Lightyear Reviews Are Calling It The Worst Pixar Film
According to critics, Lightyear may be the worst Pixar movie yet. But what does that mean for the acclaimed studio?
Lightyear is hitting theaters everywhere today and the reviews are coming in hot. According to some reviewers, this could very well be the worst Pixar film yet. While that seems like quite the condemnation, you have to keep in mind that it’s still a Pixar film. That means it is still a good bit better than a lot of animated movies out there. Despite the negative reviews, it’s currently sitting at a respectably fresh 79% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While that’s not anything to write home about, it’s not terrible either.
But what makes Lightyear the worst Pixar film according to the detractors? A quick scan of the reviews gives the impression that the film is lacking imagination and meaningful characters. A review from the Denver Post says that the film should have been “a short film about a character” but “it’s stretched out to feature-length” and that it’s “barely even a character.” An interview from Time holds a similar sentiment, with the reviewer saying that a big plot twist “causes us to care less about the main character, rather than more.”
With that being said, it’s not all bad. There are reviewers who had a decent time with the movie, with the visuals being a highlight. Dana Stevens from Slate said Family audiences with no grand expectations that their Saturday afternoon matinee viewing constitutes great art will have a fine time watching Buzz and his pals zip from infinity to beyond and back.” In summation, the good reviews are saying that it’s decent, visually impressive, and should be just fine for a family theater trip. Pixar films certainly carry high expectations, it doesn’t seem like Lightyear is going to hit them, but it will probably still be a good time at the movies overall.
Lightyear tells the story of Buzz Lightyear, with the premise being this is the movie Andy from the Toy Story franchise watched when he was a kid. Essentially, it’s a sci-fi movie with a time-warping twist. The movie stars Chris Evans voicing the titular role. Lightyear also stars Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolin, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Angus MacLane, Bill Hader, Efren Ramirez, and Keira Hairston. Angus MacLane directs and co-writes the story with Matthew Aldrich and Jason Headley.
While critics are calling Lightyear the worst Pixar film, it’s going to have to drop a lot in the commercial and critic consensus to take out some of the movies currently sitting on the “worst Pixar movie” throne. Currently, Lightyear has a higher rating than every movie in the Cars franchise, especially Cars 2, which has a rotten rating from both critics and audiences. Lightyear also has a slightly better rating than The Good Dinosaur, Monsters at Work, and Brave. Of course, this is just the first day that Lightyear is out, so that rating could always go down. If you want to see Lightyear and make the call for yourself, you can see it in theaters this weekend.
