Film Review: "Lightyear"

Full disclosure before this review, Buzz Lightyear was a very important character in my childhood. I managed to wear out the VHS tapes and had more Buzz lightyear figures than I knew what to do with. The history I had with the character excited me to see his origin story in “Lightyear.” Based on the story that made the toy, marooned space ranger Buzz Lightyear is searching for a way to get home. While trying to find the fuel source that could get him home, he comes up against a variety of robots led by the evil Zurg. What follows is an intergalactic adventure that’s worth seeing on a big screen and definitely worth a trip for the entire family.

The most effective quality of “Lightyear” is its sense of joyous adventure, mixed with the wonder of space. It’s a feeling that harkens back to 90s adventure films that are visually exciting and wondrous. Pixar’s animation is always of the highest quality and “Lightyear” is no exception. The adventurous quality is amplified by the emotive voice cast including Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Uzo Adoba, and Taika Watiti.  There is surprising emotional depth as well.  

 The beginning events of Lightyear are some of the most surprising and emotional since “Up” in 2009. Once Buzz meets the granddaughter of Aduba’s character it loses a bit of that startlingly strong first act, but the fun adventure remains present in the film's one-hour and forty-seven minutes running time.  From the standpoint of fun summer entertainment for families, that spectacle will be more than enough. That second half just feels like a lesser version of what came early on. While it isn’t as effective, it’s hard to deny how entertaining the action-heavy second act is. 

Director Angus MacLane shoots and choreographs the action, especially the aerial sequences, like a war film.  The constant thrills, excitement, and general unpredictability make “Lightyear” one of the most exciting Pixar films to date. Watching Buzz traverse through space and different planets reminded me of cinema’s magic. That ability to transport us to somewhere new and surprising is what the theatrical experience is meant for. All of those feelings make my one major problem with the film that much more frustrating. 

Two very different types of stories compete for attention in “Lightyear.” There’s the melancholic friendship story and the space-misadventure buddy comedy. In their own right, they are both two very entertaining and emotional stories. Together these two stories don’t quite pack the punch they should. Each of them holds up well on its own but doesn’t have much connective tissue.  Palmer and Watiti add some solid comedic relief, but not to the emotional depths of what came before. Their arch and characters don’t take away from the core emotion but never reach the heights of act one. There are attempts of catharsis for certain characters that feel more cliched than endearing. 

Either way, “Lightyear” is a perfect piece of summer family-friendly theatrical entertainment. For fans of the character, we are given an origin story that feels fresh. Even in its animated form, it feels like a visceral experience.  Amongst the lineage of Pixar, it doesn’t quite hold a candle to something like Toy Story. It adds an interesting piece of knowledge to the history but works better as a science-fiction/time travel film. The voice cast is top-notch and delivers wonderful escapist blockbuster entertainment.  With theaters returning back to normal after the pandemic, “Lightyear” is a welcome reminder of why summer matters for cinema.