Laser Fired Inspiration

I mentioned the DVD we rented for Emmett and Max, "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command - The Adventure Begins". We rented it so Emmett would have something to watch while he was sick. It was difficult to tell if Emmett liked the movie because he was so lethargic and unresponsive, although today, with his dramatic turn around, he did say he liked it. Max has been wildly enthusiastic throughout about the movie and wants to see it over and over again. Moreover, it has inspired him to draw. He hasn't been enthused about drawing, coloring, etc, but two nights ago he became excited about drawing a space ship in outer space. He has been adding and adding to his creation and is very proud of it. That night he took the drawing up to his room along with a crayon, so that in the morning he'd be able to add to it without having to wake Mom or Dad up. Bek thinks the movie is too violent, and she's probably right, but you just can't knock the inspiration to draw that it has created for Max.

I figured the movie was going to just be a cash-in-while-we-can spinoff of Toy Story, but much to my surprise I find that I really enjoy seeing it. Bek has been a harder sell, but I'm working on her. Would I suggest that an adult rent and see the movie? I'm not sure. I can just say that I do enjoy watching it even though I've seen it about 10 times now. Dare I even say that, at least at this point in time, I enjoy it more than either Toy Story or Toy Story 2? Of course I've seen those two movies to death and beyond, so that's a part of it. Still, "Buzz Lighyear of Star Command - The Adventure Begins" has a great sense of humor, much of which might be missed on an initial viewing, especially if you are expecting it to be dreck, and seems to get funnier with each viewing. An example is the great scene where the Little Green Men (LGMs for short) demonstrate their robotic space ranger partner, "XR". XR is shown rather dramatically, but proves to be rather pint-sized, and then the LGMs open fire on him with all kinds of weaponry and... he doesn't somehow resist this firepower, no, XR just sits there and is blown completely to bits. The LGMs then walk up to all the bits and pieces, rebuild him and proclaim, "If Zerg blows him up, we can rebuild him!" And that's their demonstration. I can't do justice to the scene, but perhaps that gives the idea. There's several more layers of humor in that scene which I haven't even tried to describe. The animation (which is not computer animated, incidentally, and that's entirely appropriate for it) is great and the voice acting is fantastic, and anyone fond of William Shatner will appreciate the surprise bonus during the closing credits. Yeah, rent it. Just have some kids around as an excuse.