HONEST REVIEW - FUN BUT POINTLESS

Rating: 5/10 (24 June 2019)

My three year old daughter and six year old niece were somewhat bored by Toy Story 4. As a 42 year old man I wasn't as bored as they were however I've lived through the other three films and noticed that this movie, whilst trying to appeal to everyone, lacked a solid narrative, depth, mystery, thrills and the Pixar magic that was so intricately woven throughout the fabric of the other three.
People my age and movie buffs will get the nods to films such as The Shining as well as some of the tongue-in-check adult humour but as a story it was weak. It started strong and established the characters well whilst setting the foundation for the plot however the plot was very thin and the mission was essentially Woody and his pals need to get 'Forky' back to its owner. Formulaic problems, creepy villains and physical tasks need to be overcome to achieve the mission but the other movies gave us thrills and really challenged the characters whilst throwing surprises at the audience.
Toy Story 4 fails to deliver at the level of the former films which is a real shame. Most of the characters that we love take a distant 'back-seat' throughout the film as it focusses mainly on Woody, Forkie and a few other fairground toy 'prizes' that form the team to accomplish the mission.
Although the film is visually stunning with great music and never looked better, this is definitely an instance where style vastly out-ranks substance. When the movie ended I heard other mutterings around the cinema from adults close by asking questions such as 'what was that about?' and 'what was the point of that?'
The point was simple..... break a summer box office and make Disney a ton of cash. Let's face it, Toy Story 4 was always going to smash the box office regardless of whether it was any good and no doubt kids will want some of the action figures which, incidentally, appeared on the toy store shelves over two months before the movie's release.
The ending has firmly established the fact that Disney can't take this franchise any further and if they attempt to do so then they might destroy it. Just look at what they did to Star Wars with the Last Jedi... similar thing here.
It's fair to say that the movie was entertaining to a point and fitting for a rainy Sunday afternoon when you need to do something with the kids but you leave the theatre feeling a little short changed and almost as though you've just been subjected to an 'alternate ending' as though you were part of a focus group before the release of Toy Story 3, a film that is the 'real' ending and where the book should have remained closed.