It is the moment that everyone has been waiting for, the new “Tron: Legacy” was released to theaters just in time for the holiday season. Being at the midnight, it was almost breathtaking to see the die-hard fans attending. However, was the hype all it was meant to be? Was Disney able to revitalize a 20-year-old classic? I, being in the movie industry and a love of films, will attempt to answer these questions throughout this articlle
Synopsis
“Tron: Legacy” starts a little bit after the original “Tron” where Kevin Flynn has a son, Sam, and is also CEO of Encom, which many of you remember as being the evil empire of the Master Control Program in the first film. Suddenly, on one fateful night, Kevin disappears from the face of the Earth and no one can seem to figure out why, seemingly abandoning Sam. However, 20 years later, Sam has grown into a spiteful teenager and shows a little more attitude like his father, Kevin. Alan Bradley, Kevin’s friend and a board member for Encom, confronts Sam about a message he received from Kevin. Piqued by his yearning to find his father, Sam speeds off the old arcade and finds the Tron arcade machine…though with a few secrets in store. Sam opens up a panel and then is suddenly flashed into the Grid, a digital realm for ‘programs’ to live freely…or so it would seem. He then finds himself face-to-face with someone similar to his father. However, the truth is more disastrous…it is his dad’s enemy and main protagonist, Clu. Now, Sam must find a way to find his father and escape the Grid while also learning the dangers of having a destructive attitude.
Tron with no…well Tron
Alright, lets start with getting to the downfalls of this film, going through the film I noticed something that completely frustrated me to no end…there is NO TRON! Despite the fact that the plot does not really cater to implementing Tron, you would think, however, that he would still be a major character. It is simply in the title. Tron would not be Tron without Tron. I understand that he does play a major part at the end of the film, but it is not as major as presented by Disney. Ultimately, this ruined the entire story for me and it almost made me turn people away from the film.
The “3D”
3D movies and viewing has become incredibly popular. I have my own personal doubts about that, however, that is beyond the scope of this article. At the start of the film, one will notice that it does not fill the entire screen when Sam is in the ‘real world.’ However, once he enters the Grid, the IMAX screen fills up and all of a sudden 3D comes in your face! I was a little frustrated that Disney did not take to the time to treat the real world as equally as the Grid. It is a minor issue, but leads to a devastating and recurring problem to most 3D films. There was simply no transition. Taking the time to either create those transitions can really make a movie stand out to the audience. However, this movie truly did not take the time to transition. About ten to fifteen minutes into the film, Sam is already shot into the Grid just to show off the 3D. However, despite that, the 3D effects were still great and amazing to witness. The visuals were just astounding.
Music by Daft Punk
Enough about the bad, time to bring in lighter news! While watching the film, I caught myself several times, bobbing my head to the music or simply enjoying the electronic sounds and music style of Daft Punk, one of my personal favorite Electronica bands. One of my favorite scenes that I can remember is when Daft Punk makes their ‘cameo’ on the set by posing as DJs to a club. They suddenly change the music and everyone’s mood seemed to change. That transition, despite the many failing ones, compelled me to watch what happened. There were many scenes like this where the music would dictate the scenery but still keep the same electronic style of Daft Punk. Bravo, Disney, Bravo.
Action, Action, Action!
I will admit, there is a little too much action in the film, however, it is simply stunning. The fight scenes were very well done and provided that sprinkle of flavor to the Games when Sam first enters the Grid. One of my personal favorites is when Sam is fighting some other program that uses all these fancy moves. All Sam does is simply take out the floor and the program just falls to is derezzing!
Depictions and Character Development
The acting and character development were simply astonishing! Despite the lack of story, it was still interesting to see how the characters would interact with each other. My favorite depiction would be of the character Quorra played by Olivia Wilde. Try imagining a supreme action star with the mind of a five-year-old…it’s just great. Kevin Flynn is also his same old arrogant self, despite being much older and being trapped in the digital world. Sam is also a reflection of his father and sometimes much worse. I remember a scene where he uses the same exact door to hack into Encom that Kevin Flynn uses in the first film. I noticed the same smirk on both their faces after being successful at it.
Conclusion
All-in-all, despite the many downfalls, it was a pretty decent movie to watch and kept me entertained. Being a “Tron” fan, I simply had to watch it to see a continuation in the story. The music and grandiose action of the film kept me cheering and pumped throughout the film. However, the story did not intrigue me and left me considerably disappointed with the outcome and ending of the film. It did not help that the end….
Well I’ll just leave that out for those who wish to catch it!
It is still a great movie and I do recommend giving it a watch, especially in IMAX 3D.
For people used to watching movies from home and not comfortable with theatres, just visit the site 123movieshub and you can purchase it the moment it comes off the big screen, along with many other classics.
