The story of living dolls in the Toy Story film franchise ended in 2019. However, it seems that Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures still want to delve deeper into the iconic characters in the franchise, and as proof, the Lightyear film was released in June last year.
When I saw the trailer, to be honest, I didn't have any expectations for this
film. Maybe it's because the concept has changed drastically from the Toy
Story films, along with the main character, Buzz Lightyear, who wasn't my
favorite Toy Story character when I was a kid. However, apart from that, it
seems that this film is okay, and looks as luxurious as other Disney films. At
least that's my initial opinion of the trailer until various cases emerged
behind this film that prevented it from being shown in 14 countries, including
Indonesia.
Lightyear is considered to have intentionally shown scenes of the "rainbow
flag" which are of course strictly prohibited in this country, considering
that the film is aimed at children. It didn't end there either, from some of
the news I've read, it seems that Disney is also still adamant in defending
the scene, so inevitably the Lightyear film is banned from being shown in
several countries.
So, because the film didn't show in Indonesia, I finally tried to find a
pirated version, even though it was still in WEBrip format.
After watching it, I don't think Lightyear is as bad as people think, but on
the other hand, this film doesn't seem suitable for children to watch.
This film tells the story of Buzz Lightyear who is stranded on a mysterious
planet while exploring outer space as a Space Ranger. The timeline of the film
can be said to be related to the Toy Story timeline, but not entirely related.
At the beginning of the film, it is written that Lightyear is a film that Andy
saw in 1995, which later made Buzz Lightyear so popular that his toy became
one of Andy's birthday gifts.
The story behind this film was that it was very popular in 1995, but if you
look at the whole story, it doesn't really make sense for Buzz Lightyear to
become a trend. Moreover, Buzz Lightyear's character in this film has
completely changed from the one in the Toy Story film, making the connection
even more awkward.
The core story of this film, which tells about time travel, is irrelevant for
children to watch. Not because the concept is not good, but because the story
is so heavy that the majority of children will probably feel bored while
watching it.
The middle phase of this film also runs very slowly, doesn't have many intense
scenes, and really makes me bored. Luckily, there is a cat robot named Sox
that makes me feel at home watching this film until the end. Instead of Buzz
Lightyear, I think the Sox would make more sense as a birthday present for
Andy if the story was made up like in this film.
There is a lot of potential that are not put to good use in this Lightyear
film. One of them that I really regret is the main villain character, Zurg,
who should be a badass villain character. Zurg's character in the Lightyear
film is like trash that can't be recycled, it can only be thrown away without
being repaired. Zurg's authority as a scary and cruel extraterrestrial villain
in the film Toy Story 2 was dropped so hard in this film, leaving only good
character designs, but other than that everything was disappointing.
The "rainbow flag" scene which is controversial in this film actually doesn't
have a big contribution to the story, but for some reason, Disney still
doesn't want to delete it. If this is the case, it will really look like
Disney really has the intention to promote these people through their animated
films. I can't stop thinking about it anymore, but what can I do, the facts
are like that.
Even though there are many weaknesses in this film, it cannot be denied that
Lightyear is a very magnificent film, especially in terms of animation. All
the details that exist are really displayed perfectly, making it pleasing to
the eye when watching it. The bright color tones also really attract
children's attention, even though the stories that are told are very heavy to
convey to children.
Sox as a robot cat companion to Buzz Lightyear also managed to steal the main
spotlight in this film. His funny behavior makes Sox a character that is
probably the most interesting to the majority of the audience, including me.
Overall, Lightyear is a magnificent animated film and is suitable for viewing
by all groups. It's possible that Disney's reason for making the story of the
Lightyear film a bit heavy is that they want this film to be relevant for
adults to watch as well.
SCORE
5/10
Lightyear is a fun animated film. But unfortunately, the various flaws and
cases behind it make this film ruin the good name of the Toy Story franchise,
which has been in its heyday for decades.
This film might be able to be shown in Indonesia if the most controversial
scene is deleted. Even though the scene didn't last a minute, the Disney side
still didn't want to delete it.
TRAILERS
***
That's my review of the Lightyear film. If there are criticisms or suggestions
from you, please just write them in the comments column.
Don't forget to always visit this blog for other interesting movie review
content.