PLOT: After making a mistake during a mission, Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans) becomes responsible for rescuing a marooned colony of citizens. The only way he can get them home is by testing a volatile source of power that jumps him years ahead into the future every time he uses it. Decades after first becoming stranded, Buzz solves the energy problem, but before getting everyone home, he has to contend with the evil Zurg and his army of killer robots.
REVIEW: Lightyear has a pretty cool concept. The idea, established via an opening crawl, is that in 1995, Toy Story’s Andy received his Buzz Lightyear toy because it was the main character in his favorite movie. This is that movie. That’s a fun idea Pixar could have done more with, as this is supposed to be a sci-fi movie made in 1995, but there’s nothing at all retro about this very 2022 sci-fi adventure, which feels like an animated version of a modern sci-fi blockbuster. It’s more than decent but lacks the Pixar magic one has come to expect from all of their films. It’s a notch or two below any of the Toy Story films, although it’s best to consider this wholly separate from that franchise, as outside of Buzz, they don’t have anything in common.
However, if you accept Lightyear on its own terms, as a pure sci-fi action flick with some humor, you should have a good time. I first saw about thirty minutes of this film at CinemaCon back in April and had a good time. Having finally seen the rest of the movie, I can say it actually gets a lot better after the first act, which establishes the premise that Buzz is marooned and keeps losing four years every time he jumps ahead in time. One of the most affecting parts of the story is that Buzz’s only friend is his commander, Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba), but every time he returns from a mission, she’s aged. Eventually, she dies of old age, leaving him with only his robot cat, Sox (Peter Sohn), for companionship.
Decades later, when the story picks up, Buzz ends up teaming with Hawthorn’s granddaughter, Izzy (Keke Palmer), a well-intentioned but clumsy wannabe cadet who’s terrified of space. When Zurg and his minions take over the colony, she and her fellow recruits, all considered the worst of the worst, try to help Buzz – to his dismay. The big message here is that Buzz has to learn to work with a team and that once Izzy learns self-confidence, she’ll be up to the task of being a ranger. It’s standard Disney stuff but effective.
As Lightyear, Chris Evans is a good choice, playing the role as a slightly less capable version of Captain America. Like Tim Allen before him, he’s spoofing the square-jawed hero archetype, with him prone to narrating all of his adventures even if no one is watching. Like Cap, he also has an underlying sense of vulnerability and is a true blue hero through and through.
The movie gets interesting when Zurg, who James Brolin (the legendary father of Josh) voices, is revealed. Zurg never got a backstory in the Toy Story films, and the motivation they came up with for him here is pretty interesting. Brolin, who specialized in playing the kind of square-jawed heroes Evans is lampooning, probably would have made a good Lightyear thirty years ago. The scene-stealer, though, is Peter Sohn as the robot cat Sox. A long-time Pixar employee (who directed The Good Dinosaur), he gives the character a deadpan style of delivery that will no doubt make him a fan favorite. Notably, the adults in the packed auditorium I saw this in cooed in delight anytime Sox did something cat-like.
One interesting thing about Lightyear is that Disney animated some big action sequences using the full IMAX aspect ratio, which lends to the “event movie” vibe they seem to be going for. While I still prefer lower-key Pixar, Lightyear is an entertaining ride that will no doubt delight lots of kids (and maybe their parents too).