In a world of remakes and sequels it was only a matter of time before this one got a reboot, and almost three decades later it’s finally here. I wasn’t even born when the original Tron came out in 1982, but I’m pretty sure I’m not alone 28 years later. Tron was pretty innovative for its time, but how does this story based on a world modeled after information travel within computers hold up to today’s standards?
Tron: Legacy puts us back on The Grid twenty years after its creator, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), not-so-mysteriously disappeared. His son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is beckoned to the digital land via a page (yes, as in beeper, not website) from his long absent father. The world of programs has been taken over by Kevin’s dictative digital clone, Clu, while Flynn hides off The Grid waiting for…well, absolutely nothing, accompanied by his apprentice, Quorra (Olivia Wilde). Sam’s visit encourages the aged “user” to join he and Quorra in a sprint for victory to get back to the real world.
Tron: Legacy has a lot going for it. A 150 million dollar budget, a soundtrack courtesy of Daft Punk, and an extremely attractive set of lead stars. I’ll preface now that I’ve never seen the original so I don’t have much comparative base to go off of, but what I can say for sure is that there is no way the CG visual spectacular that is Tron: Legacy can be compared with 80’s graphics on any level. See it in IMAX and see it in 3D because this one is actually worth it. This is the first film to play with 3D as a sort of story element, helping to divide the real world and The Grid.
And, speaking of commendable integration of story and production, Daft Punk’s soundtrack is more or less flawless. Techno is hot right now, techno makes sense on The Grid, and Daft Punk delivers techno like only Daft Punk can. It’s refreshing to see a reboot sequel that actually capitalizes on the fact that this is 2010 and a lot more can be done than was possible in 1982.
It’s hard to say that Hedlund’s performance will give him a Sam Worthington Avatar or Chris Pine Star Trek boost to superstardom since the only thing he has to count on is the film’s potential popularity (and incredibly good looks of course). His role as Sam leaves a lot to be desired and made a few supposed to be serious moments a little laughable. Wilde’s work on House proved her acting ability is deeper than the classic hyper sexualized counterpart in an action film which also makes her a likeable partner for Sam. If her portrayal of Quorra doesn’t put this girl on the map, I don’t know what will.
Apparently some people in Hollywood (*cough* James Cameron) tend to think that visual majesty is the only thing necessary to make a good movie. Unfortunately, plot still counts and for Tron: Legacy that’s where its potential epicness falls short. The story leaves you wanting more…more action, more technology, more depth.
When it comes down to it, the ending of this movie doesn’t leave you very far from the beginning. There isn’t enough explanation of the twenty year dark period Flynn has spent doing absolutely nothing or why Sam is summoned to The Grid now and not five or ten years earlier. The premise of Tron is pretty kick ass, it would be nice if someone had ran with it.
Tron: Legacy is optically spectacular from start to finish with a nice blend of production techniques. However, the lack of story development leaves you wondering why they didn’t push this to be as cool as it could have been. I will still say though that the way Tron: Legacy so gracefully sucks us into a world known as The Grid deserves a desirable 4 out of 5 reels.
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