Lightyear Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

2. Michael Giacchino's Evocative Musical Score

Regular Pixar collaborator Michael Giacchino returned to compose Lightyear's score, and it's easily one of the movie's big highlights.

Giacchino is certainly no stranger to scoring sci-fi movies, having created the iconic scores for the recent Star Trek reboot trilogy, and that clearly serves him well here.

The score, defined primarily by an epic orchestral sweep, pays loving homage to the heart-swelling scores of classic space operas, while bringing just enough newness to the table to feel distinct in its own right.

Giacchino also nails the smaller, more intimate moments, such as an affecting montage in the film's first act which portrays the passage of time between Buzz's time-consuming missions - in a fashion reminiscent of Up's iconic opening sequence, in fact.

While unlikely to be remembered as one of Giacchino's very best scores, it's yet further confirmation that he's one of the most skilled composers in the big-budget game right now.