TRON Legacy - Review

Its 28 years later... special effects have improved, film making has changed, and a fan-base has grown. Enter TRON Legacy, the long-awaited sequel to Disney's 1982 sci-fi classic, Tron.

As much I enjoy watching the original, I will admit that its not a perfect movie. It excelled in visual department with experimental cgi designs that were practically unheard of, creating a technological universe known as The Grid. It featured Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a game designer and computer genius whose ideas were stolen by an executive for Encom, a software company at which he was once employed. After hacking into Encom's mainframe to expose the scam, he is accidentally beamed into a computerized world known as The Grid. There, he fought for his life in a sort of computerized purgatory against malicious humanoid programs.

The premise was intriguing, the action scenes were fun to watch, and the visuals are still a blast to see. It was held back by a number of issues, including underutilized story ideas and an occasionally plodding pace. The movie was a moderate success, but failed to catch on with the mainstream aside from a small cult-following of mostly computer nerds. Now, 28 years later, when technology has taken over the world and nerds have taken over Hollywood, Tron returns!

TRON Legacy is set in 2010, 28 years after the original. In the time period, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has disappeared. His orphan son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) has become something of a rebel, refusing to take his father's place as Encom CEO. After receiving a message from his father's office in his abandoned arcade, he goes to check it out. While investigating, he is accidentally zapped into the grid. The technological world introduced 28 years ago, has turned into a virtual dystopia, run by a corrupt program named Clu, a virtual copy of Kevin Flynn. With Sam trapped in the grid, he is forced to compete in barbaric video games while trying to find his lost father.

The original TRON is a movie I've always enjoyed. I wouldn't call it a "guilty pleasure" per se, but its one that's more or less appealed to a select audience... ie sci-fi/computer nerds like myself. TRON Legacy comes off as a bit more mainstream. The main character, Sam, is an adventurous and daring everyman with some hacking talent as opposed to the straight-up rebel computer hacker portrayed by Bridges in the previous movie. There's not as much computer jabber this time and the filmmakers come off as trying to please a broader range of fans. That includes fans of the original, fans of summer blockbusters, and visual effects aficionados. If there's one thing filmmakers should know, its that trying to please everyone is generally a bad idea. As a result, TRON Legacy suffers a bit on that front.

Ultimately, the movie plagued by almost the exact same things that hurt the original. The pacing is a bit off, some of the characters aren't the best, and the storyline contains a multitude of great ideas that ultimately go unrealized. The storyline tries to be profound, throwing in numerous references to religious and existential philosophies while trying to keep it accessible to audiences looking for a simple blockbuster. It works as a straightforward blockbuster, but the attempts toward profound symbolism come of as a half-assed effort. Plus, there are numerous hints at Disney hoping to turn TRON into one of their new franchises. That wouldn't be a bad thing if they didn't leave so many plot threads unresolved.

The biggest strength TRON Legacy has... the presentation! Displaying some of the most incredible and artistic cgi I've seen in a long time, TRON Legacy stands a good chance at winning the Oscar for best visual effects. It kept the same style from the original while updating them for a more modern age. The colors are still fairly monochrome, but all very pretty to look at. I can see why these visuals took well over a year to render. The 3D was quite impressive too. It wasn't quite Avatar level, but it did a good job at immersing you into the world it was presenting. Definitely worth the extra 3 dollars.

The sound design is one of the most creative I've heard in a while too. I love how it kept the classic video-game motifs from the original, while throwing in some modern touches. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one take home Oscars in sound design and mixing as well. I have to mention the all-electronic soundtrack by Daft Punk. Their beats fit the mood of the world created before us and add to the excitement presented. I'll be buying this soundtrack real soon.

Acting-wise... I guess the visuals kind of outshine the performers, but there were no particularly bad performances. I enjoyed seeing Jeff Bridges in duals roles as the aged Kevin Flynn and as the villain CLU (a digitally rendered younger version of Flynn). Bridges was a welcome addition, and certainly gave the movie credibility as a sequel as opposed to a reboot. Hedlund does a fine job as Sam. He brings good credibility to the action scenes and does well enough in the rest of the movie. Olivia Wilde (Dr. Thirteen from House) plays Quorra, a resident of the grid and ally to Flynn. I enjoyed watching Wilde. She does a good job during the action segments and looked like she was having fun making this movie. I wish she would demonstrate a little more emotional range, but for a movie like this, it didn't bother me much. I also have to mention Michael Sheen playing one of the most over-the-top characters I've seen in a while... just watch.

So that's TRON Legacy, the long-awaited sequel. Overall, its pretty fun. I enjoyed the visuals, sound design, soundtrack, and action scenes. The storyline and plot could have been substantially better, but I still found it enjoyable enough. Probably not good enough for repeat viewings, but its definitely worth the price of a movie ticket.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5!