Inexplicably, Tron has grown into something of a cult favorite in the 28 years since it first debuted, steeped in "of the moment" video game mumbo jumbo about digital worlds and the infamous "Grid". I was five years old at the time, and I remember my friends and I being enamored of the film only because we were liked anything remotely video game related. They were the craze back then, with people spending literally thousands of dollars in arcades to eat dots or defeat digital gorillas. Tron was a product of this time. It appealed to a rabid segment of the country, but not much else. And so it tanked at the box office. If you ask anyone what they actually liked about the movie back then you're likely to get a blank stare in response.
Now it's 2010. Video games rival movies in terms of generated revenue and production budget, but they're no longer the mysterious, possibly dangerous things they were at the time. Tron Legacy's existence now has more to do with taking advantage of the innovative new 3D technology at hand. This immediately downloaded it straight into the sights of a rabid techno-geek fanbase, who've been anxiously awaiting the film's release since the day it was announced. Almost immediately from the word "Go", Disney pulls out all the stops to make sure this sequel lives up to the massive expectations, and in nearly every way they take those expectations and shatter them to digital bits.
First time director Joseph Kosinksi stakes out an impressive visual landscape, even as the film opens in the very plain 1980s, each scene has a certain energy flowing through it. Kevin Flynn(Jeff Bridges), the ambitious video gamemogul who freed the digital world, went missing soon after the events of the first film. His company, ENCOM, has grown far beyond mere video game arcades and is now one of the most powerful software developers in the world. Unfortunately, Kevin's disappearance also left his son Sam(Garrett Hedlund) to grow up practically alone. The defacto head of ENCOM, Sam has turned into a modern day Robin Hood of sorts, except he's more than happy to steal from his own company to make sure it stays in line with his father's principles.
Out of nowhere, an old colleague of his father's tells Sam that he received a message from his father's phone number at the old, closed down arcade. An investigation of the rundown building reveals enough old video game consoles to spark a dozen sequels to The King of Kong, an old jukebox rockin' out to Journey and Eurythmics, and a hidden passage to a secret office. Sam's curiosity gets the best of him and he's instantly flash teleported into The Grid just like his father was years earlier.
The Grid has changed a lot since we last saw it. It's darker, colder, and a whole lot meaner. It's also much more beautiful, from the neon surfaces and razzle dazzle, this version of the Grid is breathtaking to behold. Combined with the kickin' electronic score by Daft Punk, there are moments when Tron Legacy is pure sci-fi perfection.
Before Sam even has time to wonder if he's discovered the world his father always told him stories about, he's kidnapped and sent to the gladiatorial games to fight for his life. The Grid has been taken over by one of Kevin's biggest mistakes, an evil digital copy of himself known as Clu 2. If Sam manages to survive the neckbreaking speed of the Light Cycle races and the various other tests of his strength, he'll need to defeat Clu if he ever wants to escape.
To do that, Sam will need a lot of help. Enter the real deal Kevin Flynn(Jeff Bridges), trapped in The Grid for more than two decades. The years haven't been kind. He's older, hairier, and more ornery than he used to be. What he's also done is refashion himself into some sort of new age zen master, like if Yoda and the Dude had a lovechild. Father and son, along with Kevin's sexy, naive disciple Quorra(Olivia Wilde), band together to take Clue down.
None of those pretty lights would mean a darn thing if the performances stunk. Hedlund, who some will recall from Four Brothers and Troy(as Achilles' best friend Patroclus), does a good job convincing you not to hate his character even though he's basically a rich pretty boy cliche. Olivia Wilde is clearly having the most fun portraying the naive but fearsome Quorra. Bridges is the stand out, showing the effects of time on the weary Flynn. As a computer generated(and kinda creepy looking) Clu, Bridges voices the villain with a clear enthusiasm for the role. He's clearly relishing getting a chance to play a bad guy again.
While it's easy to get distracted by the stunning visuals, easily the most beautiful use of 3D since James Cameron's Avatar, the story bounces along at an impressive pace. Unlike in the 1982 movie, the script by Adam Horowitz does away with all the techno talk and positions The Grid as a sortof dystopian future world, where an evil tyrant has committed wanton murder and needs to be dethroned. It's refreshingly simple, allowing for the maximum amount of action with only enough explanation to push the story forward. When the talking ceases and the laser discs start flying you'll be spun dizzy by the crazy cinematography, the technical excellence. Tron Legacy is something we truly have never seen before. If Avatar was the technical standard set last year, Tron Legacy is the new measuring stick. Prepare yourselves for sensory overload, folks!
