Lightyear 2022
I am a big fan of Pixar and of Toy Story so I was really looking forward to this movie despite lukewarm reviews. It probably helped that my expectations were lowered, not just by the reviews, but Pixar itself seems like they have been in a lull. This is not a Toy Story movie, but really a classic sci-fi type of movie featuring Buzz Lightyear not as a toy who thinks he is a space ranger, but the actual space ranger character that toy was based on. It moves pretty well, though this is familiar territory as the macho hero guy has to figure out some things about himself as well as fight off aliens. There are some interesting elements and themes at work that elevate the story above the typical story that this movie strongly resembles. There are some good side characters including Taika Waititi (again, seems like he has been spread a little thin lately), but they are not great characters. The sidekicks probably could have used their own origin story short to explain how this group got together in the first place. The main conflict plays out a little conventionally, but keeps your interest, again with a few neat ideas. Ultimately this isn’t Toy Story and it isn’t great Pixar, but it is a decent enough movie.
Written: 17 Jun 2022
Owned on: UHD, Blu-ray, Digital