TRON: LEGACY review

Greetings program! Welcome back to the Grid. Twenty-eight years - it's certainly been a while, hasn't it? Look around, you'll notice some improvements have been made - state of the art visual effects, faster paced action, a thumpingly cool musical score - all in top tier 3-D, of course. We do hope you enjoy your stay - or at least survive it.

Thus, we have finally arrived at the long awaited, long rumored sequel to Disney's live-action 1982 compu-cult fantasy, "Tron". Why the long wait, you may wonder. Interestingly enough, despite being ahead of its time on several fronts (conceptually, visually, etc.), the original "Tron" was, at the time, a horrible box office flop, and considered an embarrassment to Disney for years to come. And although I myself have always been a fan of the film since convincing my dear mom to accompany us to the theater to see it when I was eight, (something I still don't think she's quite shaken off,) I understand that the film is not the most approachable piece of cinematic art ever forged.

It stands to reason, then, that once Disney came to understand that the "Tron" brand could in fact be revived to build upon the overlooked foresight of director Steven Lisberger's original film, some changes would have to be made. Fair enough - I begrudgingly admit that my beloved "Tron" is in fact not the best movie in the world. And so, in the months leading up to the release of "Tron Legacy" - an official sequel, as opposed to a remake or reboot - I came to brace myself for something more youthful, with attitude! And spunk! And hipness! (Ugh.) No doubt Disney would make sure that this potential franchise igniter is across-the-board accessible. (Or would they...?)

Then more information started to roll in... Jeff Bridges, the star of the original, is reprising his role of Kevin Flynn - a human "user" who was miraculously incarnated to the world of the computer. That's welcome news... The film is directed by a first-timer (one Joseph Kosinski) who is actually an architect. Uh... oookay... And then, the post-production news that the story geniuses at Pixar were brought in for an eleventh hour jam session to mend some screenplay issues. That is good news as far as I'm concerned. (And nicely circular, at any rate - after all, the Pixar guys often cite "Tron" as an essential cinematic step toward their own "Toy Story", and beyond.)  Who knows, I thought, maybe there's hope for this "Tron" sequel yet. Perhaps we can look forward to a "Pirates of the Caribbean"-style likeable action romp...?

So imagine my surprise to discover that "Tron: Legacy" is every bit as obtuse and remote as it's predecessor. It gets off to an engaging, if melancholy start: It's 1989, and we meet young Sam Flynn, son of Kevin (who is now some sort of renegade corporate enigma, the active head of software mega-company Encom). We get the distinct impression that their relationship is strained as is; when daddy Kevin goes permanently missing, Sam's dreary sadness is palpable. The loss is weighty, which isn't necessarily wrong for the film like this, it simply marks the beginning of what is a surprisingly dour holiday action film.

Cut to the present day - Sam is now in his late twenties, and all alone. As the heir apparent of Encom, he's got all the money he needs (hello fancy motorcycle!) and plenty of time to goof off (hello reckless motorcycle riding sequence!). Bruce Boxleitner, who reprises his role as Flynn's geeky friend Alan, turns up just long enough to establish that Encom is in some real moral trouble (hello Microsoft jabs!), sending Sam on a quest that will eventually transport him to the world of the computer (version 2.0), to eventually confront his father.

Once Sam reaches the digital realm, both the super-charged action and the father/son issues rev up full tilt. Serving as villain and relationship straw man is Clu, another vintage "Tron" character, also played by Bridges. Back in the day, Flynn wrote Clu as his program for hacking the Master Control. Although we saw Clu derezzed (that's Tron-speak for killed) in the first film, he is back as a corrupt program bent on conforming both the computer world and the real world to his creator's one-time vision of perfection. This brings an interesting dynamic, in that Flynn has progressed beyond such utopian idealism, whereas Clu, not being human, cannot. So once again, we have a modern film telling us that in the end, we only have ourselves to blame. Nowadays to find the enemy, it seems, we need only look in the mirror - something particularly true for Bridges in this film (even if the mirror reflects a likeness that is technically no longer him). Although the much ballyhooed "de-aging" visual effects do impressively revert the actor to his late eighties "Fabulous Baker Boys" appearance, it's refreshingly easy to forget that it's one of the year's most elaborate movie illusions.

