I can barely remember the original “Tron.” I remember seeing it when I was a kid but other than the fact that it stars Jeff Bridges and it takes place inside a video game, I can’t really tell you much about the original. I didn’t even know that the guy from “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” was in it till recently. There has been a lot of talk about the new sequel, “Tron: Legacy,” which is being released twenty-eight years after the original. The film was kind of flying under the radar for a while, until a teaser trailer premiered at Comic-Con 2008 and since then the excitement has revved up to a fever pitch. In fact, genre fans as well as fans of the original seem very excited for this new film. I was really excited for Tron: Legacy as well … and maybe that was part of the problem. I was expecting to be blown away by both the story and the visuals the way I was when I saw “Avatar, " and that didn’t happen. I enjoyed the film, was completely entertained and really liked what I saw, but I wasn’t as amazed by it as I had hoped. I really, really liked it, but I didn’t fall in love with it instantly, which I was kind of anticipating. But maybe I’ll like it more the next time I see it or when it is eventually on Blu-ray.
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Maybe my expectations were too high? After all, while the first “Tron” was ground breaking, no one would say that it was a complete masterpiece. It had its flaws too and Tron: Legacy certainly takes a big swing at some cool stuff, and for the most part they really do succeed. The movie is beautifully shot and both the real world and the world of the grid look gorgeous. I think that visually, director Joe Kosinski did a brilliant job of setting a great mood and tone for both of the film’s two worlds. The pace is quick and the look and sound of the movie is fresh and original. One aspect that I loved about the movie was the tasteful use of 3D. We have seen a bombardment of bad 3D films since last year’s “Avatar” was released and this is one movie that used the tool correctly. Just like the way “The Wizard Of Oz” used black and white for Kansas and color for Oz, Kosinski uses the 3D only in the scenes inside the grid, when you are in our world it is 2D. That is a stroke of genius. Also, the 3D isn’t a cheap gimmick. It is used very tastefully and it perfectly enhances the story of the film without distracting from it.
I’ll break down the movie in broad strokes for you, being careful not to give away any spoilers. The movie opens by introducing us to a reckless twenty-seven year old, computer whiz named Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund). Sam is the son of ENCOM CEO Kevin Flynn (Oscar winner Jeff Bridges), who has been missing since 1989. Sam didn’t really know his father and doesn’t want to take over his company. Kevin’s friend, and Sam’s surrogate father, Alan Bradley (the magnificent Bruce Boxleitner), tells Sam that a pager his Dad gave him before he disappeared has gone off and it came from his father’s old office at Flynn’s Arcade. Sam goes to the arcade where he finds a hidden room behind an old jukebox. In his father’s secret office is a strange device, that Sam doesn’t see pointing right at him. Suddenly the machine comes on and sends Sam into the world of the computer, otherwise known as the grid. Soon Sam is selected for the games, but is still very confused by his surroundings. Sam eventually meets the ruler of this world … his father, or so he thinks at first. It is really his computer likeness, CLU (Jeff Bridges looking almost thirty years younger), who has taken prisoner of the world that Kevin created. Sam escapes from CLU’s clutches and meets Quorra (Olivia Wilde) and she is able to take Sam to the real Kevin. Once reunited, father and son must work together to stop CLU from is ultimate goal … to escape the grid and exist in the real world.
So here are the aspects of the film that I really love. Jeff Bridges is awesome. He does a great job of not only reprising his role as Kevin Flynn with conviction but also playing his counterpart, CLU, portraying both the film’s hero and villain at the same time. The effects that are used to make Bridges look three decades younger is believable enough, although perhaps stiff at times. It is also fun to see Bruce Boxleitner back on the big screen, although I wish there was more inclusion of his computer counterpart, Tron. After all, that is the name of the movie, right? Olivia Wilde is enchanting in her pivotal role and is making a career of playing the beautiful, yet mysterious female hero in movies like this and next summer’s “Cowboys and Aliens.” Michael Sheen’s performance as Castor, a club owning program in the grid, is also worth mentioning. Sheen appears to be having fun in the role and modeled his character after musician David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona.
The music is amazing! The soundtrack by Daft Punk perfectly fits the content of the film and enhances the viewing experience. Be sure to keep an eye out for a cameo by the group as MP3 programs in the club scenes. The other musical choices in the movie are not only wonderfully nostalgic but also excellently chosen, such as the classic Journey and Eurhythmics songs that play at Flynn’s Arcade in the beginning of the film. Another home run that the filmmakers hit is in the game scenes, which look really cool especially in 3D. The disc games are great but it is really the light cycle scenes that take your breath away. The effects were very well done on these scenes and there is a buzz and an excitement that you take away from these segments. They are truly some of the best sequences in the movie. They’re fast paced, exciting and everything that you wish they were able to capture with the first film. Also, the addition of new elements like “light jet packs” and “light jets” to the mythos were awesome. But the element of the movie that I enjoyed best is its examination of the father/son relationship. At its core, the film is about a son’s search for his father and what it means to find out who your father really is. But not only does it deal with Sam’s search for Kevin, it is also about the relationship between CLU and Kevin. CLU is Kevin’s unwanted son and most of his actions in the film are motivated by his feelings of betrayal.
Now for the things I didn’t like. While the script by “Lost” writers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis is ambitious, large in scope and very clever at times, it also rings hallow as well. There is a lot of exposition in this film and at moments it was very hard to follow the story, especially if you don’t remember the first film. The movie draws inspiration from other genre movies like “Star Wars” and “The Wizard Of Oz,” but fails to find away to introduce those elements into the “Tron” world in an organic way. There are several new “flashback” scenes from the first movie that are meant to bridge the gap between the two pictures but instead may confuse the audience even more. The script has a great premise and clever ideas but ultimately doesn’t capitalize on it and leaves the movie feeling a bit empty. Another aspect that was hard to swallow was the idea that CLU can’t find Kevin. It is explained that it’s important that CLU never find Kevin because if he does he will be able to fulfill his evil goals. The grid is supposed to be huge and vast in scope, yet when it is revealed where Kevin has been hiding, it looks like its just a few football fields away from where CLU lives. Another weakness in the movie is Garrett Hedlund’s performance as Sam. He is not terrible, but he certainly doesn’t jump off the screen as a believable leading character and it is hard to root for him to succeed.
But all of those minor issues aside, I really did like Tron: Legacy and I think it is a veryy good popcorn movie. Not the best of its genre, but definitely worth getting out of the house to see in the theaters. Unlike many of the disappointing 3D films that we’ve had to endure since “Avatar,” this one is a great movie-going experience. The effects are fantastic, the music is amazing and the 3D is state of the art. What the movie looses in continuity and heart, it makes up for in spectacle and good performances from Bridges and Wilde. Kosinski proves that he is a director worth watching in the future and had a commanding voice behind the camera. In the end, Tron: Legacy is a really good movie, not as great as perhaps we were promised but worth the price of admission. It’s fun, entertaining and interesting to watch for both fans of the original and audience members who weren’t even alive during the ’80s.
