So it finally arrived. Pixar’s most highly anticipated movie of 2022. And it didn’t get quite the warm welcome people were expecting. In fact, Lightyear has been the subject of scathing reviews by numerous critics and, much more worryingly, a large number of audience members too. But is it justified? Well, while I don’t agree that it quite warranted the outright slating it so mercilessly received, I do have to agree that it does seem to be missing something. And trust me, as a raging Pixar fanatic and Toy Story superfan, it's painful for me to admit this.
First, I just want to say that Lightyear is visually stunning! It's clear that the animators poured their hearts into this project, with the animation's groundbreaking fluidity and painstaking attention to detail. There were times when the visuals bordered on being photorealistic yet always maintained that stylised, cartoony, classically Pixar feel. But, as we learned from Toy Story 4, pretty lights and good music just aren’t enough.
So, was it downright disastrous? Short answer: no. On the one hand, this movie harboured some genuinely good things! But on the other, there were many moments when it just didn’t hit the mark.
The first act was pretty strong stuff. It drew me in, laid solid foundations for the story’s direction, and I was deeply charmed by the characters. The friendship between Buzz Lightyear and Alisha Hawthorne? Top tier! I noticed a substantial handful of the negative reviews dissolving into rant pieces in regards to Tim Allen’s absence, but I thought Chris Evans did a fantastic job of filling his shoes, a performance which was hugely complimented by Uzo Aduba as Alisha Hawthorne. There was some really great chemistry between these two, and it didn’t take long to become fully invested in their friendship.
Buzz Lightyear’s character also remained fairly well-rounded throughout, resembling the Buzz we know and love yet with some notable but perfectly feasible differences. Although he was admittedly lacking in the military Buzz Lightyear bravado he displayed in prior depictions, making his personality less larger-than-life than we’re used to. Being a little less nice and a bit more cocky and overconfident at the get-go would have been a better catalyst for further character development. Nevertheless, I still recognised and rooted for him and was interested to see where his arc would go.
But after act one, things started to slowly fizzle out as new characters came into the picture. Most of them could have been written out entirely, and it wouldn’t have affected the movie whatsoever and the ones that did play important roles were severely underutilised. The worst offender in that regard is, I am sad to say, the Evil Emperor Zurg himself. In the interest of keeping this spoiler-free, I won’t go into any detail on the subject. But I will say that I was left extremely underwhelmed by the ‘epic Buzz Vs. Zurg throwdown’ that my inner-child was so unbelievably hyped for.
And when it came to the characters we’re supposed to root for; there was a distinct lack of emotional depth - which I wouldn’t have minded if it had only been a bit more deliberate. Pixar has spent the past few years exploring some pretty heavy topics, such as death, depression, identity crises and existentialism. And they do it beautifully. After all that, though, I was feeling ready for something a little lighter. I was stoked for the popcorn sci-fi epic we had been promised; a wacky romp through time and space, filled with all the wit and hilarity that’s become such a signature trait of Pixar’s work - nothing too deep, y’know? But the thing is, they tried to be deep. But it just wasn’t. There was no build-up to the character’s inner struggles, nor was there any attempt to overcome them through effort or hard work. Instead, they were simply portrayed via sad eyes and sulky moments. To be honest, it was all a bit pathetic. Whenever one of them started ‘having a moment’, I just didn’t care.
Although there was one point at which I really did feel sorry for Buzz Lightyear, after watching the third or fourth emotional breakdown from one of his comrades, thinking to myself, ‘man, these people would be a nightmare to work with.’ Poor Buzz, having to play Mr Motivator to this clumsy, emotionally unstable team while they lament about their personal problems in the middle of a think-fast, do-or-die situation. If they had shown the poor guy having a massive stress meltdown off the back of all this, it would have been a lot more believable!
All things considered, do I recommend giving a Lightyear a go? Well, actually, yeah. I do. I probably haven’t sold it very well, but this wasn’t another Toy Story 4 (a movie that many of us ignore as canon and wouldn’t hesitate to wipe out of existence if we could). Lightyear is genuinely enjoyable. It keeps Buzz’s character relatively intact and has some genuinely lovely moments peppered with some real chuckle-worthy humour. And the action scenes are absolutely stellar!
Nevertheless, I’d suggest dialling back the expectations a bit before diving in. It does a lot of things reasonably well but doesn’t do anything brilliantly. It had heaps of masterpiece potential but consistently undercut itself, leaving behind a fun but fairly average film that’s a laugh to watch and the kids will almost certainly enjoy.
As well as audience reviews expressing disappointment, plenty have expressed their love for Lightyear. So I’m eager to know - what did you guys think? Did Lightyear fail to live up to the hype, or has Pixar launched yet another successful mission? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, or drop a post on the Wild River Comics Discussion Club!
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