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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Tron: Legacy


I don't remember what movie it was that I saw the very first Tron: Legacy teaser trailer... but I do remember being so excited that I nearly soiled my undies. Seriously.

Before I get into the review, I should warn you... If you have never actually seen the original movie, I would actually recommend that you see the original first... Tron: Legacy, while I guess it might be understandable on its own, apologetically builds on ideas set forth from the first movie without real explanation. This was clearly a movie FOR existing Tron fans.

I had very high expectations going into this film... and it turned out to be exactly the movie I wanted it to be. Now, before you write me off as simply a computer nerd Tron fanboy (guilty as charged, btw), let me qualify that statement. I wanted over-the-top action, mind blowing special effects, and a reasonable continuation of the time line that were set forth in the original movie.

Without spoilers, I will now dig in and talk about how this movie satisfied all three of my expectations...

1) Over-the-top action. Disc battles, Light Cycle duels, Cyber-jet fighter dogfights, and down and dirty fist-a-cuffs. It was a little like watching
The Matrix, except with all of the awesome Tron elements that I know and love. The outcome of each of the fights were very predictable, but the action itself was pretty amazing.

2) Mind blowing special effects. In the day and age of modern CG, Tron: Legacy HAD to deliver on special effects. I very much enjoyed the set design and general modern reinterpretation of the entire "Game Grid" environment. A decent chunk of the movie deals with a completely CG younger Jeff Bridges. The computer model was awesome, but I was a little disappointed with the way the mouth was animated when he spoke... He looked like he had one botox injection too many...

3) Time line continuity and story. I'm not going to lie and say that Tron: Legacy is a Best Picture Oscar candidate. The story follows a pretty typical "Robot creation turns on its master" plot. To me, the story seemed like a pretty natural extension of the original movie.... You can get a feeling for what's gone on over the last 30 years from the trailer:



I feel like I need to hit the movie with one final bit of criticism... I felt like significant chunks of plot were cut from the film during editing. This is purely speculation, but I'll bet when the director's cut comes out, we'll get another 15-20 minutes of footage that will fill in a few awkward transitions and some emphasis on plot devices that turned out to be irrelevant.

Finally... pay attention to how the film ends... I smell sequel.

I'm going to go ahead and give this move 4 out of 5 sheep.

1 comment:

  1. Great review Richard! I just wanted to add that imo a few things in the movie really bugged me. *spoiler alert* Tron is trying to kill Flynn throughout the whole movie. Then at the last sec at the end of the movie he has a miraculous change of heart. Really? It was a little odd to me, they showed no conflicting in that decision. Just one sec he wants you to die and the next he is saving you.

    All in all a great movie. Beautiful effects and a thrill to watch. Just a few issues with the story line. But I agree with 4 sheep! :)

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