I actually saw the movie -- it's absolute dreck and it has nothing to do with the wokeness of it.
The plot is all over the place - nothing passes any logical scrutiny - there is zero character development - there is no clear message - the plot contradicts itself - no one is likeable - the ending doesn't make sense... and I could go on.
Entertainment aimed at kids doesn't have to be braindead -- it doesn't even have to be realistic, it just needs to be internally consistent with its logic. Lightyear fails to even do that.
The more I think about it, the worse it gets. And then you still have the superfluous wokeness as well. I just don't think anyone wants to watch a 30-something cinephile rant at how a Disney movie insulted my intelligence.
Lightyear would have been awesome if that's how it was made -- a totally tubular and gnarly space adventure. Include some old school star wars references for the millennial+ dads, and maybe play off some of the trends of the day.
It's shocking how little the movie leaned on Star Wars references, considering the IP is owned by Disney. The Rookie was the big Star Trek reference but I don't recall many throw backs to SW. Ironically, this movie would have benefitted tremendously from a Star Wars type scroll (and perhaps naming it Episode 4 or 5, but I digress)
The overt focus on the wokeness before the movie even came out, which far as I could tell was preemptively done by Disney to stir up a fake controversy to react to because no one cared to notice until they did, was a telltale sign of that. Nobody mentioned the actual movie beyond a single scene because it really was just that forgettably boring.
These companies aren't completely retarded. They know the reactions they get, and they will try to manipulate it. In this case it was a "you hate gays if you don't defend the movie from the homophobes" which probably did make an uptick in its sales.
Unfortunately that tactic relies on people caring enough to try and combat "homophobia" and overestimating how many gays really exist, which is why it does keep failing.
I actually saw the movie -- it's absolute dreck and it has nothing to do with the wokeness of it.
The plot is all over the place - nothing passes any logical scrutiny - there is zero character development - there is no clear message - the plot contradicts itself - no one is likeable - the ending doesn't make sense... and I could go on.
Entertainment aimed at kids doesn't have to be braindead -- it doesn't even have to be realistic, it just needs to be internally consistent with its logic. Lightyear fails to even do that.
The more I think about it, the worse it gets. And then you still have the superfluous wokeness as well. I just don't think anyone wants to watch a 30-something cinephile rant at how a Disney movie insulted my intelligence.
Ironically, Disney made a cartoon TV show in the early 2000s, called Buzz Lightyear of Star Command that actually fit the 80s/90s cartoon style.
There was that hot blue skinned female alien character. A red head too.
You hit the nail on the head.
Lightyear would have been awesome if that's how it was made -- a totally tubular and gnarly space adventure. Include some old school star wars references for the millennial+ dads, and maybe play off some of the trends of the day.
It's shocking how little the movie leaned on Star Wars references, considering the IP is owned by Disney. The Rookie was the big Star Trek reference but I don't recall many throw backs to SW. Ironically, this movie would have benefitted tremendously from a Star Wars type scroll (and perhaps naming it Episode 4 or 5, but I digress)
The overt focus on the wokeness before the movie even came out, which far as I could tell was preemptively done by Disney to stir up a fake controversy to react to because no one cared to notice until they did, was a telltale sign of that. Nobody mentioned the actual movie beyond a single scene because it really was just that forgettably boring.
These companies aren't completely retarded. They know the reactions they get, and they will try to manipulate it. In this case it was a "you hate gays if you don't defend the movie from the homophobes" which probably did make an uptick in its sales.
Unfortunately that tactic relies on people caring enough to try and combat "homophobia" and overestimating how many gays really exist, which is why it does keep failing.
A review I read put it quite sucently. It's a Toy Story movie without the Toy Story.
Like every industry, Hollywood stopped hiring on merit and started hiring on wokeness. Actual movie making skills are incidental.
The good news is it leave opportunity for the snubbed people with talent to build their own industry.