Review: Tron: Legacy 3D

The Good: Special Effects, Soundtrack, Action Scenes

The Bad: The Story, the Characters

Tidbit: Although considered a flop when it hit theaters, the original Tron movie developed a cult following.

INTRO

28 years had gone by since the original movie had been released to the public in 1982. Although a flop, it gathered a cult following and that sparked the interest in producing a sequel. This wouldn’t come to fruition though till the mid-2000s. Fast forward to 2010, the movie was released at the end of the year and was considered a disappointment by most.

Having watched it on its opening day at an IMAX 3D Theater, and having a copy of the Blu-Ray 3D of the home video, I’ve seen it a number of times already. I’d very much like to agree with most reviews on this movie. While there were positives, there were also some negatives that truly hindered the movie and kept it from being a good-to-great movie rather than an average one.  I’ll have my verdict at the end, so without further to do, let’s get into it.

STORY

The year is 2009, and Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a former figure in the fictional ENCOM Company, has been missing from the life of his son, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), for 20 years now. Now living on his own, Sam Flynn (though he takes little interest in it) has become the primary shareholder of ENCOM. Needless to say a set of events and a strange message from an arcade his father once ventured in will change his life as he tries to find the whereabouts of his missing father.

Overall I found the story of Tron: Legacy to be decent at best, and is quite average in its writing with some things not making sense, and becomes predictable at points throughout the movie. This not unlike the original, as its story was also considered to be a weak point of the movie.

CAST AND CHARACTERS

From a glance that cast seems that it would do the series right. From 2 of the original Tron cast members, Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner, and some new faces, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, it would seem that it would’ve been alright. Things couldn’t be farther from the truth, as it was basically a hit or miss on the characters. Garrett Hedlund proved to be subpar for the role, in my opinion, as his character was devoid much of any reaction (if any at all) for most of the movie. Even Jeff Bridges was underwhelming in this iteration, whereas in the original he did an excellent job in the lead role. Much of the cast was about the same really, and this is why it was considered a weak point of the movie.

There were some impressive and enjoyable characters however, and these were played by newcomers Olivia Wilde and Martin Sheen. Martin Sheen’s character, the enigmatic Castor, was the highlight of the cast I would say. In the short moment he was on-screen, he did a better job than just about all of the other cast members. Olivia Wilde was also a better-than average choice for the character, Quorra, she played in the movie. She fit in perfectly well as she portrayed her character, with a naïve and childlike persona, yet strong willed occupant of the grid under the tutelage of Kevin Flynn.

SOUNDTRACK AND SPECIAL EFFECTS

Honestly, this probably comes down to music preference. If you’re fine with listening to Daft Punk for the entire movie, then you’ll enjoy it. The soundtrack was a strong point for me, as I felt it was in-tune with the setting of the movie, in a technological world like the grid. It fit very well and the transitions where great from scene-to-scene.

As for the special effects, there were some excellent CGI done in this film and it was a joy to watch it come to life on the theater screen. The revamped Grid was amazing in its design, as it should be, and the character designs and vehicles were classic Tron designs that were given a modern look. Unfortunately though I own the Blu-Ray 3D version of this movie, I have yet to watch it in 3D on my personal TV. I will however say, that when this movie was in theaters and I had watched the IMAX 3D showing, the 3D I noticed was well done as well as Frisbees and vehicles actually felt like they were popping of the screen. In general, I feel that the IMAX showings were the best showcase for the CGI used in the film as it was breathtaking. For me it’s close to the level that Avatar produced when it came out the year prior.

CONCLUSION AND VERDICT

Overall, despite its flaws I still found it to be an enjoyable watch due to its action scenes, excellent CGI, and of course the amazing soundtrack. In my book it’s definitely something I’ll watch if just for the visuals and the soundtrack. Just don’t go in expecting for a great story, and you’ll be fine.

VERDICT: 2/5