MPAA Rating: PG/Genre: Sci-Fi Action Adventure/Voices of: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Tim Peake, Bill Hader, Keira Hairston/Runtime: 105 minutes
I think it only appropriate to start this review off by saying that even though the iconic character known to audiences across the planet as Buzz Lightyear might not be the main reason why Toy Story is such an iconic entry in the realm of cinema, he nevertheless is still most assuredly a key component of it. Yet even with that in mind, there was no doubt that for Disney and Pixar to set out to make the slice of cinema I am reviewing today, the new release this weekend Lightyear which claims to be a quasi-sorta origin saga, it was still very much a roll of the dice. At the same time though these are the same studios who had no qualms about giving audiences a 4th Toy Story despite the fact that Toy Story 3 was a perfect wrap-up so I don’t think risk is really something they care about all that much. Thankfully by choosing to go whole hog into the sci-fi genre, I can say that risk paid off fairly well and Pixar managed to give us a genuinely riveting sci-fi action film that is legitimately able to go to new heights. No this slice of cinema is nowhere close to being near the pinnacle of Pixar’s best of the best in their filmography, but Lightyear is still an ingenuous, riveting, and downright engaging slice of cinema on both sides of the camera with a wonderful degree of heart to help keep you hooked from beginning to end that is most assuredly one slice of cinema the whole family will enjoy.
The plot is as follows: Taking us into the far off future and into the vast reaches of the universe, the slice of cinema Lightyear is one that, surprise surprise, deals with a guy by the name of (get this) Buzz Lightyear. Mr. Lightyear, we rather quickly learn, is a risk-taking member of an elite intergalactic unit known as the Space Rangers who is on a potentially perilous assignment on a world that isn’t exactly what you would consider to be a friendly locale. With our intrepid hero on this mission are long-time comrade, to say nothing of dear friend, Alisha Hawthorne and a rookie whose Space Ranger outfit comes complete with a very distinct-looking red chest plate (if you know the wink and nod then you know and don’t say anything. If you don’t however then go back and watch some old Star Trek episodes and then come back here). Anyway, we soon see that the reason the planet is so unfriendly to our hero and his squad is because it is crawling with not only huge insect-like critters, but also sentient and particularly vicious vines that have no qualms about just surprising the heck out of people before subsequently taking off with them…and I am sure you can fill in the blanks from there. At any rate, we see that our intrepid hero is on the verge of getting the heck out of dodge in a giant, onion-shaped vessel that is playing bedroom to a group of scientists who are fast asleep. However we see that because he is under the belief that he is the hero that everyone should look up to at all times right down to narrating everything he does because he thinks everybody should focus on him to say nothing of plunging head on into potential peril with no regard for his life or even anyone else’s for that matter, Buzz makes the call that this is a situation that he can take care of all by his lonesome. Of course, it shouldn’t come as any surprise to learn that all our boy wonder manages to do is cripple the vessel and in the process rob the crew aboard with the opportunity to go back home. In other words: leave them all stuck on this perilous world with no idea of when they will be able to leave. As a result, we see that our guilt-stricken hero takes it upon himself to engage in test flights with the aim of making it to hyper speed since doing so will mean that everyone will finally be able to make the return voyage home. However as noble as that is there is also a caveat to his actions. Namely that every time he embarks on these flights, he may only age about an hour, but everyone back on the planet ages about four years. However even with that knowledge in mind we see that our hero is so persistent in his attempts that, while everyone he knows actually gets the chance to live their lives to the fullest right down to eventually passing away, Buzz denies himself that privilege due to constantly being out in the vastness of space desperately trying to become a hero once more in an effort to atone for his past mistake. A chance he soon unexpectedly has arrive at his doorstep when, following his return from one of these trips, our hero horrifically discovers that a swarm of alien robots led by an enigmatic menace known as Zurg, have decided to lay siege to the planet and are in the process of invading the town that the lost crew has built over the years. Of course, we know that our hero is not going to let that happen. However in order to properly combat this menace we see that he will have to (however reluctantly) work together with a quite unique team consisting of Alisha’s granddaughter Izzy, a recently reformed member of the criminal element known as Darby, and a slightly awkward individual called Mo. Thus can our hero learn to put the solo act behind him and actually work with a team to combat Zurg and his minions and in the process both redeem himself whilst also relearning what it takes to be a true hero? That I will leave for you to discover dear reader…
Now right off the bat I will say that the quite meta narrative present in this slice of cinema is one that very easily could have been mined for comedy to say nothing of throwbacks to this character as we have seen him previously. As it turns out, this is a complete 180 from what both film helmer Angus MacLane and his partners on writing this slice of cinema’s narrative Matthew Aldrich and Jason Headley have made the choice to give audiences. Yes this slice of cinema may have winks and nods, narrative components, and set designs that will remind you of the work done in a franchise like Star Wars, but this slice of cinema also doesn’t plunder directly from that franchise either. Instead this slice of cinema makes the choice to utilize that franchise as a launch pad while presenting us with a narrative dealing primarily with our main character’s fixation on finishing the mission at all costs and the personal fallout that ensues as a result of that obsession. A narrative hook incidentally not only proves to be successful with this film, but also has the unintended effect of really helping you see Buzz’s obsessive and mission centric nature in the first Toy Story in a whole new light. More than that however, we see that this creative team have, with the additional support of a rousing musical accompaniment and beautiful work from the visuals department, created a slice of cinema that is riveting, but is also a film that could prove to be a cinematic launch pad for kids to explore the sci-fi genre both in film and literary form even further and if that isn’t a beautiful thing I don’t know what is. Finally, I knew before I saw into this that there was a possibility I might shed a tear or two at some point during this film. A bit of knowledge that made me raise an eyebrow not because I don’t think Pixar has any skill in the provoking tears to emerge department, but rather because I had no idea what this slice of cinema could do in order to get people to cry. With that said, it should be noted that the circumstances they came up with proved to be surprising even to me especially since they take a movie that starts out as a riveting space exploration saga akin to The Right Stuff into a realm that feels more like what was seen in a Pixar film like Up. Yet even in the midst of utilizing their own techniques for maximum effect, the creative minds at Pixar still do a beautiful job of making sure that the emotion feels as genuine and as legitimately earned as possible.
