28 years it has been since the cult classic sci-fi TRON. Now Disney has released the sequel which should have been titled TR2N. The original film saw computer hacker and employee for a company named ENCOM Kevin Flynn downgraded to running a video game arcade and ending up being teleported into the digital world he created himself and being forced to be challenged in the games that again he created himself and with the help of a program, his self placed task was to defeat the MCP (Master Control Program) who was dominating the digital world with the help of a program called Tron. For anyone that never saw the first Tron, note that the people inside are known as the 'programs' and anyone abducted into the world, Kevin for instance, are unidentified as programs and simply called 'users'. The film received a cult following and was well received by critics despite the storyline being criticised. Now after 28 years, the amount of work they probably put in that amount of time (or could have) should result in something spectacular. Read on to see if it does.
TRON: Legacy follows the son of Kevin, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) out on a search for his father. It opens with a scene set in the time roughly when the first film was set and has Kevin telling Sam a story about the Grid – the digital world that Kevin entered – and he promises to take Sam to the Grid. After leaving the house for work one day, news reports start claiming that Kevin has disappeared and that is when Sam's search begins for his father. We are then took to the future where a grown up Sam is driving to his father's company ENCOM and upon arriving there, uploads a virus to the company's mainframe before getting arrested. This doesn't prove to be a significant scene in the film though as we are never taken back to ENCOM. That's minus points for plot. Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), the close friend of Kevin, returns (a lot older obviously) and sends Sam to investigate a page that was originally from Kevin's relinquished arcade. Sam travels to the arcade and discovers Kevin's office at the bottom of some stairs concealed behind the arcade machine. He then tries to investigate the page via the computer Kevin used to hack with and is pulled into the Grid himself. Equipped by female warriors with a disc and attire that users possess in the Grid, he encounters the survival challenges himself and encounters another female warrior called Quorra (Olivia Wilde). With her aid, together they set out to seek Kevin in the Grid and bump into Clu 2onto the way – the duplicate Kevin had created which turned against him.
Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprise their roles from the original film. As well as Kevin, Bridges is also the face of Clu 2 with CGI used to de-age. Critics hailed the first film for its acting and this is delivered again here. Bridges is as convincing as ever as the two characters he plays however the computer generated face of Clu 2 becomes a lot less convincing as you see more of the character, ends up looking like a permanently straight-faced face with thick make-up poured upon. Garrett Hedlund shined in his role as Sam, Olivia Wilde was wonderful as Quorra and Michael Sheen who was rather unrecognisable did a fabulous job as Castor, the program running a club at the top of a tower.
Talking visually, this is one of the best films of the year, beats just about every real world 3D picture of this year. When the trailers were first shown, the CGI looked promising and it sure impressed mightily. The film defines how a 3D film should be made; it wouldn't be a surprise if the next 3D sci-fi picture borrows a thing or two from this. The start of the film has a notice which tells us that several scenes are intentionally done in 2D and the majority are the ones outside in the real world. In the Grid is where the magnificent 3D action takes place. Plenty of moments that are 'in your face' show why the film should be watched in 3D. With the film being set many years later, it makes sense to why everything is revolutionised, from the neon lights to the sound to the upgraded vehicles. Talking about the sound, the musical score in the film is incredible. The entire film feels alive and you can just sense the incredible atmosphere in the theatre when sat watching this film.
TRON: Legacy has taken a massive step forward technically from the last film and in 28 years with modern day technology, it is a visual masterpiece. However, just like the last film, the storyline is a let down with the film showing scenes that could turn significant but then take a different direction to where they could have possibly gone and it all becomes subtle but then forgotten, such as the coin given at the start and the aforementioned ENCOM scene. Overall, Disney has provided a spectacular eye candy 3D experience to end 2010 off with despite the lacklustre plot. Worth watching but only in 3D.
TRON: Legacy follows the son of Kevin, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) out on a search for his father. It opens with a scene set in the time roughly when the first film was set and has Kevin telling Sam a story about the Grid – the digital world that Kevin entered – and he promises to take Sam to the Grid. After leaving the house for work one day, news reports start claiming that Kevin has disappeared and that is when Sam's search begins for his father. We are then took to the future where a grown up Sam is driving to his father's company ENCOM and upon arriving there, uploads a virus to the company's mainframe before getting arrested. This doesn't prove to be a significant scene in the film though as we are never taken back to ENCOM. That's minus points for plot. Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), the close friend of Kevin, returns (a lot older obviously) and sends Sam to investigate a page that was originally from Kevin's relinquished arcade. Sam travels to the arcade and discovers Kevin's office at the bottom of some stairs concealed behind the arcade machine. He then tries to investigate the page via the computer Kevin used to hack with and is pulled into the Grid himself. Equipped by female warriors with a disc and attire that users possess in the Grid, he encounters the survival challenges himself and encounters another female warrior called Quorra (Olivia Wilde). With her aid, together they set out to seek Kevin in the Grid and bump into Clu 2onto the way – the duplicate Kevin had created which turned against him.
Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprise their roles from the original film. As well as Kevin, Bridges is also the face of Clu 2 with CGI used to de-age. Critics hailed the first film for its acting and this is delivered again here. Bridges is as convincing as ever as the two characters he plays however the computer generated face of Clu 2 becomes a lot less convincing as you see more of the character, ends up looking like a permanently straight-faced face with thick make-up poured upon. Garrett Hedlund shined in his role as Sam, Olivia Wilde was wonderful as Quorra and Michael Sheen who was rather unrecognisable did a fabulous job as Castor, the program running a club at the top of a tower.
Talking visually, this is one of the best films of the year, beats just about every real world 3D picture of this year. When the trailers were first shown, the CGI looked promising and it sure impressed mightily. The film defines how a 3D film should be made; it wouldn't be a surprise if the next 3D sci-fi picture borrows a thing or two from this. The start of the film has a notice which tells us that several scenes are intentionally done in 2D and the majority are the ones outside in the real world. In the Grid is where the magnificent 3D action takes place. Plenty of moments that are 'in your face' show why the film should be watched in 3D. With the film being set many years later, it makes sense to why everything is revolutionised, from the neon lights to the sound to the upgraded vehicles. Talking about the sound, the musical score in the film is incredible. The entire film feels alive and you can just sense the incredible atmosphere in the theatre when sat watching this film.
TRON: Legacy has taken a massive step forward technically from the last film and in 28 years with modern day technology, it is a visual masterpiece. However, just like the last film, the storyline is a let down with the film showing scenes that could turn significant but then take a different direction to where they could have possibly gone and it all becomes subtle but then forgotten, such as the coin given at the start and the aforementioned ENCOM scene. Overall, Disney has provided a spectacular eye candy 3D experience to end 2010 off with despite the lacklustre plot. Worth watching but only in 3D.