Lightyear (2022, PG)

*Premise spoilers.*

I didn’t get around to this one when it came out last year. Like a lot of movies, I was interested in it, but it didn’t rise to “navigate going to a movie theater during a pandemic” levels, and by the time it came out on Disney+, I wasn’t really thinking about it anymore. But thanks to my brain’s current preoccupation with Our Flag Means Death and adjacent projects, especially those involving Taika Waititi, I’ve finally checked this one off the list.

Before I get into the summary, a quick note on the conceit of the film. In the first Toy Story, Andy is thrilled to get a Buzz Lightyear toy, and it quickly becomes his favorite. This movie, however, isn’t about the toy. The idea is that this is the movies Andy saw in 1995, and when toys based on the film were released, he begged for a Buzz of his own. Okay, now onto the movie!

When Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear makes a costly mistake and winds up stranding his ship on an alien planet, he’s determined that he alone can rectify that error and get everyone home. A test flight using an experimental new fuel causes Buzz to experience extreme time dilation—a 4-minute flight for him takes years for everyone else. When he arrives back from one test to discover the planet is under attack by hostile robots, Mr. I Can Do It Myself finds himself saddled with a trio of wannabe cadets who are eager to help out.

For something that’s kind of a spinoff companion movie to a popular franchise, Lightyear’s plot is actually fairly in-depth. One of the major themes—the idea that, as great a space ranger as Buzz is, he can’t do everything on his own and is better when he works with others—is signposted and a little obvious, but the way it plays out is still endearing. However, other important themes about mistakes, regrets, and time wasted are explored in a pretty sophisticated, lovely way.

Space ranger Buzz has a number of the same personality traits as action figure Buzz, but understandably, these are more fleshed-out—a character in a movie is bound to be more complicated than a toy of that character. This Buzz is heroic and daring, which means he takes everything personally. It’s his duty to keep everybody safe, to get everybody home. He’s confident and capable, which means he has a hard time accepting that he can’t just fix everything. His qualities and his flaws stem from the same places, and when he’s dropped into the future where things have changed and he doesn’t know how everything operates, he’s very begrudgingly forced to come to grips with the fact that he’s not a one-man army.

Chris Evans does a fine job as Buzz. Superficially, you can see some of the similarities with Steve Rogers, but Buzz has a lot more to learn on his character journey, and Evans navigates the changes he goes through nicely. I enjoy the whole ragtag volunteer squad that latches onto Buzz in the future. Keke Palmer is delightful as Izzy, a young woman who’s determined to prove herself despite limited experience and major obstacles to overcome. Taika Waititi’s Mo is a lot of fun; he’s eager and curious but a bit of a disaster. Then we have Dale Soules (who played Frieda on Orange is the New Black) as Darby, a deadpan parolee with a talent for firepower. Rounding out the group is SOX, the companion robot programmed to help Buzz process his time dilation. Voiced by Peter Sohn, this pleasantly calm robot cat is both adorable and a constant scene stealer. The film also features the voice talents of Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Bill Hader.

Warnings

Action violence, scary moments for kids, and thematic elements.