n the opening moments of this full-length animated feature, a proud Buzz Lightyear (Allen) says, "This is the universe. I work here." As the story begins, Buzz and his partner Warp Darkmatter have been sent by Star Command to find three missing LGMs (Little Green Men). Their mission of mercy has taken them to an uncharted moon where, after tangling with some ill-tempered local wildlife, they locate the trio of green guys in the clutches of none other than Lightyear's arch-nemesis: the evil Emperor Zurg.
Zurg and his cronies have abducted the LGMs in an attempt to learn the secret of their psychic mind-link, which allows their entire race to think and act as one. The Little Green Men bravely refuse to divulge. Just as Zurg is about to resort to dissecting their cute little brains, Lightyear and Darkmatter swoop in and rescue them. But the mission is far from a success. Zurg escapes, right after rigging the entire moon to self-destruct. Lightyear is able to fly the LGMs to safety, but his partner Warp is lost in the blast.
Back at Star Command headquarters, a saddened Lightyear decides he must never let another Space Ranger come to harm. He vows to work alone. Lightyear's superior officer disagrees, insisting that Lightyear take a new partner. The most promising candidate is a top-rated cadet named Mira Nova (Sullivan), a mystical young woman who can move unscathed through solid matter. But plenty of other cadets want the job, including a wisecracking experimental robot called XR (Miller) and a bumbling behemoth of a janitor named Booster (Furst), who dreams of being a Space Ranger.
Meanwhile, Zurg has invaded the planet of the Little Green Men and stolen the secret of their psychic connection: a huge, glowing orb called "The Unimind." After corrupting it with good old-fashioned pure evil and hooking it up to a really, really big gun, Zurg turns the Unimind into a mind-control machine of galactic proportions. Within hours, Zurg has enslaved the entire galaxy, including Star Command. Only Buzz Lightyear and his three would-be assistants have managed to escape its influence. But do they have what it takes to defeat Zurg and save the universe?
Average fun for the whole family!
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is a colorful romp through the stars. It features several zany characters, a few bits of clever dialogue, some neat gizmos and retro-looking rocketships. However, fans of the delightful Toy Story and Toy Story 2 might be disappointed if they expect even a tenth of the originality and entertainment of those landmark films.
The disappointment is further aggravated by the inclusion of a brief introduction, featuring many of the original Toy Story characters in all their shiny, Pixar-animated glory. The familiar characters and witty exchanges that take place in this two-minute prologue (as all the toys gather around to watch a new Buzz Lightyear video in their owner's bedroom) tease the viewer into believing that there might be more of the same to follow. No such luck. The ensuing transition into extremely average cell animation and equally average storytelling is jarring indeed.
This is not to say that the film doesn't have its moments. There is a glimpse into the main training center of Star Command headquarters that is fun to watch, as cadets of all shapes engage in acrobatic battles with robotic adversaries, wall-mounted weapons and boobytraps. Another standout is the vocal performance of Miller, who brings a subtle smugness to what could easily have been a rehash of the smart-alecky robot character.
Perhaps the most unpleasantly surprising performance is that of Allen as Buzz Lightyear. So much of what makes his character laugh-out-loud funny in the other Toy Story films is the fact that he is so out of place and deluded. It is bizarre, then, to see how flat and boring he becomes when he is actually in his element. Perhaps that is why the makers of this film (and the animated television series that will soon follow it) chose to throw several cute 'n' goofy new characters into the mix. As a result, poor Buzz, like the film as a whole, is occasionally fun to watch ... but is mostly just lost in space.
