The RPM Show

By Adam Miller

TRON: Legacy – A sequel that is does what it is meant to do, “to entertain”.

In 1982, the Walt Disney studios released a movie called Tron, which told the story of a computer hacker who gets sweeped into the world of the computer program that he created. The hacker named Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges, joins forces with Tron to defeat the Master Control program that is holding them captive. Tron is considered a prototype in the development and evolution of CGI animation in movies.The effects were ahead of its time but unfortunately did not thrill the audience has Disney had hoped. The film was not received well critically and commercially, which is what led to its quick box-office demise. However over the last 28 years, Tron has become a pop culture phenomenon and has led to the creation of thousands of dedicated fans. What led to the creation of this sequel is the huge fan base and the fact that the technology in CGI visual effects in film has come a long way.

TRON: Legacy begins about three years after the first film ended. It picks up with Kevin Flynn giving his son Sam a bedtime story about the world of Tron that he created. Kevin leaves and is never heard from again. Years later Sam (Garrett Hedlund), is now an adult and is somewhat in charge of his father’s company. He is visited by his father’s old friend Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), who is also in the original film. Bradley tells him that he received a message on his pager from Flynn’s old arcade. But the catch is here is that the number for that building has been disconnected for years. Sam goes to investigate and it leads him to the TRON video game console, which then leads him to an underground room. Here is finds the computer that controls the program and then after playing with it he is sweeped into the world of TRON has is father was. Here he is reunited with his father, who as we find out disappeared because he went into TRON and got trapped. Eventually Sam and his father must journey across the cyber universe that has gotten more advanced and is now under the control of a villian who will do everything he can to prevent their escape.

To say that the visuals and the overall production design of this film are good would be a huge understatement. They are absulutely amazing and they look even more amazing when viewed in 3D. And that is what brings up the whole 3D discussion. I went to see this film at a midnight screening in IMAX 3D. Now if you have been following our coverage on The RPM Show about the “3D epidemic” as I like to call it, who know that I have been an opponent of the whole 3D thing. Mostly because most of the movies that are being shown in 3D are post-production conversions. In other words the finished film is converted to the 3D format. Most of the results so far have been rather poor in their 3D quality. In the case of TRON: Legacy the story is different because the film was shot in 3D. However the beginning portions of the movie were done in 2D. If you examine this movie with a movie converted to 3D I think you will be able to tell the difference as to which is better and in excellent quality.

The movie itself is overall a lot of fun to watch. While a few of the action scenes do bring to mind a lot of flashbacks or parallels to Star Wars, it still does not exceed to the point where it seems like a direct copy. But I think that the overall excitement of this film outweighs any flaws that one would pick up on. For example, a lot of the dialogue in the film is at times rather chessy, but in the end you don’t care about it. At that time your are on the edge of you seat and so tuned in to what is going on that you are not bothered by anything.

TRON: Legacy succeeds on so many levels. The music score by Daft Punk, which is a combination of synthezier effects and classical, is exceptionally mesmerizing. The overall acting, excising the occasional chessy dialogue, is pretty good. Jeff Bridges does a great job playing Kevin Flynn at both a young age and an old age. The supporting cast that includes Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, James Frain, and Michael Sheen are also equally impressive. But the real winner of this movie in the overall production value which includes the 3D effects and design. This is really the one time where it would be necessary to spend the extra money to see this film in the IMAX 3D format, which is the format that I would hugely recommend. By viewing this film in IMAX 3D you are getting the full experience. All critiques aside, TRON: Legacy is above all a huge theatrical experience that is pure popcorn entertainment and at the same time is a lot of fun to watch.