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13th June 2022
09:59pm BST

So, while you can absolutely play sci-fi bingo to see which famous space-set movies are being referenced to throughout, the two biggest influences are most definitely Star Wars and, perhaps oddly for a family movie, Interstellar.
The message appears to be 'don't let the future ruin your present', which is maybe a little hypocritical for a movie that spends so much time mining the past for its best ideas.
Not that it matters too much, because this is more of an old-school adventure than we normally associate with Pixar. It really can't be overstated quite how uncomplicated this whole affair is, which is both a breath of fresh air, but also a little disappointing from the minds behind big narrative swings like Inside Out and WALL-E.
There's a great running gag about sentient plants trying to eat everyone, and we guarantee every adult and child will want their own Sox, a robot cat given the power to understand fear. But overall, this isn't top-tier Pixar comedy, either.
In place of the usually high Pixar IQ and/or LOLs, instead we get maybe their most exciting movie to date, with some great set-pieces matched with the usual cutting-edge visuals and a great supporting cast of voice actors (Taika Waititi, Keke Palmer, James Brolin, Isiah Whitlock Jr.).
Evans is decent as Lightyear, mustering up the same Captain America energy for this daring-do fly-boy who prefers to work alone (oh yeah, the power of friendship is another lesson to be learned along the way), but this Buzz shouldn't be compared to the one we knew and loved from Toy Story. That was a fish-out-of-water scenario, whereas here, he is exactly where he is supposed to be, doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing.
Disney tried their hand at an animated Marvel movie with Big Hero 6, which (whisper it) turned out to be quite a bit more entertaining than a lot of the main MCU entries. Clearly Pixar weren't being given the keys to Star Wars, so they've done the next best thing, which turns out to be a lot better than the last few things Star Wars itself has put out.
Just don't go expecting a game-changer like Toy Story - or most of its sequels - and you'll be just fine.
Lightyear arrives in Irish cinemas on Friday, 17 June.
Clip via Pixar
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