Tron: Legacy Review

Below are my impressions of Tron: Legacy. There may be some very minor spoilers, especially if you haven't seen the trailers, but otherwise you can read with confidence, it won't spoil the movie for you.


Music:

All the rage is that Daft Punk made the soundtrack. Then there's the controversy that most of it doesn't sound like traditional Daft Punk. The score of the original Tron was excellent. I'm not sure this one compares quite on the same level. I don't think it can, just because it's not the original, and perhaps the movie doesn't call for it. Nevertheless, it does what it needs to do and we get some funk-tastic beats at key moments. There is even a guest appearance. I can't say I was dissatisfied in the music category.

Visual Design:

The Tron world seems more real. There seems to be more substance. This makes sense to me. With upgraded graphics, and increased sophistication, the computer world takes on a new level of realism, but it is still not quite real. The void- the blackness usually filled up by trees, sky and natural features in our world is still prominent here. Don't get me wrong, the wireframe-like look of the original is still there. It's just that there's a little bit more solid, a little bit more texture. But not a lot.

In fact, I was a tad disappointed not to see more color- there were some nicely colorful scenes in the original. In fact, "solid" colors here were conservative- white mostly, especially Flynn's digital place. But it went with the mood. There is a dark threat looming and feelings running a lifetime, and this time it seems deeper, more emotionally pronounced. And it was probably best for the movie to concentrate on a specific set of visual elements. There were no simulated mountains here. 

That said, the most prominent visual elements of the original are there- the recognizers, now depicted in a different capacity than in the original, yet not contradictorily so, the lightcycles, and even the solar sail, with a few new suitable additions.

With the games- the lightcycle, and disc-throwing- the world takes on a decidedly indoor-sports feel, now complete with a Roman arena-like audience. Come to think of it, a lot of these indoor sports- like Raquetball- take on a very disconnected, artificial, even futuristic feel- because they are essentially isolated from the world in their own space/room, and sports clothing often seems particularly "futuristic" in how tight they fit, their fabric and colors. So it is perhaps not surprising that the sporty theme and the Tron environment go together so well.

Story, Action & Dialog:

The dialog certainly pays homage to the original. Many lines are the exact same ones. There also seems to be a bit of a tribute to the genre and the era of the original as well. "Sometimes the only winning move is not to play" is an unmistakable line for anyone who's watched War Games, especially in the context of the computer/sci-fi genre. 80s music is also blaring at certain parts, playing on the nostalgia, and it complements the film well.

The nostalgia is well played, maybe because in some ways, it is not entirely fabricated, but actually very real. It's been 28 years since Tron debuted. It must be something to revisit Tron after so long. I bet there was some real nostalgia going on at least between Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, and original Tron director turned producer, Steven Lisberger.

The scenes and situations played out in Legacy are some of the same of the original. But this too is not a bad thing. It's no secret we all wanted to see stunningly upgraded versions of the lightcycle and disc battles. And Legacy provides. And then some. There is a clearly intentional line of continuity and sameness that runs from the original to the new film. Not only in the visual elements, scenes and situations, but even in roles and bloodlines.

Flynn's son takes his rightful place as savior. Dillinger's unscrupulous son takes the place of his father as well. Flynn's adversary makes a similarly worded and passionate speech for the opposite cause. It's reflective and cyclical. And it ties in well to Flynn's newfound love for philosophy and Zen-ness. New people/programs, but the same roles and situations.

Nevertheless, even if you've never seen the original, there is enough backstory present in Legacy to fill you in, though that's not really even necessary to enjoy the film. And even if you don't fully pick up on references to the original, you will easily pick up on the general 80s nostalgia.

However, Disney was not afraid to take the story in a new direction. In spite of the continuity, the similarities and the parallels, the fact is that the story grows and changes. The movie reflects upon itself, mostly through the eyes of Flynn, who's new hippy-attitude makes a lot of sense to me as part of his growth. It also added a lot of character and joy to the movie. These weren't stiff action characters.

