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In 1982, Walt Disney Pictures released a highly ambitious and in many ways revolutionary film called TRON, which focused on a video game programmer named Kevin Flynn (played by Jeff Bridges) who gets sucked into the computer world, and must fight his way out playing by the rules of the gaming grid. At the time, no one had seen anything like it on the big screen, but its wildly imaginative story and style was hard for many moviegoers to understand, and the end result was a less-than-stellar performance with the box office. However, that didn’t stop TRON from becoming a fan favorite film with a strong cult following, thanks primarily to a heavy presence on cable TV and Disney home video. That enduring fandom wasn’t lost on the executives at the mouse house, and now (28 years later) we’re re-entering the world of TRON with the slick new sequel TRON: Legacy.

The film opens with a flashback to 1989, as Kevin Flynn is putting his young son Sam to bed with a story about his adventures on the game grid with “Tron” and his grid counterpart “Clu.” The successful father, then owner of the powerful computer company Encom, promises the boy they’ll always be on the same team, and that the next time they are together he’ll actually show Sam the grid… then Kevin disappears, and isn’t seen again for 20 years following. In the present day, the fatherless Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is now a rebellious young adult, wreaking havoc with the money-obsessed Encom executives… actions that are met with minor amusement only by Encom’s Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), who was the former best friend of Kevin Flynn, and the only member of the company’s boardroom who is still trying to hang on to Kevin’s original principals. One night Alan visits Sam at home, explaining he’s received a page (on a rather archaic pager) from Kevin’s office at the old Flynn’s Arcade building, and suggests Sam investigate. With some hesitation, Sam visits the dusty arcade, eventually finding a hidden office filled with Encom technology. After tinkering with Kevin’s old computer, Sam accidentally triggers a device which transports him to… the grid. Once there he meets Clu (a motion captured much younger Bridges), now evil and power hungry, hoping only to have ultimate control of the in-game universe. Sam is forced to play games against programs, all fighting to the death under Clu’s reign. When things look darkest for our hero, he is whisked away by the beautiful Quorra (Olivia Wilde), and reunited with his long lost father. Kevin Flynn, now much older and very zen-like, brings Sam up to speed on why he never returned, and how bad the situation is currently thanks to Clu’s altered state. Against incredible odds, Sam hopes to find a way to escape the grid with his long lost father, and perhaps in the process restore some level of peace to this severely chaotic computer world.

Movies like TRON: Legacy don’t pretend to be overly-smart, or anything terribly high brow. Make no mistake, this is pure eye candy, and should be taken as such. First time director Joe Kosinski has taken what we loved about the first TRON movie, and amplified it with a look and feel that is levels above just about any sci-fi epic in the last decade. The movie is more of an experience than a film, and if you go in understanding and appreciating that, you’ll most likely really enjoy what you see. That said, TRON: Legacy is far from perfect, falling victim to occasionally bland pacing and some fairly formulaic dialogue. At 127 minutes running time, the audience will most likely feel every second of it. That’s not to say this doesn’t move respectfully in more than a few scenes, but the in-between moments have a tendency to bog down a somewhat uneven screenplay. Much like the first TRON, this film opens in the real world, moves into the computer world, and finds our characters facing extremely familiar situations. To say that the filmmakers mimicked the original might be understating things. At moments we’re given loving but subtle nods to TRON, and in other areas what you see looks like a simply updated version of the same movie. Again, that’s not to say it’s all bad, because it isn’t.

For starters, I highly recommend you see this in 3D… Disney Digital 3D if possible, which is how we saw it. The technology is utilized well, never overly distracting. In simple moments like the light cycle chase, the whole film becomes much more immersive, really grabbing you from a visual standpoint, and never allowing you to let go. But it’s not overly distracting, never to the point of taking away from the overall presentation, which in my mind is how 3D should truly work. The simple fact we’re supposed to be peering inside the world of a video game makes this technology ever so appropriate. Then there’s the inspired decision to use techno music masters Daft Punk for the score, which is so incredibly complimentary to the film it’s hard to imagine any other composer doing these visuals justice. Also look for the music duo within the film, in the (who would have guessed) club scene.

