Buzz l'Éclair

As a sci-fi fan, I found the film mildly entertaining, if only for the setting and concepts, but I get why it didn't land well with the general audience. I think the film had two major flaws that dragged it down.

First would be that the film couldn't decide what it wanted to be. It took itself too seriously and had too many convoluted concepts (time dilation, time travel, alternate timelines) to be enjoyed by children, but it also didn't really explore any of it's themes or concepts well enough to be enjoyed by adults. This whole film really comes across as Interstellar-lite, which is just an odd thing to base a kids film on.

The other issue for me was the characters. They just weren't very engaging. Buzz himself came off as kind of humorless and dour, and the rest of the cast was entirely one note. Buzz's team in particularly just felt tacked on and didn't really add anything to the film. Tim Allen is a better Buzz Lightyear. Even Patrick Warburton is probably a better Buzz in terms of being engaging and fun. Chris Evans does a solid job here, and I kind of agree that he brings a more "human" quality compared to the wacky Tim Allen. But when you look at how devoid of energy the film is, I have to wonder if Tim Allen could have somehow injected some life into this movie with clever ad-libs. This movie needed energy, and it has nothing in the tank.

Ultimately, I think the film just needed to pick a lane. Either make this a fun adventure romp across the galaxy, or lean into the mature themes and ideas. As is, it's a film that didn't really make me laugh or make me feel anything, it's just kind of "there".

Toy Story is a legendary franchise and Buzz Lightyear might be among the most iconic animated characters ever created. Taking risks and telling an unique story with these priceless assets is therefore a daunting task. A task which Pixar could not fulfill.

Characters in the early scenes of the movie are well written and the relationships well established. The newly introduced characters (which you spend most of your time with) are not. They all got potential, but they fail to connect with Buzz and therefore fail to connect with the audience. The main antagonist has the same issue. He could've been an interesting character, but Pixar went for the easy route instead. This means that we got to see a very generic evil villain, one of which we've seen countless times before.

The plot was predictable. Lightyear never tries to surprise you, stun you, wow you or shock you. You simply go from A to B to C (sometimes with an obstacle in the way) till the movie is over.

Lightyear isn't unique. Lightyear isn't touching. Lightyear isn't worthy of being called a Pixar production.

Except the cat, the cat was incredible.

"In 1995, Andy got a toy. That toy was based on a movie. This is that movie. "

I think I would've gotten more out of this if they'd left out that opening text. "Lightyear" is a decent space adventure movie, the visuals are pretty great and Chris Evans gives a strong performance.

But the idea that the Tim Allen Buzz we all know and love came from this movie . . . Eh, I just couldn't get there. There's a bigger "Top Gun" vibe going on here than anything "Toy Story" related and "Maverick" did a much better job of living with failure.

I admit I walked into this with low expectations (really, was anyone asking for this movie?) but the Toy Story association is totally forced.

6.4/10

The nostalgia was there for ten minutes and then it went away as the story trails away into something that just didn't sit right. While we never got firm info about Buzz's origins in the "Toy Story" films. This isn't what I expected for his story. I expected this to be an emotional journey, but there were maybe three moments where a tear was shed. The rest was just "empty" space.

The voice acting was good. Chris Evans sounded like Buzz and brought the character to life. The surrounding characters were just as enjoyable. Definitely some funny moments amongst them. I did get a few laughs out, but it felt forced sometimes to be able to enjoy the film.

The film definitely looked, and sounded, great, but it didn't do enough to grasp a love for the character, or the story. Honestly, I don't think this film was for adults to reach back to the childhood nostalgia, but rather its for a new generation to make the character it's own meaning. Flip side to Buzz was Zurg. Zurg was perhaps the biggest disappointment with how they portrayed him. Who he was in "Toy Story" is not the same as who is here, and again, it didn't sit right.

I think the biggest thing is to forget the trailer. Go in with an open-mind and make of it what you will. The kids in the theatre seemed to have loved.

Overall, not the outstanding film I was expecting even with all the great visual and sound. The story lacked expectations for a nostalgic character, but wasn't necessarily terrible, so again, go in with an open-mind.

Thank you for reading my review. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

I don't get the bad reviews! The score at the time of writing is pretty horrible, and I don't understand. This isn't the best from Disney and Pixar, but it is a great addition and a clever way to tell a new story set in the Toy Story universe. It brings great animation and the array of emotion that we have come to love from the studio.

The movie lightyear is the movie that got Andy excited for the new Buzz lightyear toy in the universe of toy story. A great sci-fi action flick for both children and adults with a story of friendship, acceptance and the importance of taking a step back from time to time. Chris Evans as Buzz does a great job of capturing the essence of the iconic voice delivered by Tim Allen in the original. The side characters are great and have some fun dialogue and one liners, especially the cat Sox is amazing and next to every single joke made the theater laugh.

The animation and story is great, but it does feel a bit safe. The animation is stunning but a bit bland at times, and it isn't as colorful compared to other movies, and it doesn't have a distinct style, but stays inside a boundary. The story is good and does have quite a few tear pressers, but it is something you will have seen in other movies before.

Lightyear feels safe, not as exploratory and daring as previous Pixar films, but it is a good movie worth watching, especially if you love the original movies. All around it's a fun and entertaining movie, with great humor and a few heart wrenching moments.

7/10.