It may not be perfect, but at least this movie tried. There was reverence paid to thinking and reflection. A father was concerned for his son, in a way any genuine father would be. And all this amidst lightcycle battles and dogfights. Certainly it's not a philosophy movie, but this is not your typical mindless action flick. There are some touchingly human moments present, though it is not an overwhelmingly emotional movie either.

In spite of all the continuity and parallels between the original and Legacy, one area in which I am decidedly pleased to see Legacy diverse is in lacking a cheesy love story. That's right, there's no love story. This is a father and son tale, though this develops in the moments between the main story. We also see a tale of how things got to where they are now through Flynn's retelling. I enjoyed these interludes within the main story.

Conclusion

This was a very satisfying movie and sequel to what has become a geek classic. I have seen so many disastrous sequels that I am even more grateful for the respect paid to the original, and boldness to take the story in a new direction. It's a worthy sequel and a great movie. Go see it!

End of Line

My Tron Adventure

The following are just my ramblings on how cool I think Tron is and the pains my gf and I took to actually go see the movie. The followup post is an actual review of Tron: Legacy.

I loved the original Tron movie. There was nothing else quite like it. At least, not anything near mainstream. The visual design, imagination, technological wit and fun that went into that movie was unlike anything before. The combination of live action, traditional animation and CG effects was unprecedented. There have been movies afterward which also capture the imagination with wonderful techno-visuals, but none quite like Tron, where the action takes place mostly inside an imagined computer world- data and programs visualized as people and vehicles.

The computer holds a special fascination, for while cars and bikes may be the technological extension of our locomotive powers, the computer is the closest technological extension of our minds. It is natural to say that "the computer is thinking", though scientists and philosophers might be quick to object. So perhaps it is easy to apply human traits to computers and to the programs they run. After all, most of us have distinct impressions about the programs we use- some "run like crap", while others "are helpful" and yet others are even "elegant". Certainly, the fervent arguments for the "best" operating system or platform has not died down- manifesting itself in such loaded competitions as Mac vs. PC,  Android vs. iOS, Debian vs Fedora, and the like.

My gf and I had a heck of a night trying to see Tron on opening night. First we were delayed and got there just in time for the first showing at 12:01 AM, which I had bought tickets for a week prior, on inspiration, partly sparked by a geeky friend of mine who had done the same. Then we couldn't find free parking. I normally don't go to the pricey IMAX theater, so I don't know the area as well. This added to my already fat bill, much to my chagrin.

Of course, by that time there were no good seats left. It was either behind the speaker (why they put a seat there, I don't know- it's not like you can actually see the screen, although *maybe* a small child can) or in the neck-twisting front seats. My gf is good with neck massages, but neither was going to cut it for me after so much time of anticipation and cost. So we asked to change the tickets for another time. The next showing was all booked. So we had to get the 2:30 AM one.

In the meantime, we decided to go grab a bite to eat. We were hungry anyway. We knew there was a Wendy's close by, so we decided to walk. We had quite a time finding it, and when we did it was closed. So we had to walk all the way back and get the car. Of course, the parking garage was a flat fee, so I had to pay to get my car what it would have cost me for the entire night, and then pay that again. To top it off, on the way back to the car, my gf hurt her foot thanks to a combination of uneven pavement, unlucky footing and a heeled shoe. We did get the car though and made it to a Denny's, where strangely some menu items were actually reasonably priced.

I had strategically changed a five dollar bill at the garage to park at the cheaper meters the next time around. It was cheaper, but I found out later I probably didn't even need to feed it. Egh. Then one of our tickets was mysteriously lost. Thankfully, the ticket guy was the same one who changed them for us, and let us through without issue. They were checking tickets again at the door of the theater room, but our receipt sufficed to let us in. I've gotta say, I appreciated how nicely they treated us, because it's not always the norm here, and a problem then might have prevented us from catching the movie at all that night.

The 2:30 AM showing was not as crowed though, and more of a pleasure to attend with ample seating, yet still a sizable audience. And all in all, we had a great time, in spite of all the obstacles in our way. We got out of the movie theater at 5 AM.