One of the things I’ve heard some critics go off on with TRON: Legacy is the acting, primarily that of Garrett Hedlund. Personally I found Hedlund to be just fine, playing the somewhat bitter orphan, constantly seeking thrills, and more like his father than he probably ever realized. He conveys a proper balance of wonderment and determination in a role that (I imagine) is hard to do a whole lot with. In this day of Sam Worthingtons and Channing Tatums, we’re fortunate to have an actor like Garrett who knows not to overdo it, but also how to be strong enough with his screen presence to carry a film like this. Again, like the film, he’s not perfect, but he’s doing just fine if ya ask me. See Garrett looking radically different in DEATH SENTENCE to get an idea of how much range this young man truly has.  Olivia Wilde has an even tougher job, playing the robot-like Quorra, displaying occasionally humanlike qualities, but maintianing the cold and computer based way of life. She’s a good counterpart for Garrett, as her beauty is undeniable, but she never fawns over him or cheapens her resolve, which in this storyline is rather important. Jeff Bridges deserves big kudos, playing both the older and rather eccentric Kevin Flynn, and doing the voice and motion capture work for the youthful Clu. The part of Kevin is pretty much a cakewalk for Bridges, as it’s not terribly dialogue heavy and not overly emotive. But his vocal performance really sells Clu, whose CGI look goes back and forth from stunningly convincing to noticably wooden. Considering how much screentime Clu gets, I’m fairly impressed with what they did. Certain shots are almost flawless, and really overwhelming from an effects standpoint. And for the shots that aren’t… well, you could always use the excuse that Clu is an in-game personality, and therefore would look a little “computerized” anyway. I was happy to see Bruce Boxleitner return, and get more to do than you might imagine. The character of Alan Bradley was pretty important in the original TRON, so seeing him back in this one is very fitting and commendable on the filmmaker’s parts. Boxleitner also does a good job of playing the likable mentor, softspoken and engaging. It’s really great to see him back on the big screen. I am sad, however, that the lovely Cindy Morgan was excluded, as there’s more than a few moments where they easily could have used her again (not to mention she’s a lovely person in general). Perhaps is the sequels keep coming, they’ll find a way to reintroduce her character from the original TRON. A few other actors must be acknowledged here, in particular the sexy and hauntingly beautiful Beau Garrett, who plays a siren-like program named Gem. She’s a nice counterpart to Quorra, and looks really good in her grid outfits… trust me on that. There’s also the great Michael Sheen, hamming it up as Castor, the in-game nightclub personality. Sheen is mostly known for serious roles, such as his awesome performances in movies like THE QUEEN and FROST/NIXON. Here he’s clearly having fun, mixing a little bit of David Bowie and a little bit of Jim Carrey, with just a dash of Charlie Chaplin. It’s a cartoony role, but amusing and fitting in its place, especially in what is mostly an overly-serious story. TRUE BLOOD‘s James Frain also has a pretty lengthy part as Clu’s right-hand man Jarvis, whose circumstancial loyalty knows no bounds. Christopher Nolan movie fans should also look for a great cameo by one of his regulars in the Encom boardroom scene.

Did I love TRON: Legacy? No. But I did like it, a lot actually. A movie like this isn’t trying to be cerebral, and that’s fine with me. Eye candy is great, especially when its done this well. We must also remember that Joe Kosinski isn’t a proven director, and never pretended to be Steven Spielberg, or even Steven Lisberger (the original TRON‘s director and co-creator). When judging a film like this, you must also go back and take a look at the source material, which is far from perfect itself. The idea of TRON is infinately more amazing than the realization of it, though nothing should take away from the technical achievements with either film. TRON: Legacy is quite simply a beautiful work of art, perhaps missing its necessary soul, but nevertheless breathtaking. You could certainly ask the question of why these computer-based characters dress and act the way they do, or what they see as the purpose of these games they play.  Heck, you could ask why we’re supposed to believe any of this would ever exist, or what any of it is supposed to mean.  In the first film, these types of questions were loosely answered, but in the new film we as the audience are just supposed to accept the elaborate world we see.  Is that bad?  Sloppy writing?  Lazy filmmaking?  Who cares, it’s ridiculously fun to watch.  Considering this is a Disney movie, it’s also a rather dark film in tone, which again is not a bad thing. I can’t help but wonder if moviegoers are going to take to this, judging it’s highly techincal aspects and unusual storyline. One thing is certain, and that is Disney has gone out of their way to market and promote this heavily. Their efforts weren’t lost on me, as I’ve been looking forward to it all year. I really enjoyed the ride with this one, and while I may not consider it movie perfection, like its predecessor it’s a stunning cinematic achievement… and definitely worth a look.

TRON: Legacy opens December 17, 2010

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