lightyear isn't exactly an outstanding or groundbreaking entry in the sci-fi genre, nor is it on the same level of the main Toy Story franchise, but it's still an entertaining and mostly satisfying summer blockbuster and family movie. Kids will love it, and most Disney, and science fiction fans will like it too.