First Toy Story 5 reviews prove God of War Laufey's backlash is incredibly over the top

If Toy Story 5 If it were a video game, there would be so many people angry about it that early admissions would have to tiptoe around angry moviegoers, most of whom wouldn't buy a ticket in the first place. But it's not a video game, and maybe there's something to the argument that video games aren't yet as mature as movies. That argument usually carries little weight, but when you look at and compare major upcoming releases of beloved franchises in both worlds — the imminent Toy Story 5 and the coming God of War Laufey— It is not as waning as it first sounds.

Perhaps the better form of argument is that a typical movie audience is more mature than a typical gaming audience. To be clear: there are always exceptions, that's true. But Toy Story 5 get praise for all that God of War Laufey has been torn down for, and even before, all hostility towards Toy Story 5 has been stamped out. God of War Laufey The criticism has been disputed by Santa Monica developers, but unfortunately it is alive and well and hateful.

Toy Story 5 and God of War Laufey invite comparisons, more than you'd expect

At first glance, granted, Toy Story 5 and God of War Laufey are very different media, but that's not entirely true. Toy Story 5 is in part a celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary and has historically relied on a cast of older characters. God of War Laufey is the latest franchise installment in a game series that is 21 years old, which is comparable given the relatively “younger brother” status of the gaming industry. God of war has always relied on Kratos, and while it has reinvented itself, it sticks to the core legacy character Kratos 90% of the time. God of War Laufey is the first time Kratos is not the playable protagonist; Toy Story 5 is the first time that Woody is not the main character. Both franchises have signaled a desire to move on from their protagonists, but the early reaction to God of War Laufey at the latest State of Play stands in stark contrast to the reaction to Toy Story 5.

Toy Story 5 reception is incredibly positive for all the reasons God of War Laufey is hated

At the end of Toy Story 4Woody stays with Bo Peep to help abandoned toys find their owners—a fitting send-off for the ever-respectful cowboy. Many thought it was the end of the franchise, with actor Tom Hanks even struggling to say goodbye to Woody. While he comes back Toy Story 5it's not his story anymore. Toy Story 5The story revolves entirely around Jessie, with Buzz Lightyear as her second-in-command. The central conflict revolves around her child Bonnie becoming too attached to her Lilypad, a tablet, which is as relevant as ever.

Taylor Swift's surprise Toy Story 5 performance of “I Knew It, I Knew You” at the LA Broadcast premiere was no doubt a tribute to the franchise as well.

And early reviews have been largely glowing. In general, critics have praised its handling of older characters (not always a given), Jessie's emotional core at the heart of the story, and its approach to the clichéd toys vs. technology concept. New characters like Smarty Pants, new voices like Alan Cumming behind Bullseye and some other details have been sung to heaven. In fact, it makes it much harder to wait for the official release of Toy Story 5 on June 19 across the United States.

Now it's not perfect – nothing is. Some critics have said that the opening lags due to multiple, disjointed stories, but most of those critics say that it absolutely pays off in the third act. It is so heartwarming to see this strong reception. After its Los Angeles debut, Variety's Jazz Tangcay called it a “10/10, no notes” film and said she “laughed and cried at how amazing Toy Story 5 is.” Collider's Meredith Loftus said it hit her in “places I was unprepared for” and called the film “deep deep”, ranking it as her top 3 Toy Story films. Summarizing the reaction from start to finish, Gizmodo's Germain Lussier said that it is “a bit disjointed at the beginning as it builds up several different stories, but they end up paying off with a phenomenal third act filled with all the heart and humor you'd expect from Pixar. Top tier stuff. I laughed, I cried.”

God of War Laufey's reaction is incredibly negative (by some) for all the reasons Toy Story 5 is loved

Now, I'm sure someone somewhere is totally upset to see Jessie take the lead role from Woody, but it's nowhere near as much as the hate surrounding video games. There's a whole lexicon, from chud to ragebaiting and beyond – with rage games directly derived from this, if hilariously so – becoming increasingly common in video game circles due to how hateful people approach video games. YouTube algorithms, video game audiences, etc. all aim for the lowest hanging fruit and the stark contrast between God of War Laufey and Toy Story 5 is proof of that.

God of War Laufey debuted at State of Play with 20 minutes of gameplay, something incredible. Some people have reasonable, if personal, criticisms. Not everyone is sold on the idea of Phranque the Cube, understandably so. Not everyone is sure how to feel God of War Laufey runs parallel to God of War 2018/Ragnarokand as cool an idea as it is, it's understandable. But most hate has been directed at the new protagonist Faye.

Spoilers for God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok Ahead

At the end of ~~Toy Story 4~~ God of War Ragnarokthe story signals that ~~Woody's~~ Kratos' time as a protagonist may be over. Once again, Tom Hanks struggled to say goodbye to Woody, and Kratos deserves peace as he received his new God of Hope status (in the Valhalla DLC). Woody has a new role away from the limelight, and so does Kratos. No one expected another Toy Story movie, but people expected God of war to continue with Atreus as the protagonist. Oddly, the “I want to play a god of war in my warware game” criticism didn't apply when the next main character was supposed to be Atreus, a young man, versus Faye, a woman.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the wrapper while scraping off as little foil as possible.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the wrapper while scraping off as little foil as possible.

EasyMediumHardPermadeath

Toy Story 5 focusing on Jessie but not ignoring Woody. Not only is Kratos already confirmed to be in God of War Laufey, but Santa Monica Studio has already confirmed that more Kratos game would happen. And the sheer vitriol fueled by the game, at developers and aimlessly, and at everyone on the internet is interesting when Toy Story 5 sits right there, just fine and dandy, even though it has a similar texture. If God of War was about toys and Toy Story was about ancient mythologies, well, the two could be used interchangeably here. The hatred goes much deeper than that, but tit for tat, criticism of God of War Laufey as a reason Toy Story 5 get praise.

The franchise structure is similar, but the reactions differ

Which brings me back to the first argument. It's not fair to suggest that video games, as an art form, are somehow not as mature as movies, but the reactions are often worlds apart in terms of maturity. Anyone has the right to dislike a game for any reason, but that's when you move on, accept that it's not for you, and don't engage with that media. That's voting with your wallet 101. Instead, gaming circles reward the expression of unnecessary opinions that are negative in nature. Movies, meanwhile, do what they want, succeed or fail as they should, and ultimately garner more mature responses—again, generally speaking, and at least in the case of Toy Story 5.

Toy Storyas a franchise, is about growing up. Since 2018, God of waras a franchise, has been about maturing and leaving behind ruthless rage. There are lessons for both when it comes to sharing opinions on the internet, to say nothing of their wider applications.