Here we are, thirty years later, and Disney finally comes out with a sequel to one of the most interesting films from the 80’s. Tron: Legacy is the story of Sam Flynn, played by Garrett Hedland, who has become the orphaned son of Tron’s original star Kevin Flynn, played again by Jeff Bridges. Kevin is a computer visionary and CEO of the company ENCOM who has disappeared after claiming to have the solution and miracle that would create the “perfect world.” As time goes on, everyone, including Sam himself, start to believe his father just simply ran away. With that in mind, Sam has a hard time accepting his responsibilities as the primary shareholder of ENCOM and instead spends his time sabotaging it.
Of course as the film goes on we learn the truth as to the whereabouts to Sam’s father. Kevin’s old friend Alan, played by Bruce Boxleitner (who played the role of Tron in the original film) tells Sam that he magically received a page from his father, from a number that has been disconnected for over 20 years. Sam, being skeptical, decides to check out the old arcade anyway. After just a few minutes of searching Sam comes across a secret room. A few minutes later, after tinkering with the computer in this room, Sam finds himself sucked into a different reality. He finds himself in a computerized world known as the Grid.
From here the movie turns into something that is quite predictable. Son finds his father, father explains everything, they fight to become free, and the son gets a new girlfriend in the process. Even though the plot just may be the weakest part of Tron: Legacy, the visuals and action scenes make up for it. The Grid is just stunning and amazing to stare at.
One of the most interesting scenarios in the movie is the fact that the film used CGI technology to make Jeff Bridges look 20 years younger. In my opinion, it worked out just fine and you can only truly tell that it looks “odd” is when he smiles. Those teeth are just way too perfect and white. It does make you wonder why they couldn’t just use make up to create the illusion that he is younger.
The characters work really well together in the movie. Sam and Kevin play a convincing father and son relationship. Sam has a hard time letting go of the fact that he thought his father just walked away from everything and creates some believable tension. Sam and Quorra, played by Olivia Wilde, have some chemistry throughout the film. All three of them together make quite a team. The acting from all three of them is just awesome and make the film very enjoyable to watch.
Perhaps one of the most anticipated parts to this movie is the fact that the soundtrack is created by the electronic duo Daft Punk. Every single track from the film is from Daft Punk. If you pay close enough attention, you can even see that they made a cameo in the film during the club scene as the DJs. The music in the film was very fitting and just astonishing.
Tron: Legacy is definitely a film worth checking out. If you have seen the original Tron you would probably agree that Legacy is not so much a sequel, but more of a movie on its own. Seeing the original does help in a way but not completely necessary. There is a big surprise that comes near the end of the film that helps tie up some loose ends. Tron: Legacy will constantly be given a bad rap because of its plot line, much like Avatar. However, if you can overlook that that, then the movie will be entertaining and visually stunning.
Written by: Shaun Hilton
