Three good things: the animation is drop-dead gorgeous (seeing young Andy in this movie, it's amazing how much CG animation has evolved in the last quarter of a century), Forky is not as annoying as he could have been, and the gags are generally funny. That being said...
What did they do to Buzz? Why is he suddenly dumb? I know he was never the most cerebral space ranger in the ship, but now he's so dumb he uses his randomly generated voice options to make crucial decisions? I'll tell you why: A) his stupidity moves the plot along in ways it would not have if he was still intelligent and B) the writers have no clue to do with the characters that are not Woody and Bo Peep.
Why is Woody going through the same identity crisis about not being needed AGAIN?
Why are the supporting cast-- from Jessie on down to the Potato Heads-- essentially given nothing to do? This hurts the movie more than you might think: the ending has this "Woody saying goodbye to the gang" shot that might have worked in TS3 where all of the characters were integral to the story, but not here, where their presence feels more like an extended cameo.
On a related note, the toys all splitting up is just.... wrong in so many ways. The last three movies, beyond their allegorical treatment of acceptance of mortality and the transience of life, emphasized the importance of community and friendship. Andy might grow up but the toys would stick together and find meaning in their bonds with one another. Not now, I guess.
Also, the script is a mess. While the main plot is "get Forky back to Bonnie because she needs him for comfort," the writers introduce a myriad of subplots and one-note characters for us to keep track of-- this is a messy, messy story, a far cry from the simple, elegant structures of the first three movies.
TS4 might not sink to the lowest levels of your average cash grab, but do not be fooled: this is a cash grab. There is no reason for it to exist. The first three movies were as perfect a movie trilogy as one could have wished for-- like THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, this is better off ignored.
What did they do to Buzz? Why is he suddenly dumb? I know he was never the most cerebral space ranger in the ship, but now he's so dumb he uses his randomly generated voice options to make crucial decisions? I'll tell you why: A) his stupidity moves the plot along in ways it would not have if he was still intelligent and B) the writers have no clue to do with the characters that are not Woody and Bo Peep.
Why is Woody going through the same identity crisis about not being needed AGAIN?
Why are the supporting cast-- from Jessie on down to the Potato Heads-- essentially given nothing to do? This hurts the movie more than you might think: the ending has this "Woody saying goodbye to the gang" shot that might have worked in TS3 where all of the characters were integral to the story, but not here, where their presence feels more like an extended cameo.
On a related note, the toys all splitting up is just.... wrong in so many ways. The last three movies, beyond their allegorical treatment of acceptance of mortality and the transience of life, emphasized the importance of community and friendship. Andy might grow up but the toys would stick together and find meaning in their bonds with one another. Not now, I guess.
Also, the script is a mess. While the main plot is "get Forky back to Bonnie because she needs him for comfort," the writers introduce a myriad of subplots and one-note characters for us to keep track of-- this is a messy, messy story, a far cry from the simple, elegant structures of the first three movies.
TS4 might not sink to the lowest levels of your average cash grab, but do not be fooled: this is a cash grab. There is no reason for it to exist. The first three movies were as perfect a movie trilogy as one could have wished for-- like THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, this is better off ignored.