Welcome to the Cinematic Reelism review of ‘Tron Legacy”
28 years after the original ‘Tron,’ Disney is going back to The Grid. Should you grab your identity disc and join them?
What It’s All About. . .
Tron Legacy open about seven years after the end of the first film, with Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn describing to his young son Sam the adventures he had while in the Grid and how he has made a discovery that will change everything. Fast forward 20 years later, and we learn that Flynn went missing after that night and Sam is now a 20-something loner, who would rather cause the havoc for the “bad men” in charge of his company, instead of taking on the responsibility of running it. But when his Dad’s old friend is contacted by Flynn, Sam gets curious and ends up transported into the world of the Grid. Now he must fight through gladiatorial type games and against a tyrannical computer program to find his father and make his way back to the real world.
Why it Rocks. . .
Fans of the original will be ecstatic to visit the world of Tron again. Although the plot has parts that are somewhat similar to the original one, this is really a hero’s journey/ father-son reconnecting story, and it works.
One of the things that has been (overly) praised is the look of the film, and rightly so. Tron Legacy is beautiful. The beginning of the film is all in 2D with very flat colors and nothing really flashy about it. But once Sam enters the Grid, we get the full on 3D effect (think ‘Avatar’) along with its unique color palette of blues, yellows, and reds, with some pale white and a lot of negative space. It’s really quite amazing. That and coupled with the absolutely fantastic music, which was all done by Daft Punk, make Tron Legacy an amazing cinematic experience.
‘Tron Legacy’ does 3D right. While everyone else is just cashing in on the fact that they can charge more for a 3D film, this is only the second time I have watched a movie that deserved the effect (the first of course being Avatar). When Sam enters the Grid, it’s reminiscent of when Dorothy enters Oz. The virtual world really comes alive and causes the real world to pale in comparison. If more studios put the effort into their 3D that Tron does, I would be on board 100%.
And there is a few special casting mentions. Marten Sheen as the Ziggy Stardust-inspired Castor is really quite great. Honestly, he is by far and away the best character in the film, and I would have to think that is in no small part because of Sheen’s talent. The second would be Olivia Wilde’s Quorra. She really does a great job of playing the awkward, nerdy, shy, ass-kicking character.
And speaking of the talent in the film, it was really great to see Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprise their roles from the first film.
What Could Have Been Better. . .
Quite a bit. First of all there is Jeff Bridges’ duel role. By now you have all seen the trailer and know that there is an older Bridges and digitally enhanced younger Bridges. As for the older version of Kevin Flynn, he was a good character but was still stuck in the 80’s and it showed through much of his dialogue. This was actually a good thing, continuity wise, but sometimes it was a little too much. It was almost more Dude, then Flynn at points and on a couple of occasions, the “man’s” (said exactly the way The Dude says it) really pulled me out of the experience. As a huge Jeff Bridges fan, this was not one of his best roles.
Then there was CLU, the computer program made in Flynn’s image and the antagonist of the film. Here, Bridges did an excellent job, but the technology used to digitally enhance him, to give a younger look, is not quite there yet. There were times when you would think it was actually him standing there until you caught that dead look in the eye, or a facial movement that just didn’t fit, and you knew in that instant that it was fake.
A few more things; The acting was fine across the board, but nothing spectacular (with the exceptions listed above). The plot was a little weak at times. However, Tron has never been known for it’s powerful storylines so this is not a huge flaw by any means. I won’t go into any details because it could potentially spoil parts of the films, but there were some head scratching moments to be sure.
Drum Roll Please. . .
‘Tron Legacy’ truly is this years ‘Avatar’. It is beautiful wrapping around a somewhat weak story that nevertheless, engages and entices. It makes you want to leave your regular life for a while and go race light cycles. It is a fun, cinematic experience and I would suggest that no programs miss it.
Final Score: Go Now!!!
Here at Cinematic Reelism we are not using the standard number scale to rate our films. Instead, they will fall into one of three categories:
Go Now!! - The film is a must see and worth the price of admission
Wait it out. . . - With DVDs coming out so quickly, it’s good enough for a rental
Let It Pass - It’s a piss poor excuse for a movie and isn’t deserving of the name.
Author: Daniel S. (Dankyn)
No comments:
Post a Comment