Film Review: Lightyear has everything from plot twists to sci-fi jokes
Undated Handout Photo from Lightyear. Pictured: Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans). See PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Lightyear. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/© 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Lightyear.
The irrepressible Buzz Lightyear, as Toy Story fans will already know, is a toy based on a character from a (fictional) blockbuster movie. That movie is (PG), which opens 4.2 million lightyears from Earth, with Buzz (voiced by Chris Evans) marooned on a remote planet and commissioned by his superior, Commander Hawthorne (Keke Palmer), to test-pilot a spaceship designed to make the leap to hyperspace and get their mission back on track. A tough enough task in itself, but then the evil Emperor Zurg (James Brolin) shows up with an army of robots, all of them dedicated to obliterating Buzz …
A prequel offering the origin story of a toy from an animated movie isn’t the most promising of prospects, but Buzz Lightyear is no ordinary toy, and is a substantial addition to the franchise.
The tone is set early on, as Buzz narrates his exploration of a strange planet only to be accused of ‘monologuing’ by Commander Hawthorne:
is a space opera fully aware of the sci-fi clichés and determined to make the most of them, such as when Buzz attempts his hyperspace leap in scenes that offer brilliantly imagined visuals whilst also having fun with the science (or, more accurately, the science-fiction) of space travel.
Indeed, there are crafty little gags scattered throughout: the Vader-like Zurg is voiced by James Brolin, the father of Josh Brolin, who played the Avengers’ nemesis Thanos, while a cat called SOX (Peter Sohn) may remind some sci-fi diehards of the Nostromo’s Jonesy as he steals every scene he’s in.
A satisfyingly twisty plot, plenty of sci-fi in-jokes and a hero determined ‘to finish the mission at all costs’: is utterly epic.
(cinema release)
