Staff Writer
It should be noted that the author viewed the film in 2D as opposed to 3D or the Imax versions of the film.
“The Grid: a digital frontier. I tried to picture clusters of information as they moved through the computer. What did they look like? Ships? Motorcycles? I kept dreaming of a world I thought I’d never see. And then one day… I got in.”
So begins Tron: Legacy, Disney’s sequel of the 1982 classic Tron. Picking up some 20 years after the original, the film stars Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn, the original movies protagonists son. Hoping to find his long lost father, Kevin Flynn (reprised by Jeff Bridges), at the old family arcade, Sam eventually finds himself lost in the Grid.
From the beginning Tron: Legacy hits the ground running with action: a break in, disc wars, light bike battles. The first hour or so is filled with so much action that I’d easily say it’s worth the price of admission alone. And it isn’t just another Hollywood recipe of PRRR (Punch-Run-Rinse-Repeat); each action scene is different from the last, a new creative twist on physical interactions between two characters. Speed, explosions, and death defying leaps, the characters do it all; you’ll feel the G’s as two light bikes race past each other; you’re eyes will blast open when a disc comes within an inch of taking off a character’s head. In many of these scenes you’ll hear a constant bump sound; that’s not the film, that’s your heart racing.
The movie translates well all of it’s action in to its visuals. Although I’d easily say around 70% of the screen seems to be bathed in black, the sharp contrasts seem to defy that statistic and more than make up for it. Everything appears veiled in black, with bright, sharp colors cutting through it all. The style of the costumes easily allows viewers to get a sense of different characters and where they belong in the plot; red is bad, blue is good, yellow is evil. In other situations, the film injects style and class; death is not messy, but instead followed by a body breaking up into millions of bright tiny cubes. Light bikes leave lethal, colorful walls behind them and the deadly frisbee like discs spark and shine as they sail through the air.
I won’t delve too much into the films score (click here to see the score’s review!), I will point out it is written by the world famous music duo Daft Punk. The choice of Daft Punk was an excellent move; who better to put music to a computer world than the most celebrated electronic group of all time? This classic team pours into the score all of their electronic personalities, adding to the adrenaline ride.
Tron: Legacy does have one failing: it’s plot. While it may seem simple enough at first (son saves dad, what’s not to get?), it breaks down in the middle of the film. The familiar sci-fi concept of intelligence inside the machine is handled clumsily to say the least in the film. There is a dinner scene in particular where Bridges character try’s to explain the deeper implications in the plot; watching it I couldn’t help but think, “Wait, are they joking? This is the best they can come up with? Bring back the lightbikes!”
The acting isn’t necessarily bad, but it isn’t stellar either (although Bridges acting of Kevin Flynn is a stand out for sure; his Zen like style is entertaining throughout the film). Hedlund’s performance is solid and considering this is his first big role as a leading character, I hope to see him again. Olivia Wilde (most of you will be familiar of her character “13” from House) seems to play the same plastic Barbie stereotype throughout the film but given the limitations of her character, what else can you expect? I will say I hope to see her again in Hollywood, preferably with a more diverse character.
Overall, Tron: Legacy is a more simplified version of its predecessor, with more than enough action to make the experience memorable. Just remember to cover your ears whenever the plot comes up and you’ll be fine.
Rating: MUST SEE
