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TRON: Legacy
| Released |
17 December 2010 |
| Director |
Joseph Kosinski |
| Starring |
Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett, Michael Sheen |
| Writer(s) |
Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz |
| Producer(s) |
Sean Bailey, Steven Lisberger, Jeffrey Silver |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
126 minutes |
| Genre |
Science fiction |
| Rating |
PG |
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Lost in cyberspace.
Having never seen the original, it seemed good practise to watch it before heading into view the next chapter of the TRON story. For those of you that don't know, twenty-eight years separates both films and needless to say in that time TRON hasn't dated that well. Actually I'm being too kind, it looks like a Pet Shop Boys video from, well, the ‘80s. Luckily there was little need for me to take this refresher as TRON: Legacy is very much a standalone film, enough is explained in the beginning of the movie to bring the audience up to speed.....just about.
Here we're introduced to Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), and heir to the ENCOM throne– ENCOM being a fictional equivalent of Microsoft or Apple. After his father’s disappearance some twenty years ago, Sam has grown into a wreckless loner –albeit a likeable one– with little interest in managing the company he's unwillingly inherited. When one of his father’s best friends approaches Sam after receiving a random page from Kevin Flynn's old arcade, Sam can't help but investigate.
Once Sam enters the arcade, TRON: Legacy starts to level up. Director Joseph Kosinski does a good job bringing the audience up to speed in the opening scenes, and thankfully doesn't spend too long doing so. Once Sam and the audience enter this cyber-world it's extremely hard not to embrace the visual feast presented before us. Since leaving Cameron's visionary Pandora, this is the first film, one year later, to match that movies visuals and to enhance those visuals with 3-D technology. The easiest way to describe TRON’s world, or 'The Grid' as it's better known, is as a neon abyss, with yellow, blue and white the only colours radiating from the darkness.
Much like the original, Bridges is the movies keystone, or in this case microprocessor. He has a lot to do, playing both the godlike Flynn and the vader-esque Clu, a programme generated in his image that has happened to take control of the grid. An icon at this stage, bad or good, Bridges is effortless in his execution. Hedlund does a good job playing the trouble son, the bad ass that is accustomed to ruffling a few feathers. It's refreshing that Disney cast a twenty-six year old and kept his age for the movie. Sam Flynn could easily have been a sixteen or seventeen year old, fitting nicely into the Twilight era we have recently found ourselves in. The supporting cast is great here as well. Olivia Wilde is extremely plausible as 'the perfect programme' and Michael Sheen steals the show as the flamboyant Castor.
My major gripe with TRON: Legacy is bizarrely in the special effects department. As mentioned ninety percent of what Kosinski puts on screen is beautiful to watch, but one area in which the movie stumbles is the CGI surrounding Clu's character –the younger Jeff Bridges. A lot had been made of how realistic the photo real digital character looked, all of which seems to have been false advertising. The finished product certainly resembles Jeff Bridges but it's obvious from the outset that Clu is computer generated. Another potential minor issue for some may be the looseness of the plot. As the movie moves from scene to scene, it can sometimes feel as if the guys behind TRON: Legacy are just making it up as they go along. For me this wasn't a problem, at the end of the day this is a film set within a computer game. Anything is possible.
Finally I can't talk about this movie without mentioning the soundtrack. Daft Punk scoring the film was always going to produce something special, but what they've created here not only matches Kosinski’s visual but at times surpass everything on screen. A huge bonus.
For all my talk about visuals and effects, TRON: Legacy , at its core is the story of a son’s search for his lost father. Fundamentally the reason why the movie works is due to the fact that Sam’s journey to find Kevin Flynn is both compelling and at times emotive. It's easy to invest in both characters. Of course it does help if you throw in one or two lightcycles....
-David Prendergast |
