Sigh...

Rating: 1/10 (7 July 2019)

I would consider myself an above-average fan of Toy Story. I kinda grew up with them. I even have a couple of the figurines of the Pizza Planet aliens on one of my bookshelves. And I always love when 'the gang' comes around again, and this time was no exception. For me, Toy Story 3 ended perfectly, and I honestly didn't think they'd make another one! So much to my chagrin, they have. I went in tonight with no expectations, other than the hopes that film would bookend (hopefully) what came before. I have to admit, the beginning was overly sad, almost morose, while the middle got increasingly bizarre, leading to an ending that felt, well, off. It didn't feel right. You can argue all the live-long day about why the filmmakers are brilliant in their choices, or why they did what they did with this film, but ultimately what matters is how the movie made you feel. This movie doesn't FEEL like Toy Story. It feels like an off-shoot of the series, with the characters we know (and actually sorta love) acting OUT of character. The finale is peculiar in that it didn't leave me smiling as I left the theatre like the previous three did. If I were to wager a guess, I think, perhaps, what happened here is that Pixar didn't have enough people going, hang on, are we getting this right? It's how I imagine The Last Jedi got made... too many 'yes men.' I remember reading a story where Rashida Jones left this project because of creative differences. I wonder now if she was, perhaps, the only one with the nous to stand up for what Toy Story has always been about... sticking together. The creators behind this one certainly didn't.