Tron Legacy

Ever since I first heard the whispers that a new Tron movie was in the works, I can't deny that I was excited to see the final product. The last time I saw the original Tron was probably some time in the 80s, but I remember loving the special effects shots and the overall video game feel. Add to that the fact that I am automatically interested in anything with Jeff Bridges in it, and the fact that the director is from my hometown, and I really had to see this one.

While the first act is a little slow, it does a great job of filling in the uninitiated as to what is going on. All the waiting is worth it when Sam (Garrett Hedlund), the son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) from the original Tron, finally arrives at his Father's Arcade. It's a classic 80's arcade, and took my right back to my childhood at Land of Oz in the Marshalltown Mall. I doubt this was accidental, as the director grew up in my hometown as well. Kevin has been missing for 20 years, but one of his friends from his company Encom got a page from the Arcade. Sam stumbles onto a secret passage behind a Tron machine in the Arcade, and finds his Father's secret office and a supercomputer which would have been unfathomably advanced in the 1980s. After searching through the last few commands that were entered, Sam activates the laser and is at last transported into the digital world of The Grid.

From there, he is apprehended and forced to participate in "Games." Eventually the inhabitants of The Grid realize that Sam isn't a program, like them, but a User. Sam meets with what seems to be his father, but he appears to be the same age he was when he disappeared. Sam works out that this doppelganger is actually Clu, a digital copy of Kevin Flynn, created to maintain the grid when he was in the real world. It quickly becomes clear that Users are no longer welcome, as Clu has taken over and driven the real Flynn off the Grid. Clu challenges Sam to a Light Cycle battle, which is beyond epic in the eye candy department. Clu is about to finish off Sam when he is rescued by Quarra (Olivia Wilde), a program loyal to Kevin Flynn. She takes Sam out into the uncoded expanse outside the grid to the Real Kevin's hideout to reunite with his father.

The world of The Grid is astounding. So often, artificial worlds in films have a way of triggering an "Uncanny Valley" response. The viewer is aware that what they are seeing is unsettlingly false. The Grid is so well realized visually and the characters so well integrated into it that it feels completely believable. Seeing it in 3D may have done a lot to help that too. The only time I did have an Uncanny Valley response was from Clu, which actually served to make him more menacing. The unnaturally youthful computer generated Jeff Bridges was pretty disturbing.

Another strong point of this film is the sound. From the 80's hits playing on the Jukebox in the arcade to the Daft Punk composed electronica of the grid, the music is a very big part of the story. So much so, that Daft Punk actually make an appearance in the film as DJs at a club, and they fit in perfectly with their normal stage outfits on, which I found hilariously awesome. The sound effects are well done and often nostalgic of the original.

The story if very solid and interesting. It makes you care about the fate of what is essentially a fake world, and it makes good use of the acting talent involved. I was quite impressed with Olivia Wilde. Her character reminded me of Major Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell and even when she was not speaking, she had a way of stealing the scene. However it is Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn and Clu that really makes the movie. I'm a huge fan of his already, but he really outdid himself in this film.

Overall, Tron Legacy is an intense experience. The action sequences are thrilling without succumbing to the trap of Blurry Action shots (I'm looking at you Michale Bay), the music is perfect for the subject, the acting is at least above average, and the story is interesting. My final word is that you have not seen a movie like this. Period.

9 Brain Disks out of 10