Does every franchise need a prequel and a multiverse?
Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and The Hunger Games are getting a prequel series. We’re in the age of the Multiverse where large franchises are jumping on the opportunity to expand their IP’s use by recreating the same characters over and over again and then giving it “a greater purpose” (when it’s just a cash grab).
I get it. There are characters that I love and cherish that resonate with me and make me feel safe. There are studies on binge-watching and why we crave the same TV show or Movies: anxiety, depression, and stress – some say it’s an addiction. Binge-watching and re-watching old favourites act as a crutch for uncomfortable feelings. With binge-watching becoming a prevalent part of our media consumption, we’re now in the age of… Well, prequels, sequels, multiverses, and remakes.
These aren’t new concepts but are certainly more popular now than ever. And to top it all off, the world is a mess, a lingering pandemic, financial crisis, breakdown of democracy, backpedalling policies… It’s not looking great. I get it. I, too, would like a little serotonin in the form of my favourite characters back on my screen, please!
That said, it doesn’t mean every re-visitation is a gem.
Lightyear felt like a smash of sci-fi tropes – we could call it an ode to the genre or we could call it a boring amalgamation of franchises – lacking originality. I mean, Buzz Lightyear, as far as I’m aware, was meant to be a catch-all for sci-fi characters to represent the new making Andy look archaic. The original concept for Buzz Lightyear, in that context, was great but trying to make a new story out of a character crafted as a generic placeholder… They ended up with much of the same.
It was a tall order to create the amazing thing that Andy fell in love with. There were rules to follow about who Buzz is/was. That can be hard and constrictive when trying to create an original story, but without ingenuity, Lightyear came across as bland – a bunch of things we’d seen before.
The reveal that Buzz’s older self was the villain didn’t feel like the “OH MY GOD” moment it was meant to be. It felt like a cop-out. It made the OG villain in Toy Story feel… underserved. Honestly, I would have preferred if the villain was a robot leader of a robot master race. In this case, IMO the obvious assumption is more interesting to me. I mean, come on! Give us some lore, and expand your world!
I know it is ultimately a kid’s movie – it’s not supposed to be some complex storyline portraying something deeper. BUT that didn’t stop Red from creating something unique, magical, and insightful – from the same studio, released not long before Lightyear.
Honestly, after Turning Red, Lightyear is a bit of a letdown. If I were to pick between the two, which deserved a theatrical release, I’d say Turning Red in a heartbeat without a single regret.
I found Lightyear’s story lacking.
I didn’t cry when people said they cried. I didn’t feel attached to the characters.
I also saw story elements with potential for deeper storytelling that went ignored. There was an opportunity to comment on the way these space rangers commandeered a planet that didn’t want them there…*cough* colonizer plot *cough*
Maybe those vines don’t have faces, but they clearly have senses that you’re a threat. AND by the time Buzz is fighting his older self, the planet looks somewhat desolate? The jungle that Buzz and Alicia first stumbled into looks… vibrant and later it kind of disappeared? Or changed? That, to me, could have been a perfect opportunity to integrate a colonizer undertone to the society they’ve created and counter it by leaving… but no, in the end, Buzz agrees that their colonization is for the best! Really?
The movie is clearly about how sometimes mistakes can become opportunities; how it isn’t good to dwell on the past or try to rewrite history. Buzz learns he needs to move on and contribute to a better future…
BUT is this a better future for the planet? The society they’ve created has savagely sucked the planet dry of its resources and demonized the native wildlife for protecting itself. They aren’t aiming to live in peace with the planet… they’ve created a sci-fi version of a gated community… how is that good representation? How is that a better future?
I get what they were trying to do and why they did what they did, but I don’t like it. And after all that….
Lightyear feels… forgettable.
It wasn’t BAD, but it didn’t take my breath away either. Honestly, if I could go back in time, I would wait for it to come out on Disney+ and spend my money on a ticket to something else. People have been making a big deal about a lesbian kiss, but I don’t remember there even being one. I’m sure it was there! I’m just saying it wasn’t memorable.
What did I like?
I liked that Buzz’s partner, Alicia, was Black. I liked that her granddaughter, Izzy, became Buzz’s new partner. I appreciate the key creatives who pushed for diversity and LGBTQ+ representation and stuck it out even when the film became banned by other countries. I liked the callbacks to Toy Story. I liked the dynamic between Buzz, Izzy, Mo, and Darby. I even liked SOX, which is blatantly another marketable toy.
BUT these things don’t save the movie.
Also, keep in mind, that I am an absolute SIMP for Chris Evans… I may very well be subconsciously holding back in the hope for my someday Wattpad Y/N moment with him.
Be wary, Lightyear might not be all that it is cracked up to be and perhaps hold out until it hits a streamer before paying for a ticket in a recession and a lingering pandemic.