Tron: Legacy

Synopsis: At the epicenter of the adventure is a father-son story that resonates as much on the Grid as it does in the real world: Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father, Kevin Flynn (Oscar® and Golden Globe® winner Jeff Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading tech visionary.

When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade—a signal that could only come from his father—he finds himself pulled into a digital grid where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-or-death journey across a visually stunning digital landscape created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced, with never-before-imagined vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape. – Walt Disney Pictures

Release Date: November 17, 2010     MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre(s): Action, Adventure

Film Review

The Grid has returned and this time it is bigger, brighter, more alive, and quite a spectacle. It has been over twenty years in Tron time since Flynn (Jeff Bridges) came back from his first battle inside his created computer world. In between his initial visit with moviegoers, in the first film Tron, and where we find him today he has since disappeared from the real world and become trapped in the alternate world made up of programs designed to look human and an ever shifting landscape of computer generated spaces, flying ships, light cycles, creative weaponry and of course very beautiful woman. The story may begin with Flynn, but it is his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) that has become the focal point of the new plot.

Sam said goodnight to his father after being told the most amazing story about a creation named Tron, another named Clu, and his father in a computer-generated world humans could actually enter. As his father sped away on his Dukati motorcycle it would be the last time Sam, or anyone, heard from the elder Flynn. Sam has since grown up and become the arch-nemesis of his father’s company, even if he is the largest shareholder. The free information system his father foresaw as the future ceases to exist and he wants no part in that world. When he discovers a secret office in his father’s old arcade and a computer that is still operating, counting time to the second, Sam finds himself transported onto the Grid. His entrance into this alternate world is shocking, to say the least. The word human does not exist, but User is a very well known term. Programs and Users – but until now only one user has ever entered this reality, and he just happens have been stuck there for the past twenty years.

Tron Legacy is both a science fiction film rooted in the advancement of technology and computers as well as a father and son reunion outing where they must band together in order to destroy the evil that exists in this world. It is refreshing in that it does not rely heavily on melodrama nor does it forego all means of “human” connection just to display the achievements in special effects. The film offers two points of reference for viewers but it is the science fiction possibilities, and visuals, that make it a film worth watching. As well as seeing Michael Sheen as the Program Castor give his greatest David Bowie impression. Maybe Flynn Sr. had a thing for Bowie in the mid-eighties when he created Castor? Regardless, he is fantastic. The movie is not high on energy but it does manage to appease the average filmgoer with its simple plot of man set to save the world while at the same giving the sci-fi computer geek a multitude of things to ponder, dissect, and interject with the current state of artificial intelligences. Built on a completely foreign landscape that is constantly changing and conceptualizing new ideas Tron Legacy is a sci-fi lovers dream while establishing a core built around the familial bond and self sacrifice.

You have to experience the effects in this film in order to truly appreciate them. They are spectacular, beyond a doubt. The Grid has never looked this good and the creativity behind re-creating it for a new, modern audience, stays true to the original but also reflects the passage of time and improvement in computer generated effects.

As amazing as the chases and game fight sequences are to look at they are a very small part of the film itself. Action is not the goal of the film but it does give you an amazing final battle that is really only great because of how it looks on the screen. I did expect to see more action in this film, and a greater punch to keep things interesting. This did not happen and it mostly relies on the awe factor in what you are seeing on screen to keep you enthralled and engaged, not so much in how it can be used to create thrilling moments of action. But the light cycle race is fantastic, just not very pulse-pounding.

Cast and Crew

• Director(s): Joseph KosinskiSteven Lisberger
• Producer(s): Edward KitsisAdam Horowitz
• Screenwriter(s): Jeff Bridges (Kevin Flynn/Clu)Garrett Hedlund (Sam Flynn)Olivia Wilde (Quorra)
• Story: Bruce Boxleitner (Alan Bradley/Tron)
• Cast: Michael Sheen (Castor/Zuse) James HaygoodClaudio MirandaDarren Gilford
• Editor(s):
• Cinematographer: Daft Punk
• Production Designer(s):
• Costume Designer: 
• Casting Director(s): 
• Music Score: 
• Music Performed By: 
• Country Of Origin: USA