Lightyear. PG, 105 minutes. Three stars
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Does anybody not like the Toy Story movies? I've yet to meet such a person and I'm not sure I'd like them. That said, this new Pixar Disney spin-off feels like an attempt to milk the property rather than being an inspired creative choice, though it's still quite enjoyable in its own right.
An opening title tells us that this is the movie Toy Story's Andy watched that inspired his love of Buzz Lightyear. It's a cute concept - though this doesn't look anything like any animated movie that was made in the 1980s or early '90s: this is 2022 technology at work in all its glory.
The filmmakers say that as this is the "real" (or should that be "reel"?) Buzz, not the toy, they wanted to highlight other aspects of the character and that is why Tim Allen, Buzz's "toy" voice in the Toy Story movies, hasn't returned.
Instead, Chris "Captain America" Evans plays the brave but egotistical Space Ranger whose foolhardy behaviour on a mission leads to the ship he's piloting crash-landing on a distant planet that has dangerous lifeforms but breathable air (lucky, that). Although his best friend and commanding officer Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Adubo) tries to comfort him, saying it was an accident, Buzz believes he's a failure.
After a year on the planet, the large crew have made remarkable progress in establishing a new civilisation while preparing for Buzz to make a test flight to see if they will be able to return home. There's not enough power the first time to go fast enough, but, plagued by guilt and perhaps a little ego, he tries again and again and again. Time passes a lot faster for the people on the planet than for him when he's in space and people become used to their new life as generations pass. Are they happy with the way things are?
Eventually, a new threat comes in the form of a spaceship full of robots led by the mysterious Zurg. Buzz, accompanied by seemingly underqualified helpers including Izzy (Keke Palmer), Alisha's granddaughter, takes it upon himself to face them and eventually makes a shocking discovery.
The screenplay was worked by several people which might be the reason for some rather glaring issues, and not just the usual headscratchers caused by some of the sci-fi tropes used here. To name two without being unduly spoilerish: a major discovery made by one of the characters could have been put to use a lot sooner, and the idea that there's only one pilot, who's allowed to fail multiple times, seems absurd.
Lightyear was banned in some countries because of two characters' same-sex relationship which the studio, to its credit, has retained. It's treated matter of factly, as it should be.
Among the other relationships in the movie, the most interesting are the one between Buzz and Alisha, which provides the emotional resonance that the best Disney and Pixar films have, and Buzz with his robot cat companion Sox (Peter Sohn), who proves to be an amazing resource.
There are some lessons here - such as the importance of teamwork, forgiveness, the importance of love and inevitablity of change - but they're well integrated into the story.
I was one of only three people in the first morning session at Dendy watching this but I suspect it will be popular. It's certainly a beautifully made and fun film, with good voice work; it's just hard to avoid the feeling it's a bit of a cash grab, though many won't care.
If you're a credit-scene lover, there are three here to wait for, including one at the very, VERY end that hints at a possible sequel.