Review - Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy (2010), PG, 127 minutes - For the few people who don't know, Tron: Legacy is the sequel to Disney's cult classic about a programmer who gets stuck inside the computer system he is working on. I say 'cult classic' and not 'classic' because I re-watched the original Tron a couple months back and it doesn't really hold up at all. It looks cool considering the time at which it was made (1982), but that's about it. Anyway, this isn't about the original, it's about the sequel, which I feel is a better overall movie. It takes Tron's basic concept and builds upon it, taking place 20 years after the original.

Garrett Hedlund plays Sam Flynn, the son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges, retaining his role from Tron). After investigating a page that came from his father's old office, he is transported into The Grid, the same computer program world that his father has been trapped in for 20 years. He learns that his father not only discovered a way for the living to be digitized and part of the computer world, but also a way for a digital program to be translated into an entity in the real world. Because of this, he has been in hiding trying to keep this knowledge out of the hands of Clu (also played by Bridges, but digitally altered to look younger). Clu was the control program that Flynn created to police The Grid. He was also tasked with making The Grid 'perfect'. As a result, he has become a tyrannical leader, eliminating any program from The Grid that does not comply. With the help from a program named Quorra (Olivia Wilde), Sam finds his father and from that point on, Tron: Legacy follows your basic sci-fi/fantasy flick archetypes - young hero, with the help of a small group finds a way to save the world.

Tron: Legacy, like it's predecessor, looks amazing. I saw it in 3D, although, looking back, I'm not sure that it really jumped out at me. Although I am the first to admit that Avatar may have ruined 3D for me so I may not be the best judge. Not only does Tron: Legacy look amazing, but it also sounds great as well. Daft Punk supplied the soundtrack and it really helps establish the feel of the computer world that is The Grid.

If you liked the original Tron on any level, Tron: Legacy is definitely worth checking out. If not, or if you don't remember the original, Legacy does a pretty good job of filling in the back story so you won't be lost. The story is fairly basic, but it is helped by what might be the best eye candy of the year at the movies.











*****SPOILERS*****

- I almost forgot to mention that one of my favorite actors, Michael Sheen, has a small but fun part as Zuse, the good old 'supposedly trustworthy ally who turns out to really be working for the bad guy only to get double crossed by the bad guy' role.

- Side note: I always thought that it was kind of odd that the original movie was named after a secondary character (Tron, the security program on The Grid). His inclusion in the sequel seemed to fit into the storyline fine (as he was the security program working for Clu), but I did feel that his flip flop from bad to good towards the end happened a little too quickly and easily.

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