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Topic: Toy Story 4 (2019)
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 06-23-2019 05:40 PM
Cinema: AMC Patriot 13, Lawton, OK
Screen: #7, IMAX Digital, Seats L15 & L16
Format: Dual 2K Projection, 2D, 5.1 audio
Presentation Problems: Not framed correctly; left edge of image visible on screen.
Movie Rating: 3 out of 4
I was a little surprised at how deep the themes were in this movie. The concepts of letting something (or someone) go and moving on when it's time to do so are grown-up themes. Those themes are comically embodied in the MacGuffin character "Forky." He's a single-use object that is meant to be discarded to spend eternity as trash. Toys outlive their usefulness too, as illustrated by the obsolete toys in an antique store.
Pixar took the risk that these themes might go over the heads of many young kids watching the movie. Yet being able to let go and move on is something we all must learn to do, often when we're still kids. If we can't let go when we should we end up stuck.
The movie's bittersweet ending made it clear this is probably the end of the Toy Story franchise. The "letting go" is happening in more than just this movie's plot line. It has been about 24 years since the first Toy Story movie was released. And 9 years since Toy Story 3. Some cast members and production people from the franchise have passed away and the surviving cast and crew is not getting any younger. Waiting another decade for Toy Story 5 probably isn't going to work.
A lot of critics are raving how "perfect" the movie was, but I couldn't help finding fault with some of the show. Some sequences got a little tiresome for repeating the same diversionary story beat: toys are trying to get from point a to point b before something happens or the family leaves, yet one toy gets distracted by something long enough to throw a monkey wrench into the plot gears. The same story beat is played multiple times when such a thing should happen only maybe once in a movie, and only when it jives with character motivation. Otherwise it feels like Save the Cat! formula.
Another thing that surprised me: the size of the crowd in the theater. It looked like only about 1/3 of the theater's 500+ seats had sold for the 4:00pm Saturday matinee show. I thought there would be a full house. The theater had Toy Story 4 on 3 other screens. Maybe more people were opting for the standard priced shows ($7 per ticket versus $10).
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Connor Wilson
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 190
From: Sterling, VA, USA
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 06-23-2019 06:37 PM
Truthfully, I saw this movie because I wanted to check out the Dolby Cinema at 34th St. in case I want to see DUNE (2020) at the cinema, and wow! No invasive glow from the exit signs on the screen, bright images, and awesome sound! Truly a beautiful place to see a movie.
As for the movie, Pixar has done it again, technically speaking. This has to be the cleanest, smoothest animated feature I have ever seen. No jagged edges, etc., IMDb lists this film having a 4K DI, and I'm impressed.
Story wise, this movie was eh. I think they should have stopped making these movies at 2.
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Mike Blakesley
Film God
Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 06-24-2019 08:48 PM
I liked it quite a lot, although they still have not (and likely never will) beat the last 20 minutes of the original Toy Story. That segment is one of my favorite 20 minutes of any movie I've ever seen, animated or not.
This one was the least funny of the TS movies, I thought.... since the idea of toys having minds of their own has been thoroughly dredged over by now, the "fish out of water" aspect of these stories is no longer the draw. But as Bobby pointed out, the themes are deep as can be especially for an animated movie. I'd dare say it's more of a grownup movie than a kid one.
As for the story itself and the movie as a whole, I have not "loved" any of the Toy Story movies except the first one. They're all good, but they're not keepers in my opinion. The third one had that horrific climax followed by a sad ending, the second one was kind of forgettable (to this day I don't remember much of the story at all). I'd say this one is the best of the sequels, but it still doesn't have that boffo ending that you (or at least I) wish for in a perfect Toy Story movie. It's not one I'll be anxious to watch repeatedly.
I like carnivals - they did a nice job on the carnival animation (except there aren't enough burned-out light bulbs).
2.5 out of 5 for me.
A side note: I like how Disney and other studios are providing "Policy" trailers asking people to shut up and "silence" their phones, but somebody seems to have missed the memo that most people already silence their phones. What's more obnoxious is the bright lights. They need to say "silence AND DIM your phones, or better yet turn them mo-fo's off."
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