Of course along with the work done behind the camera, it should be noted that this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of a terrific cast of vocal performances in front of the camera as well. This starts with Chris Evans in the titular role and he is actually really freaking good. Indeed not only does Evans spot-on showcase Buzz’s high degree of heroism (almost as if he played a similar character for Marvel at one time…), but he also brilliantly shows us just how plain bullheaded Buzz can be as well. Indeed as shown through the course of this film, Buzz is very much obsessed with making amends for his screw-up to the point that he is willing to continuously put his life on pause in order to head into space so he can help find a way for everyone to make it back home. As a result we see that Buzz’s dogged drive to “complete the mission” is wonderfully integrated into how this slice of cinema chooses to look at the idea of how making amends for one single mistake should not come to be our focus in life. Suffice it to say that his tenure as a certain superhero really did work to Evans’ benefit for this part since he not only is able to provide Buzz with an equal dose of both courage as well as sensitivity. Heck he is even able to copy Tim Allen’s distinct speech patterns for a few scenes and I have no qualms at confessing that there was a smile present in the moments where this Buzz said certain iconic phrases with particular regard to his catch slogan “To Infinity, and Beyond” which this film does a wonderful job of giving some fairly heft emotional weight to. Now alongside the really good work done in this by Evans in the titular role, we see that everyone else in this cast is also on point. Indeed in the pivotal role of Alisha, we get a wonderfully heartfelt performance from Uzo Aduba. Not only that, but she and Evans also possess a beautiful back and forth that really aids in establishing some fairly potent stakes as the film goes on. We also get wonderful work in this from the always delightful Taika Waititi and Dale Soules who give this film some very much appreciated lightheartedness in their respective roles of the clumsy Mo Morrison and the grumpy ex-convict Darby Steele, respectively. Without a doubt however, the best work voice acting in this slice of cinema would have to be attributed to both Keke Palmer and Peter Sohn who are truly magical. Indeed in the role of Izzy, Palmer does a wonderful job of making her someone who externally is as gung-ho and assertive as Buzz is, but internally is very insecure to say nothing of trying to live up to the legacy of her grandmother. Sohn on the other hand is downright hilarious and immensely enjoyable as Sox the robot cat that is meant to be a therapy cat for all intents and purposes for the very stoic Buzz, but who also happens to have a fairly deadpan sense of humor and also be equipped with both a blowtorch and tranq darts. Suffice it to say that if there is going to be a breakout fan favorite character from this film the character of Sox would definitely fit that bill. Now there is one other character that I feel is worth mentioning and that would be the character of Zurg who is wonderfully voiced in this by James Brolin. With that said though, I really don’t think I’m going to go into that much detail about Zurg in this review. Indeed if there is anything I could say it would be this: forget everything you think you know about this character.
All in all make no mistake dear reader: the idea of reinterpreting the iconic character that is Buzz Lightyear was one duty that, in the wrong hands, could have gone horrifically off the rails in the worst way possible. This is because when the land of movie magic tries to give us a movie like this one that deploys a meta-story at its core they don’t always work as well as they ought to. Thankfully, what may have been initially seen as a one and done slice of cinema that also served as evidence why films in this vein should not have a chance to come to fruition has actually managed to be a delightful surprise in the best way possible. Yes this slice of cinema is a wee bit unsteady at the beginning since this film’s appropriate mood is one that actually does a little bit of time to kick into gear. With that said, the moment that this slice of cinema manages to find its intergalactic groove, it stays in synch with said groove beautifully whilst making its way through a fairly riveting space adventure fit for a legendary space ranger. Sure it may not reach the levels of the main Toy Story franchise, but this is one slice of cinema that is also one that is definitely better than what I went in fearing it would be. Indeed here is an space adventure that manages to take wonderful work both behind and in front the camera and throws into the mix that wonderful brand of emotional narrative regaling that Pixar does so well as well as a delightful collection of action beats that will leave you on the edge of your seat and comedy that will leave you rolling with laughter. Not only that, but when I got to this film’s conclusion I found myself intrigued as to narrative avenues that a possible follow-up could traverse whilst also smiling from ear to ear like I did the very first time I saw the original Toy Story all those years ago. Suffice it to say Lightyear not only will find you genuinely convinced that the titular hero can indeed fly, but you also most assuredly will understand why in the world a certain little boy named Andy would have begged (pestered the heck out of) his mom to get him a Buzz Lightyear toy. Something that I feel an entirely new generation of children across the planet are about to do as well. The only difference this time being however that, unlike when Buzz toys were sold in the 90s, don’t be surprised if, beside the Buzz toys, there will be quite a few toys sold for Sox as well. I mean I don’t know about you guys, but after seeing this movie I am now honestly convinced that we could all use a little Sox in our day to day lives. Make of that what you will and above all: to infinity and beyond dear reader! On a scale of 1-5 I give Lightyear “2022” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
