Tron: Legacy Movie Review
By: SandwichJohn
Alright let's start this again. Two hours of writing my review have been lost, but I have to get this done so let's start all over again. This is my life.
The original Tron came out back in 1982 and I don't remember going to see it in theater but I do remember wearing out our Beta machine watching the movie over and over again. Going in the back yard while living in Sagamihara,Japan and playing disc wars with a Frisbee, throwing them at my buddies and pretending we were in the arena.
This has to be one of the most anticipated films for me in my life time other then the release of Star Wars Episode 1. I have been hoping and wishing that they would make a sequel for more than 20 years.
I attended my first Comic-Con back in 2008 and there was buzz that there was going to be a tron panel during the Disney presentation. We got a teaser trailer TR2N. It depicted a yellow Program engaged in a light cycle battle with a blue Program, and it prominently featured Jeff Bridges reprising his role as an aged Kevin Flynn (from the first film). At the end of the trailer, the yellow Program showed his face, which appeared identical to Flynn's earlier program Clu (resembling the younger Flynn in Tron). And the place went WILD!! From that point Disney went into full effect with their promotion machine. Having campaigns from Flynn Lives to Flynns Arcade at Comic-Con and throughout the world. So expectations were high. The trailers looked better and better, this movie was going to be amazing. Isn't that what we all thought when we saw the trailers for Episode 1?
So when I had the chance to see an advance screening of this film I had mixed emotions. I told myself that I would need to see the film again before I wrote my review because first time round I was so disappointed with the movie. Second time around the movie improved somewhat. And remember this review is coming from someone who was been waiting over 20 years for this movie to come out and had HUGE expectations for the movie.
Read review after the Jump..
For more then 20 years Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) has been waiting or hoping that his father Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) would return, or receive any word on where and why he disappeared. Hedlund will not win an Oscars award for his performance in this movie. Over acting and just some kiddish facial expressions took a toll on me throughout the movie.
During the board meeting at the beginning of the film I will tell you to keep you eyes and ears out for an unexpected character in the movie. IF you have seen the original Tron then you will know who I am talking about and if you haven't then you will have no idea what I am talking about. Ask the person next you.
We then see Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) surprise Sam at his house with the information that he got a page from the arcade and that the phone has been disconnected for more then 20 years. Like any young adult Sam heads to his father's arcade. This was one of the highlights for me of the film. When Sam walks in and turns on the breaker for the arcade you see all the lights and games turn on and then you hear Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart). Damn, goose bumps then and now when I'm writing this review.
Sam then makes his way to the Infamous Encom game Tron, and of course there is a hidden lair behind the game. When he reaches the ground floor his finds his father's old computer and like any kid would do he hacks into the computer. And then BAMM he is sucked into the grid. By the same digitizing laser that sent his father in over 20 years ago.
We see some familiar vehicles in the back ground as Sam is captured and taken to get his first experience with Disc Wars. Another highlight for me of this movie was the Disc Wars scene. During Comic-Con last year they asked everyone in attendance for their panel to shout out key phrases and it would be used in the film. So when you hear the crowd shout "Disc Wars" you can hear my voice in the top right corner. The visuals of this scene are amazing and the 3D technology really pays off during this scene. After he defeats 2 (keep an eye out to Sam's Room when he was a kid and the figure he has on a shelf) of his opponents he runs into Rinzler who is CLU's right hand man and top dog of Disc Wars. As the fight goes on Rinzler cuts Sam and realizes he is not a program but a user.
Sam is summoned by CLU to his office (penthouse) and when CLU reveals himself to Sam he look like just Kevin Flynn, the father that left him behind 20 years earlier. But he is the program that Flynn design to help maintain the grid. Now let's talk about CLU and how he looked. CLU reminds me of some of the ladies I have seen on Bravo's Housewife show, like a person with too much plastic surgery, the skin and mouth movements are not as smooth as I was hoping. The face is the window to the soul and it just looked awkward.
