It annoys me that I wasn't on the planet to see 'Tron' in 1982. To witness something that groundbreaking would be truly spectacular. Fast forward 28 years and the follow up to Disney's cult classic is finally upon us. The light cycles, Flynn's arcade and even a young Jeff Bridges all return for the sequel. But not everything has stayed the same. Technology has finally caught up to Steven Lisberger's (returning as producer) original vision. And for a film that relies on technology this is very good news indeed.
So let's get the aesthetics out of the way. 'Tron Legacy' is one of the most stylish films I've ever seen. The visuals surpass even 'Avatar' itself (or at least they do in my opinion). I chose to view this as my first 3D movie experience. Partly because to date, I've never advocated 3D in cinema. And for good reason. The majority of 3D films have dire plots and rely on the technology to fool the audience into believing they are watching a decent piece of cinema. I'm talking about the wave of CGI films that have been streaming through the multiplexes recently, causing suffering parents to part with their hard earned cash for two hours of silence from their kids. Excluding Pixar films of course (which don't require 3D viewing anyway, since the studio's biggest quality lies in their storytelling). Anyway I digress...
The plot of 'Tron Legacy' is by no means it's strongest point and, quite wisely, Disney has chosen to market the visuals above the story. It's the lure of this futuristic, foreign world that draws the audience in. The plot works well enough though and it leaves no loose ends. A subplot involving a race of beings inside the world of 'Tron' called ISO's feels a bit unnecessary and is slightly brushed over to pave the way for the real crux of the story. And this is the relationship between Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges playing himself both old and young) and his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund). Bridges is undoubtedly the star of the film, portraying two very different personas of his being. The young Hedlund does a decent job in conveying the right amount of emotion and the onscreen fictional relationship feels very real. Supporting star Olivia Wilde isn't given much scope and it would have been nice to see more of her relationship with Hedlund. Special mention has to be given to Michael Sheen who revels in an almost unrecognisable role.
So the plot is nothing out of this world (unlike the film's setting). But in all honesty, this is a film that relies on the visuals and I could feel the anticipation in the air as Sam Flynn steps onto the 'grid' and the games begin. It would have been nice to see more of the famous light cycle battles as these make for the most memorable scenes. Also the scenes which happen outside the 'grid' (in the real world), could have been shorter which would have allowed for more scope within the computer world. The soundtrack is a futuristic fusion of electro by Daft Punk and it works astonishingly well within the confines of this alternate plain. And back on the subject of 3D - I'd recommend viewing 'Tron Legacy' like this if you can spare the money. Disney have very cleverly created a transition between the 2D scenes (our world) and the 3D scenes (the computer world). It works in such a subtle way that after a while you forget you're viewing most of this movie in 3D. This allows yourself to be fully immersed in the technology and special effects which make the film almost as groundbreaking as the original was. If any film can convince me of the pros of 3D cinema, it's this.
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