Tron: Legacy

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garret Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen, James Frain, Beau Garrett
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Decades after his father, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) disappears, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) still struggles with the loss. When he returns to Flynn's arcade, he suddenly finds himself transported into the Grid where he comes in contact with Clu (Jeff Bridges), a computer program who has taken over that world.

Review:

Tim: I actually kind of love that this movie was made. I say "kind of" because it might be a symptom of Hollywood having run out of original ideas. However, this is also a sequel that comes almost 30 years after the original, and is a direct sequel to a film that didn't exactly do gangbusters at the box office in the 80s. And yet, despite everything going against it, this movie works. In some way, the producers managed to make a movie about people going inside of a computer seem believable in 2010. Sure, this concept probably seemed more plausible in 1982, but it should have been scoffed at today. Nope, I completely went along with the ride, never questioning the inherent silliness of the concept. That speaks volumes about the film.

I've long preached about the evils and dangers of introducing the son of a famous movie character in sequels. It ruined The Mummy Returns and The Legend of Zorro, and should be avoided at all costs. However, Tron: Legacy proves that it can be done. Garrett Hedlund steps into the lead role as Sam Flynn, the abandoned son of Jeff Bridges' Kevin Flynn from the original. And, somehow, it works. Director Joseph Kosinski does a terrific job of building up the character of Sam. He's complex, believable, and we can root for him. Hedlund's career making performance certainly helps, but I had no issues with following Hedlund as the new hero of the franchise. This isn't easy to pull off, but they did so here.

The special effects are pretty impressive. I thought the 3D (in theaters) was okay, but it didn't add a whole lot. Luckily, the loss of 3D doesn't impact the movie at all. I still marveled at the games, the lightcycle battles, and the entire beautiful, haunting world of the Grid. This sequel did a fantastic job of updating the look for a new millennium, while paying tribute to the look and feel of the original. I loved how this was handled.

Surprisingly, I also enjoyed the story. I was intrigued by the potential reconciliation of father and son, of the mystery of why Kevin Flynn disappeared for decades, and of the plight of the denizens of the Grid. The whole world was fantastical and impressive, and I got sucked into the story. Unfortunately, I was also aware of some of the story's inherent flaws and silliness, but this only hurt the film slightly.

As mentioned, Hedlund gives a great performance, and I look forward to seeing his future work. I loved seeing Jeff Bridges as Flynn. It was incredible seeing him step into a character for the first time in 28 years. I also liked the idea of Bridges playing Clu as well. Clu himself, though, represents one of my biggest complaints. I loved the attempt to do something innovative and different, embracing technology to make Bridges look significantly younger. They did a fantastic job, but were limited by the technology of the day. I thought Clu looked pretty awful. It was apparent that he was computer generated, and I never believed in the character because of that. Bridges' performance is good, but his humanity (which is ironic) was lost with the reverse aging process. Clu should have been a fantastic villain, but I never felt much for him. I was distracted by the technological limitations, even though they are probably more impressive than any attempt so far. Still, Clu represented a ding on the movie for me.

I also want to mention Olivia Wilde. I always thought she was a decent actor, but she blew me away in this film. She took a secondary character and made us care about her- she didn't do it in flashy ways, but in small, subtle ones. Her childlike innocence yet her ability to kick ass was a fascinating combination, and Wilde hits all the right notes playing the character. I thought she greatly helped the movie. I only want to mention Michael Sheen briefly. I really, really like Sheen. I hated him in this movie. It's just an awful, over-the-top, needlessly stupid performance. It hurts the movie greatly, and I wish it didn't exist. The less I say, the better.

Now, as far as Tron: Legacy as a whole, I would say the movie exceeded expectations in some ways. Coming so long after the original, this is a film that is every bit as good. However, Disney also set this up to be the next gigantic franchise, and I don't believe that came true. Would I like to see a third Tron? Of course. Am I dying to see it? Not really. This is a good movie, but for all its technological marvels, it still doesn't hit greatness. Some of the same flaws of the original are still present here. So, I would call this movie a partial success. At the very least, it is a very entertaining, worthy sequel. I enjoyed it, and that's not too bad at all.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Tron, The Matrix trilogy