Tron: Legacy

Kevin Flynn (Bridges) is the CEO of Encom and the world's best video game developer. One night he simply vanishes without a trace and leaves his company in chaos and his young son. Fast-forward 20 years, Sam Flynn (Hedlund) is a rebellious 27 year old and a thorn in the side of Richard Mackey (Nordling), a suit trying to take over his father's company with the help of a software designer (an uncredited cameo from Cillian Murphy). Though Sam is the heir, he refuses to play an active role in the decision-making process. Alan Bradley (Boxleitner) meets him one night with the news that he has received a page from Kevin Flynn's arcade - a number that has been disconnected for 20 years. Thus ensues the inevitable investigation into his father's whereabouts and Sam's transportation into the world his father has created and been trapped in for decades.

Where to begin? Tron: Legacy is a visual feast for your eyes and an auditory pleasure thanks to Daft Punk and Joseph Trapanese. The soundtrack feels ethereal almost and fits perfectly with this new world we have been introduced to for the first time (or the 2nd time if you've seen the 1982 original).

3D, for me, is a recent scourge that has been infecting and affecting the movie industry. Yes, maybe it is a more lucrative avenue for the movie industry after the setback of heavy piracy but enough is enough! Joseph Kosinski, however, had a vision (and an architectural degree behind him) to give us a mouth-opening, simply beautiful world with the correct blend of 2D and 3D! It is quite simply worth it just to go for the visuals.

What the movie makes up for in spectacular imagery, it lacks in storyline. Maybe I should have watched the 1982 version as so many people have pointed out to me but even without it, the plot seems a little disjointed. The underlying connections to the real world are numerous such as The Holocaust, God complexes, evil doppelgangers and more. You are left with more questions than answers as it is never revealed just what it is about this world that would "change everything" in the real world.

Jeff Bridges is great as both the villain and hero and his computer animated self is simply amazing although at the same time off-putting (this might be the Uncanny Valley hypothesis at work). The acting overall is not anything to write home about (no Oscar winners here) but Hedlund as Sam Flynn holds his own against a more charismatic Jeff Bridges. Quorra (Wilde) provides a potential love interest and the key to changing our world and a doe-eyed innocent view of life that is endearing.

This is a movie that should be simply taken for what it is, a pandering to the original fan base whilst garnering new ones, one not to be over- analysed but simply to be marvelled at with a group of friends. The actions scenes are just jaw-dropping with light cycles (that I wish I owned!) and deadly Frisbees amongst other things. Disney took a risk to continue a series almost 3 decades later rather than going for the easy option of re-imagining it. A wise move.

Right off the bat I'm going to say that I didn't see the first film. Obviously I've heard from a lot of people saying that they need to see the first film before watching this one, seeing as this is a direct sequel to a nearly 30 year old cult sci-fi film. But, seeing that I didn't have time, I decided to watch the sequel anyway.

Now keep in mind that Disney took a HUGE risk in making a sequel to a movie that is not very often talked about when it comes to movies as opposed to many blockbusters today. The first TRON had no famous franchise to speak of (apart from the real games inspired by it). Adding to the danger is the film's budget - reportedly between US$ 200 - 300 million. With that kind of money you'll wonder what exactly was Disney hoping for with this film.

Nevermind the fact that the story is a bit unfocused and could be rounded up in a more polished way. Nevermind too that the fantastic world and great ideas aren't expanded upon some more, as well as the fact that the script could use a little bit more originality.

Also, not forgetting some good (in Jeff Bridges' case, great as always as he plays two very different characters with perfect emotional resonance - proving that he still has the chops to carry a big movie) performances by the cast - with Garrett Hedlund showing great leading man potential and Olivia Wilde looking great and cute to boot. Michael Sheen, Beau Garrett and Bruce Boxleitner (apparently returning to his role from the first film, so it seems) all give good support.

No sir-ee, what you pay for - and what you get in spades - are the special/visual effects. Goodness me, this is quite possibly the best special effects I've seen all year, and that's saying something. I have to admit though, the CGI that makes Jeff Bridges young look jarring, but that is overshadowed by the compelling, groundbreaking special/visual effects that really bring you into the cybernetic world. Who doesn't want to take a ride on one of those fantastic, futuristic vehicles? Who doesn't want those awesome light-cycles or one of those dueling/data discs? It is possible that, like "Avatar" a year ago, this film can be a game-changer for special/visual effects alone.

It's a real treat for the eyes, and it's even better in 3D which is splendidly used to flesh out the dimensions and graphics of the cyber world bring you even deeper into the world instead of things merely flying out to you and post-production conversion like in SO many 3D movies (Note that in the 3D version, there's a disclaimer before the film starts, saying that parts of the film are filmed in both natural 2D and 3D as they way they should be. Just so you know, this shows that the filmmakers care for what they want to give you).

Very ambitious architect-and-designer-turned-first-time-filmmaker Joseph Kosinski hit a home run with this film, crafting an extraordinary and spellbinding world of escapism that looks slick, stylish and extremely cool to watch. Kosinski and the production team fill the cyber world with heaps of imagination and the result is what you see on screen. And here I thought Hollywood would recycle certain design patterns (plot patterns still need work though). Kosinski is a truly visionary filmmaker that one really has to keep an eye on.

The production design is on par with the special effects, it is nothing short of spectacular and perfect. The cinematography which is big and wide and best of all NOT shaky allows you to savor every moment of SFX goodness. The superb sound effects serve to complement the visuals and the electronic world, and all for the better. Daft Punk's varying but atmospheric electronic/orchestral score all but suits the film's mood perfectly with its techno beats and soaring string during moments.