Probably the best part of the movie had to be the the light cycle scene in the movie. Not like the one we saw in the first film, where the cycles could only move in 90 degree angles, these new light cycles could drive like a regular cycle go where they wanted. Visually this scene is amazing. It will blow you away. I'll leave it at that and let you know that this is where Sam meets Quorra (Olivia Wilde.)
Quorra takes Sam on the ride of this life and this is where the film starts to slow down. And all the momentum from the two keys scenes disappear. They are headed to a secret hide out that Quorra shares with her master. When they make their entrance into the house you see someone mediating and wearing a karate kid gi kneeling. To no ones surprise its Sam's father, Kevin Flynn. It was an emotional moment in the film. Father and son reunite after more then 20years. Touching scene. I heard a sniffle from the right seat next to me. One part of this whole scene that bugged me was them eating dinner. In the original Tron when they needed energy they drank out of a river and you would see their body glow in bright neon color. Now in this one they eat whole pigs, YES, why would you have a whole pig on the table? I know I am anal sometimes and little things bug the shit out of me. SO, over drinks and Pig, Mr. Flynn explains a new life form known as "isomorphic algorithms"(ISOs) and how they could be used in the real world to unlock all the mysteries known to mankind. And that's where I will stop and let you find out the rest on your own.
Quorra gives information about a man named Zuse that can help Sam return to the real world and end CLU for good. She told him that she once knew a man named Castor (Michael Sheen) and he would be the one that could get him in contact with Zuse. That leads us to The End Of The Line club and our first chance to see Daft Punk. Two things that stand out in this scene. First, at the special screening of the movie more people were excited to see Daft Punk rather then the actual movie. I did enjoy the soundtrack to the the film, but just don't get the love for Daft Punk, but that's just me. Second, is the role of Castor, I think this is one role they could have cut out of the film. He really brought nothing to the movie other then getting to see another kick-ass fight scene in his club. And, how easy it is to steal the identity disk from Flynn. Of course the 3 of them escape but not without Quorra being injured.
While on the "Solar Sailer" Flynn works his magic on Quorra, which is hard to do. The fact that she is special makes it very important that she is repaired. Once Flynn works his magic, her system is rebooted and everything is hunky-dory again. While on the sailer Quorra talks to Sam about always wanting to see the real world and particularly a sunrise (Things we take for granted).
The one scene that drew me back to the Star Wars films was the scene in Episode 2 when they assemble the clone troopers and are getting ready to send them out to war. Same thing happens in this film.
CLU has assembled the perfect army to go into the human world and make it a perfect world. And Flynn's disc would be the key.
Quorra is captured to sacrifice herself so that Sam can retrieve his fathers disc out of the hands of the control of CLU. Like any predictable movie Sam gets the disc and Quorra, while Flynn is looking for transportation off of the Regulator.
This is where we get our first look at Lightjets. CLU, Rinzler and a posse head after Sam,Quorra and Flynn. Again the visuals are amazing in this fight scene. Cheesy at moments. If your a Star Wars fan let me know if you think that they stole this idea from A New Hope. The one thing that bug me was when Flynn looks at Rinzler and says something which I will not give away but it really bugged me. And Rinzler becomes a Hero, he had all movie to be a hero but chose this part to be one. Forget about it.
Sam, Kevin and Quorra reach the portal and are ready to make the jump back to the real world. But of course CLU is there waiting for them. I don't want to spoil the ending so we will leave it at that. But they do get to see a sunrise. And the fate of Tron is unknown we see him falling into the sea of simulation.
Overall the move fell short of my expectations, but so did the 3 Star Wars prequels. I was expecting something that I would never get. It was one of the most visually amazing looking movie I have ever seen in my life and I wouldn't be surprised to see a sequel get made, but that depends on the box office return from the movie. And my exceptions for the sequel if it ever gets made will be high. I'll never learn.
6 out of 10 Sandwiches
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