Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Keith Robinson
Markus Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language.
“Tron: Legacy” may be the most anticipated film of the year for the adult geek community or Tron-ies as I call them. But did it live up to the hype? Directed for 3D by first time director Joseph Kosinski and starring Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski, Crazy Heart), Garrett Hadlund (Four Brothers) and former Maxim magazine model Olivia Wilde (Year One), “Tron: Legacy” has definitely been upgraded from the outdated (even for its time) graphics and feel of its predecessor. The CGI graphics in “Tron: Legacy” are nothing short of amazing. No more goofy looking suits with neon racing stripes on them (well not as many), the costumes are revamped with a 2010 edge. Overall this film looks like 100 million dollars (which, in this case is a good thing). Honestly, I heard that making Jeff Bridges look thirty again took 50 million dollars alone.
The storyline is unimportant really, but here you go: Kevin Flynn (Bridges), a world famous video game mogul and creator of the game Tron, goes missing in 1987. Flash forward to 2010. Now with his son Sam (Hadlund) old enough to take over his father’s empire, he looks to his father’s old arcade for some sort of connection and finds a whole lot more. Sam is “somehow” transported to the strange cyber world of his father’s creation. There he meets all of his father’s creations: Clu, the bad guy, Tron, the good guy turned bad, finding out in the process that his father is still alive and is trapped in this world. As Sam attempts to free his father from his own created world, he discovers that Clu (the bad guy) has other more sinister plans for Sam and his father.
The story itself is not all that great, but where the storyline lags the soundtrack by Daft Punk rejuvenates “Tron: Legacy”. I honestly cannot say enough good things about the soundtrack by Daft Punk (if you haven’t picked it up, you got buy it). The soundtrack in concert with the insane visuals will almost make the audience forget about how cliché the story is or how bad the acting is or how B rate the Tron franchise really is.
Deep Thought: There are some Biblical connotations here: Kevin Flynn as God (the creator), Sam Flynn as Jesus (the son who is the only hope of ridding the evil from this new world) and Clu as mankind (who ruins everything as he strives for perfection). But who is really thinking that deeply into “Tron”. What is wrong with me?!
Final Thought: I don’t think a lot of people remember how corny the original “Tron” was, so when compared to the 1983 version “Tron: Legacy” seems like a masterful achievement in sci-fi cinema, but it’s really not. The visuals are amazing and the soundtrack is spectacular, but there is not much of a storyline here. Only see this film if you are a Tron-ie or if you have never experienced a 3D film in your life. And I have never said this before, but if you are going to see this film, see it in 3D!
