Review: Lightyear

Summer blockbuster season is in full swing and amid the “Star Wars” and Marvel entities still dominating big and small screens, Pixar weighs in with their sci-fi contender, “Lightyear.”

Lightyear
(Disney/Pixar)

  • Directed by Angus MacLane
  • Screenplay by Jason Headley, Angus MacLane
  • Story by Angus MacLane, Matthew Aldrich, Jason Headley
  • Produced by Galyn Susman
  • Starring Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Studio Synopsis:

A sci-fi action adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy, “Lightyear” follows the legendary Space Ranger after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew. As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda.

Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” opens only in theaters on June 17, 2022.

Buzz Lightyear and his crew
TEAMING UP – Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” is a sci-fi action adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans), the hero who inspired the toy. The all-new story follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits (voices of Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi and Dale Soules), and their robot companion Sox (voice of Peter Sohn). Also joining the cast are Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Directed by Angus MacLane (co-director “Finding Dory”) and produced by Galyn Susman (“Toy Story That Time Forgot”), “Lightyear” releases June 17, 2022. © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.”

J.P.’s Take:

We have known that the San Francisco Bay Area-based Pixar Animation Studio has created some of the most emotionally charged, fun and adventurous feature films in the biz and this spin-off, “Lightyear,” carries those same qualities. The intriguing part of such a comical and slightly weighty, sci-fi flick is the way it presents itself. Although we know the Buzz Lightyear character to be tethered to the “Toy Story” franchise, it is a prequel in its own right. Another indication is as the film opens with the prologue …“In 1995, a young Andy Davis sees the ‘Lightyear’ movie in a movie theater a day before his birthday and moving to his new house, a film that inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy line.”

Just imagine for a moment you’re transported back to your childhood and the latest and great sci-fi movie has just been released. “Lightyear” becomes almost metaphysical in the sense that you’re placing yourself in Andy Davis’ shoes, as to his delight in seeing Buzz Lightyear on the big screen for the first time. I can remember seeing films like the “Star Wars” trilogy or “The Last Starfighter” for the first time and the sheer joy I felt after having experienced them. Pixar gives us that experience of childlike glee again, because they not only deliver on the visuals, they deliver yet another heartfelt piece of fiction. The Buzz Lightyear who existentially believed himself to be real, whom to Andy was just a plaything turns out to have true origins and is a real human being. The rationale behind this tale, however, is something we all come across at some point in our lives. One, even youngsters will face throughout their lives as they get older.

Galactic Ranger Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) and his commanding officer / friend Alisha Hawthorn (Uzo Aduba) are on an exploration mission on the planet Tikana Prime with new recruit Featheringhamstan (Bill Hadar). The first few chuckles of the movie stem from the joke behind the crew not being able to pronounce the rookies name properly.

Their spaceship
© 2021 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

In search of a habitable place to terraform, the team quickly runs into trouble, as they discover the planet is taken over by hostile lifeforms. As they retreat to their exploration ship (affectionately called the “Turnip” because of its shape) in an attempt to escape the planet, Buzz Lightyear inadvertently damages the ship, which strands them on the planet’s surface. We all make mistakes. Yet, when we get a bit wrapped up in our own ego, they can become detrimental, which is why Buzz feels quite guilty in knowing his mistake could have cost lives. With the ship unable to be repaired and no one to rescue them, they have no choice but to make a life for themselves on Tikana Prime. As a few years go by, the team of rangers have adapted to the terrain making life on the somewhat hostile planet more bearable. We all know a redemptive story when we see one and Lightyear is the type of hero that will carry the burden of his mistakes on his shoulders like a lead weight. Yet, he’s determined to right the wrongs and return his fellow rangers to their rightful home back on Earth.

Writer / first time director Angus MacClane and screenwriters Jason Headley and Matthew Aldrich imbue Buzz with an altruistic outlook on the state of affairs he’s marooned his team with. Unable to accept the circumstances, he defies conventional methods in finding solutions to liberate them all. The filmmakers also tackle the subject of death in a brief, endearing fashion. Buzz begins experiments with FTL (Faster Than Light) travel and over the many attempts and years, Alisha begins to age. The message is clear that friendship transcends time.

Buzz Lightyear and Alisha Hawthorne
MAKING SPACE – In Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear,” Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans) and Alisha Hawthorne (voice of Uzo Aduba)—his long-time commander, fellow Space Ranger and trusted friend—are marooned on a hostile planet. © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.”

Pixar have also been on the forefront of expressing inclusiveness and diversity in their films and here you’ll connect with one of the first LGBTQ+ characters, Alisha Hawthorne, who is in an interracial relationship as well. Those moments are handled with grace and compassion. I have to give kudos to Pixar for their courageous efforts on leaving that segment in its entirety.

A big plus is the voicing from actors. Led by Evans, Keke Palmer (Izzy Hawthorne, Alisha’s granddaughter), James Brolin (Emperor Zurg), Hadar, Aduba, Peter Sohn (Sox, a robotic cat and Buzz’s companion), Taika Waititi (recruit Mo Morrison), Dale Soules (Darby Steel), Efren Ramirez (Airman Diaz), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Commander Burnside), Mary McDonald-Lewis (I.V.A.N.) and Tim Peake (Tim from Mission Control) were all superbly done with zeal.

Where “Lightyear” starts to resemble its “Star Wars” counterpart is with many of the action scenes involving the Emperor Zurg (Brolin) and his robotic henchmen, a scene where Buzz meets Zurg reminds me of the moments where Luke Skywalker encounters Darth Vader.

Comedy keeps things light on their feet as well, as there is much to chuckle at throughout. Many of the guffaws are generated by the mishaps and misadventures of the new crew Buzz Lightyear reluctantly recruited. Even though there are points where the witticism tends to wear thin after a while, the environments, space craft and costuming were all fantastically designed and rendered.

In the end, I felt “Lightyear” was one Pixar’s most satisfying sci-fi outings since “WALL-E.”

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