Overall, this is perhaps a fine way to end the blockbuster season of 2010, and this is a definite must watch for all looking for an escape. The special effects alone are worth the price of TWO movie tickets, and with that I say, give this one a try, even if you haven't seen the first one. It aims to entertain and to dazzle the audience, and it succeeds brilliantly. Excuse me while I rent the first one now.

Overall rating: 75/100

This film is the best example of "style over substance", but wow, what substance. It has some of the best production design and soundtrack I have ever witnessed. Visually and aurally speaking, I would even call it a masterpiece. It is like no other techno-futuristic cyberspace I have ever seen depicted. However, it is let down by a dull main actor and an unpolished story that didn't fully convince me.

I'd never seen the original 'Tron', nor did I really know much about it. I'd only heard the movie referenced in other things on occasion (like that one episode of The Simpsons where Homer's trapped in the Third Dimension and asks if anybody saw the movie 'Tron', and everyone answers "No". I was in the same boat as them). The previews for 'TRON: Legacy' looked visually stunning, and I'm happy to report it does not disappoint in that regard. Everything seen inside 'The Grid' is a wonder to behold/a visual feast. But is this the only good thing the film has going for it? Well...yes and no. As far as the characters/actors who portray them are concerned, Garrett Hedlund is decent as Sam Flynn. Yes, he has to utter some clunky dialogue along the way and is a bit stiff at times, but he serves the role well enough. At times he reminded me of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker (what with the pulling out of lightsabers...I mean discs, donning of cloaks, etc), though thankfully he's not half as bad as that guy.

Jeff Bridges gives a solid performance as Sam's dad, Kevin Flynn, and the father/son relationship he has with Sam is central to the film. The only thing that detracts from his performance is his character's digitized clone, Clu. No matter how hard they've tried to create a youthful-looking Jeff Bridges using computer magic, he *still* looks like a "cartoon" (as someone in the audience put it when I saw the movie at the theatre). While it's annoying, it would have at least been tolerable had it been limited to just the scenes inside The Grid (though it still would've raised the question of why he looked so fake while everyone else looked so real). However, the movie starts in the real world with a "young" Kevin Flynn telling his son the story of Tron/The Grid, and you can plainly tell the drastic difference between a real and fake Jeff Bridges. It's so obvious and very distracting.

Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde kicks butt and looks great doing it (in her neon light-up skintight catsuit and her asymmetrical wig) as the warrior, Quorra. She seems to be having WAY more fun with this role than she ever did in her role of Thirteen on the TV series House. Quorra's joyous laughter at odd times gives her an endearing quality, she has a slight naivety about her in regards to some things (which allows for some comedic moments) and displays a sense of childlike wonder (especially in the film's final shot). Wilde and Hedlund share some good scenes together, and her character at least gets *some* development...which is more than I can say for the albino-like "Siren", Gem (Beau Garrett, who looks visually interesting...but there doesn't seem to be much else going on with her). Faring better is Michael Sheen as as Castor/Zuse. While he does tend to "ham it up" a bit, at least he provides one of the film's more memorable performances.

Apart from the animation of Young Kevin Flynn, there are a couple of other 'minuses' of the film, like the dialogue (which at times isn't great) as well as the fact that the beginning is somewhat slow/kinda boring and things don't really get moving until we are transported along with Sam inside The Grid. However, once we're in there...the visuals most certainly make up for these minor quibbles. The movie looks STUNNING. There's the "games", which mostly seem to involve throwing discs (which resemble Xena's round killing thing) at each other, causing those who are hit to "derez" (ie. Cease to exist). Then there's the Light Cycles, Light Runners, and all modes of "Light" transportation which make for thrilling action/chase sequences. Another 'plus' of this film is its excellent score which adds SO much to the movie's atmosphere. While some fans of the original film may or may not like this one, for someone like myself (who this movie introduced to the 'Tron' world for the first time), it was quite entertaining and probably the best 'Tron' sequel you're ever going to get.

I'm not going to explain much about this movie story/premise, because I assume most viewers were fans of the original Tron.

When I first heard about this movie, I couldn't be more excited: an old movie with brand new technology? Even if the story turned out bad, it was a new Tron, and that alone made it perfect.

I watched the movie last night, in 3D, and it was a very pleasant experience for the most part, but don't think this is a great movie, because it's not.

Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is back, and in two shapes. An older Flynn, and a computer generated younger Flynn. The computer model looks good (for the most part), and it was necessary, otherwise we would have ended up with an old man with a ton of make-up on it's face, just to shave off a couple of years.

The movie starts with Flynn disappearing, and his son entering the Grid world in search of him. It's textbook script, but then again, what could we expect from Tron? It was never about the story, and this movie proves it. The plot is weak, and weakened by poor/unnecessary dialog and very shallow characters.

Luckily, none of that matters once the Grid world is shown to us. Visually it's great, and the action scenes are fun and fast-paced. I even dare saying it's the best 3D movie I saw so far, which also poses a problem: this movie looks great and feels great only in 3D, and in the theaters. I can't imagine myself in a few months buying the movie to watch in my sofa.

Another problem with the movie is that half-way through, it becomes repetitive. Maybe if they kept the action flowing, with little dialog, this movie would have been better, but trying to add depth to such a poor script ends up boring the audience.

The bottom-line is: Tron Legacy if fan-service. It a re-rendered universe with very little story, but very good looking.

7/10 if you watch it in the theaters, in 3D 4/10 anywhere else