Synopsis
Bonnie has made a new friend, literally. Forky is a little reluctant to accept the toy life, so when the gang go on a road trip Woody needs to babysit their flighty new friend. One distraction and Woody is out on his own with Forky, little does he know that their diversion would lead them to an old friend.
Review
In preparation for TS4 I of course had to rewatch TS3. I cause a little concern on Twitter because I couldn't actually remember if I'd seen it before. It's another classic that is so widely used online that it was entirely possible I just knew the highlights... don't worry, the wailing at the end confirmed that I had indeed seen it before. The sheer amount of crying had me worried though, would 4 be as bad as this? I stocked up on tissues and headed out prepared for the worst.
Woody is feeling a little lost, Bonnie has left him in the cupboard at playtime again and he doesn't know what to do with himself. In a bid to be back in the thick of it he stows away in her backpack for her first day at pre-school. It's not going so well, but Woody isn't having that and inadvertently gives Bonnie the right ingredients to make a new friend, Forky.
Forky is just as alive as the rest of the toys but he doesn't understand that he's not trash anymore. He's understandably scared, and Woody takes on the task of looking after him, which would be easier if they weren't about to go on a road trip. As they sail down the highway to an RV stop Forky makes a break for freedom and Woody jumps out to attempt a rescue. The pair head off after the RV, they're nearly there when Woody sees the familiar sight of the light from Bo Peep's lamp. Another diversion won't hurt when they're this close... but rather than finding Bo, they find Gabby Gabby, a broken toy that's running the antique store's mob of ventriloquist dummies.
I'm not overly fussed by the Toy Story franchise... yes, yes, I know... they're lovely stories but I never feel the need to rewatch them and probably only would have done so previously if they'd appeared on the TV. That being said, I think the first three films made for a perfect trilogy with a wonderful ending. Everything was neatly tied up in a bow. Adding to it seemed to have no logic, apart from an exercise in money-making. Thankfully this new instalment didn't ruin what had come before it, (though not everyone would agree with me on that point) but that doesn't mean we needed it.
As always, the graphics are stunning. The attention to detail never ceases to amaze me. The sheen on their "skin", the wear and tear of love on their labels and paintwork, the way the movement perfectly captures the materials and capabilities of the toy. It's all beautiful and the team behind it are so talented. There's always another step forward to what they're creating, and I'll definitely be buying it when it's on home release so that I can watch the mini documentary pieces they do in the special features about the creative team. (I feel like there's going to be one on the rain because that was truly incredible.)
While the fan favourites are in the film they're really taking a step back to allow Woody, Buzz and their new host of companions to do their thing to give this film another ending with a bang behind it.
Woody has lost his way and is looking for new meaning, he wants a purpose again, and he's longing for something that's been missing for a long time. Bo has felt rejection multiple times and she's living the wild life of a lost toy rather than constantly being on the move. Buzz is the one everyone is looking to for answers when Woody leaps from the RV, but he's never the one with the plans, that's Woody. He needs to step up for the gang, but that means finding something inside himself. The three of them have got some big struggles that lots of the adults out there will be able to identify with. That in itself is a bigger discussion, I always wonder how far over the line between kids film and adults film we've stepped with some of these movies.
The consequences of what I've mentioned above have very different effects on these characters. Woody becomes very single-minded despite having a mission that was very important to him before he discovers Bo's lamp. Buzz becomes inexplicably dumb compared to what we've seen of him, maybe it's love that's done it to him, but even the simplest concepts seem to be new to him. Bo has been hit with the strong independent woman stick and has picked up some ninja moves, she does at least get her backstory filled in fairly well from her last appearance in the series.
Our new characters are actually not that thrilling. Forky is amusing and has a great moment with Woody where he's learning about what makes him important to Bonnie, and his little eccentricities are fun... for a while. Ducky and Bunny looked fun in the trailers, but in the film they don't get much more than what you've already seen and their script doesn't leave much room for something unique. Gabby Gabby as a villain isn't particularly menacing, her entourage of dummies are probably the scariest thing involved. Spoiler coming... if you want to read it then highlight the gap between the brackets... [We see Buzz speak and Bonnie hears him, presumably Gabby can do this too so why doesn't she just take out her disc and speak her lines to prospective new owners? She could have easily learnt how to speak without moving her lips from the dummies.] I actually like where they take her story, but the overall part doesn't feel like it works.
Duke Caboom... he needs a special mention because of Keanu, eh? He's amusing, and I really do love that posing montage, but if it wasn't Keanu Reeves would we really have liked him this much? We're all a little star struck, eh.
There are lots of brilliant things about the film, the shot where Bo comes into view, the music when we first meet the mob, the clinking sound of Billy, Goat and Gruff (why are they called this when they are sheep?!) as they bounce about, the Combat Carls. Those are just some of my favourites beyond what I've mentioned, but the whole list of them don't add up to a great film, and they certainly don't justify a fourth instalment of something I think everyone can agree was done and dusted. Toy Story does have potential in it for more, but in a similar vein to what I said in my Secret Life Of Pets 2 review, I could see them doing a TV spin-off with little skits using the characters in the franchise... although now I think on it, actually, the newly added characters would make a great addition to that idea... bah.
As I mentioned somewhere way up in the review, this isn't a bad addition to the franchise, and I did enjoy watching it but I didn't find it a particularly emotional ride, and the ending left me... well, just feeling "okay, that happened". It's not going to beat 1, 2 or 3, but even as the worst TS it's still pretty good. It should also be noted that this is probably going to rank highest in the "franchise ending movies" category this year.
What you should do
You're going to watch it, we don't need to even pretend like you're not.
Remember, there are credit scenes to stay for... four (I think) in the first half and then one right at the end. While that end one is only short it is very satisfying.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I wouldn't mind going to that antique store and getting some of the cinema memorabilia.
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