"Light Years", Pixar Studios' new film, is one of the weakest films to come out of the gates of the acclaimed animation company, and probably one of the most trivial of them.
The caption that appears on the screen at the opening announces to viewers that the film that is about to begin is the blockbuster that Andy - the boy who was at the center of "Toy Story" films - saw when he was a child in 1995.
It's also supposed to be the movie that made Andy drag his parents to the toy store to buy him a light-year-old Buzz doll, the character who starred alongside Sheriff Woody in four "Toy Story" movies.
But "Light Years" is not at all convincing as this film, which it is supposed to be.
It may not be a bad movie, but it's very far removed from "Toy Story" movies (which still pose a creative and quality record for Pixar), and any attempt to fold it into that glorious series is forced and unnecessary.
On top of that, it does not really look and sound like a movie released in 1995, nor does it really look like a Star Wars-style summer blockbuster - which is a bit of what I thought and hoped it would be.
At the center of the cumbersome and not-so-simple-to-understand plot is the attempt by the brave space pilot Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans, who replaces Tim Allen) to rescue hundreds of his crew from a remote planet on which their spacecraft crashed.
The arrogant Buzz is the one who smashed the spaceship, so he also probably feels that the responsibility to bring his friends back to their homes safely rests with him.
But his failed attempts to atone for his mistake charge him a heavy price, and at some point, to his chagrin, the decision is made to stop trying.
As you'd expect from a Pixar movie, "Light Years" is a lust for the eyes.
But everything else?
a little less.
The jokes are not really funny, the flashes are not really brilliant, there is nothing here that comes close to an exciting moment (Pixar's forte usually).
Even the inevitable morality that Buzz refers to ultimately looks recycled from previous and much better Pixar films.
So no, this is not a bad movie.
But you can definitely give it up and just watch all the "Toy Story" movies again instead.
You will have a lot more fun.
Under warranty.
"Light Years", USA 2022
Score: 5
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