We really shouldn’t talk about TRON: Legacy without first paying a moment’s homage to the 1982 cult-classic TRON by giving you a bit of background info (although you don’t really need it to enjoy this sequel). Produced by Walt Disney Productions and Lisberger Studios, it was a cutting edge sci-fi film that combined computer animation and live action to create never-before-seen CGI (computer generated imagery), making it one of the most visually stunning films of its era.
Audiences reacted then the way you probably reacted to seeing Avatar for the first time. TRON starred Jeff Bridges as the hacker Kevin Flynn and Bruce Boxleitner as the computer security program TRON. The movie follows Kevin as he attempts to hack into a leading computer company (and his former employer) ENCOM, to prove his work has been pirated, and gets transported, or digitized, into its mainframe, The Grid, as a program/user. After Kevin and TRON team up to defeat the Master Control Program, who has been controlling the digital world, Kevin is sent back to the real world and eventually becomes the CEO of ENCOM.
Twenty-seven years later we arrive at TRON: Legacy.
The movie begins in 2-D with Kevin (Jeff Bridges) putting his young son Sam to bed then heading out to “work” at night, only to disappear without a trace. We fast-forward to a grown-up Sam (Garrett Hedlund, Troy and Eragon), who is an orphaned gillionaire living alone with his dog and his unrealized potential—and still wants to know what happened to his father.
Sam finds himself drawn to his dad’s former arcade and is digitized into The Grid where he truly begins his search for answers. At this point the 3-D effects kick in and we’re transported into a pulsating parallel cyber-universe of fluorescent tubes, neon e-Frisbees and a gladiatorial multi-level stadium hosting death matches with DayGlo Light Cycles that materialize around its rider.
Even if you’re not into gaming or sci-fi flicks this is a must-see for its stunning CGI and 3-D effects (definitely worth the $$ to see in IMAX!). And then there’s the possible cyber-romance between Sam and the very lovely Quorra (Olivia Wilde), who becomes his ally as he attempts to e-Frisbee his way back to the real world. If that still doesn’t do it for you, there’s the electronic retro-80s synth and booming beat of the soundtrack from Daft Punk that leaves you feeling like you’ve been at a nightclub and can still feel the bass reverberating in your bones long after you’ve left.
Rating: PG
TRON: Legacy babe Olivia Wilde
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