Whereas the first film was, in part, a cautionary tale against the move to "Master Control Program" mentality, it also suggested that our world and the world of the computer are alike, or at least merging figuratively (check out the opening and closing cityscape shots). The sequel is all about forsaking the computer world in favor of mankind's imperfections. During his time trapped in the computer world, Kevin Flynn has, in the course of embracing Eastern Zen Buddhism (and apparently rejecting the latent Christian metaphors that made up the first film) learned that the imperfections of humanity are in fact beautiful, and that human contact can not be substituted with something synthetic (although his mysterious and naive assistant played by Olivia Wilde gives one reason to challenge that argument). Consequently, gone is the charismatic and colorful Flynn of 1982. In his place, we have a glum but wizened version of "The Dude".

Once Sam and The Dude... er, I mean, his dad, are re-united, the film essentially stops for fifteen or so minutes while they enjoy the most strangely somber dinner scene and expository mumbo-jumbo that I've ever had the good fortune to experience in 3-D. While this portion may try the patience of some, I found it distracting only for the sheer amount of pseudo-philosophy and gobblety-gook that is exchanged (even for a "Tron" movie). I'm sure it's enough for some critics to brand "Tron: Legacy" as "Matrix Lite". But I won't go there...

The weakest link in "Tron: Legacy" isn't the dull stretches, the obtuse plot, or the over-abundance of corny dialogue. I hate to say it, but as Sam Flynn, actor Garrett Hedlund can't carry this film. Granted, it's a lot to carry. At the risk of painting "Tron: Legacy" in a more negative light than I intend, I'll say this: It's a lot like the Star Wars prequels: Big on glorious artifice and concept, not so big on character and dialogue. There's an unevenness about it all even as you're entertained, and Hedlund is definitely the Hayden Christensen of this analogy. Take that how you will, just know that I'm in the minority of Star Wars prequel defenders. So, I hereby approve of "Tron: Legacy".

Fans of the original film will enjoy plenty of fun nods and callbacks, while newbies to this whole "Tron" concept should have no trouble jumping onboard. The visual style, while unmistakable in origin, boast a boldness, depth, and strange vibrancy that is appropriate. Seeing the original beforehand would help, but in light of how Disney has not only chosen to forgo any kind of now-customary re-release timed to coincide with the sequel (where's the All-New Bells & Whistles "Tron" Blu-Ray?!?), they've actually let it go out of print and become scarce, this is a good thing. Obviously, for whatever reason, (and there are theories if you go looking for them,) Disney is apparently suppressing that outdated film, with all its reflective-tape-on-black-duvetyn sets and primitive CGI, for the sake of the new one. And upon revisiting parts of it recently, I can very begrudgingly understand why.

I admit that "Tron" fans such as myself tend to look at the film through rose-colored glasses. But in our defense, those glasses make it an even more interesting film! And now, everyone has the opportunity to look at the new "Tron" film through an altogether different kind of glasses. And, as someone on record as a detractor of the current 3-D trend, I have to say that "Tron: Legacy" is the exception to the norm - the film is worth wearing the glasses. Fully animated features notwithstanding, this may be the most satisfying 3-D visuals since "Avatar".

So, to recap, add, and embellish (a few things that the film does plenty of, as well): "Tron: Legacy" is surprisingly in the same vein as the original "Tron". If you like and/or understand that film, you will probably like and/or understand this one. The story is more personal this time, but the eleventh hour assist from the Pixar writers couldn't quite pull the screenplay out of the muck. Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn doesn't help matters at all, but Olivia Wilde as Kevin Flynn's mysterious assistant very much does. Jeff Bridges character (Kevin Flynn) is unrecognizable as the charismatic fireball of the '82 film, other than the fact that it's the same actor playing him. But he's very good, and commits to the material 110%. As Clu, he even commits to the point of de-aging himself twenty-eight years. And that's very impressive.

Visually, "Tron: Legacy" is a marvel, but at times it does feel like a film that was directed by an architect. That said, there are a handful of near-brilliant moments, including the most poignant use of a Journey song in quite a while. Daft Punk's techno-tronic score holds it's own to the majesty of Wendy Carlos' work in the original. Of course, there are disappointments and a loose end or two, which I fear, won't be addressed for another twenty-eight years, when they opt to do "Tron 3.0". (What about the character Tron?? And what was the deal with Michael Sheen?!?) Who knows, perhaps by then, maybe "Tron: Legacy" will be all the more understood and regarded as a geeky cult phenomenon that was ahead of its time. (Sound familiar?) But until then, I for one am thrilled to finally have a halfway decent "Tron" sequel, and look forward revisiting the Grid another time. That is all.

- Jim Tudor

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