This was a very cool and brilliant creative decision by Disney and Pixar. One, none of us saw coming. Build a franchise from within a franchise. Still good for children but has a more serious tone along the lines of “the planet actually needs saving” vibe. No Andy, no Woody, no Mrs Potatohead… so turn away if you came here for nostalgia.
A fresh take, a fresh Buzz. A new Buzz Lightyear we have never met whose clueless, dorky, naieve attitude from Toy Story actually translates directly here to a clued on, experience master soldier. The flip is actually hilarious if you’re familiar with the character and the franchise because its actually the same characteristics only this time it has real life meaning LOL.
It’s an action themed motion picture with excellent animation, good use of colouring and decent art style. We are used to the more vibrant bright coloured movie but this one does take a darker tone. It actually aligns with the surprising adult themes on display. It plays on the heart strings, showing heavy dealings with grief and loss. Touches on gay marriages and pregnancy which had my kids ask a few questions ?, focuses quite a lot on redemption and divulges a lot on the already complicated topic of time travel. Story was predictable for me. Moment I saw Zurg wasn’t an actual character I could only see Buzz being his own enemy (hint hint).
The new and supporting characters were a flop for me. Very dull and boring. Pushing ever so hard to drive the comedic value but it came across very stale for me. They were very bland and there was no drive or attempt to explore their backgrounds which translated to my lack of interest. They just tease this arc of redemption by each character and that’s it. Buzz was the heart of the movie and kept it going, from both ends. Chris Evans did an excellent job bringing him to life in this new format. The climatic plot twist doesn’t land well and doesn’t leave you wanting more. They force this extra pen character to be that pinnacle requirement for victory and it just doesn’t sit well. The characters realisation of their parallel goals is shallow with little substance thus the movie falling short.
The nostalgia is the hold here and unfortunately it wasn’t well utilised because it dries up around 15min into the movie. Movie is full of easter eggs, 1 for me was the NES cartridge scene which was accomplished very well.
Visually? Pixar delivered! Story? Not so much. I would like to see a spin off series to explore the characters further because despite the poor execution I feel there is something there.
Are you TeamToyStory or TeamLightyear? Are you TeamTimAllen or TeamChrisEvans? Who was your favourite character? Do you want to see a sequel? React and comment below…
