Lightyear tells the story of young astronaut Buzz Lightyear, who, after being marooned on a hostile planet with his commander and crew, tries to find a way back home while confronting a threat to the universe's safety. The concept of a human Buzz Lightyear, who exists in a fictional universe (within another fictional universe) is explained in the very opening of the picture.
Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger in Star Command, and his commanding officer and best friend, Alisha Hawthorne, explore the habitable planet, T'Kani Prime. They are forced to retreat to their exploration vessel after discovering that the planet hosts hostile lifeforms. Buzz damages the vessel during the retreat, forcing the crew to evacuate in order to conduct repairs and continue their journey.
One year later, the crew have constructed a nascent colony along with the necessary infrastructure to conduct repairs. Buzz volunteers to test hyperspace fuel, a key component of the repairs. However, after a four-minute test, he finds that time dilation is possible. More importantly, he finds himself working with a rag tag team of misfits as they combat the Zyclops robots, led by the mysterious Zurg.
If you are a fan of the old Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon adventure serials, this is the type of movie that best resembles the nostalgic flavor – with a dash of 2001: A Space Odyssey thrown in for good measure. The foggy forest scene was a nod to the Star Wars franchise, an obvious scene provides a nod to The Black Hole (1979), and evading capture under the floor in vent shafts reproduced a scene from Aliens. Add a temporal paradox, hypersace travel and colonial defense forces, and you have a fun film.
To be fair, this was not a great film, nor is it a bad film. In an era where science-fiction movies released theatrically are dominated with Star Wars and superheroes, this one is a welcome change of pace. The movie settles for being a rather conventional origin story instead of reaching for the stars, but this gorgeously animated adventure accomplishes a mission of straightforward fun.
