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 (090122)
Lightyear has a pretty original concept for a movie based on a pre-existing
character. Onscreen text informs us that in 1995, Andy, the little boy from Toy
Story, got a toy based on his favorite movie. That toy, of course, was a Buzz
Lightyear action figure, and this is the movie Andy went to see. Despite the
novelty value of that premise, it's both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in
that it puts Buzz in a whole new world, rather than just going back to the Toy
Story well one more time. A curse in that Lightyear is very tonally different,
so the Space Ranger doesn't feel at all like the character we've come to know
and love.
Buzz (now voiced by Chris Evans) has gotten his whole crew marooned on a foreign
planet. Feeling terrible, he vows to colleague Alisha Hawthorn (Uzo Aduba) that
he'll rectify the situation. Doing that entails building a power source that can
get their downed ship up to a particularly high speed. He tests the source they
develop in his smaller ship, only to come back from each trip to discover that
several years have passed for everyone else, and only a few hours have passed
for him. Buzz tries multiple times, getting far enough into the future that
Alisha has gotten old and passed away.
Giving up seems like an option, until he meets Izzy (Kiki Palmer), Alisha's
granddaughter. She's one of three people left on the planet, the others being
fellow Space Ranger rookies Mo Morrison (Taika Waititi) and Darby Steel (Dale
Soules). Together with robotic feline Sox (Peter Sohn), Buzz comes to believe
that he might be able to wind back all the trouble he caused. First, though, he
and his new pals will have to defeat the evil Zurg (James Brolin).
In the Toy Story pictures, Buzz Lightyear was a comically narcissistic figure
who still had a kind heart deep inside. That wouldn't fly for Lightyear,
obviously. This new movie portrays him as a serious, heroic type, saddled with
guilt over how he robbed his colleagues of years of their lives. That alone
makes this a picture more appropriate for slightly older kids. Younger ones
might be confused about why Buzz isn't Buzz. As for the plot, it has its share
of light, humorous moments, but by and large it's an action-packed space
adventure. I can't help wondering if it would have been smarter to just make it
a non-Buzz Lightyear project. Having a beloved character not sounding or
behaving like himself is slightly disconcerting. I found myself intermittently
experiencing mild distraction during the first half-hour or so.
Once you get past that incongruity, Lightyear is quite fun. Action scenes are
inventively conceived, especially one in which the characters have to traverse a
field full of menacing bugs before their invisibility devises run out. Another
scene, where the characters get stuck in “security cones” and have to work
together to escape, is similarly clever. Sox provides moments of humor, coughing
up tranquilizer darts in lieu of hairballs and offering comic quips after some
of the narrow escapes Buzz and crew make. This being a Pixar movie, the
animation is typically beautiful, too.
The best thing in Lightyear is the surprisingly mature story. Buzz has to
confront the fact that his error left a lot of people stranded far away from
home. He worries about what they missed out on. Over time, he must learn to
accept that they still had lives, even finding happiness in a situation they
initially didn't want. If anything, the movie could have gone deeper into that
idea. Potential existed for the ending to pack the sort of emotional punch all
four of the Toy Story's had. Although it doesn't quite get there, that theme is
still sufficient to add depth to the adventure.
All in all, Lightyear is another solid Pixar release – not one of their top-tier
films, but certainly an enjoyable way to spend 100 minutes. In a time when
studios are content to churn out more of the same in their franchises, having
one that takes risks, whether they all pay off or not, is refreshing.
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