TRON: Legacy (2010)

Rating: [PG]

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Producer: Sean Bailey

Writer: Adam Horowitz

Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures

Something about the praise surrounding 1982's "TRON" has always bothered me; it all stems from the groundbreaking special effects. As I stated in my review of the film, a lot felt stale but it was still enjoyable. Overall though, the film was quite the bore and had an enticing plot with new age special effects but lackluster acting, directing and pacing to compliment those attributes. A major disappoint on my end because I was expecting something along the lines of "Blade Runner", "Minority Report", "The Fifth Element", or any other entertaining science fiction marvel. Regardless of my initial feelings surrounding the original, the announcement of a sequel got me really curious and once the trailers were released, quite excited. Since I watched "TRON" for the first time back in July I have been biting my nails for the sequel's release. Re-watching the trailers over and over again with child like anticipation. Bugging my wife daily about how entertaining I thought the film looked. Though a disheartening moment arose when I looked at Rotten Tomatoes a few days ago to see an extremely low rating for the film, now resting at 48%.

At the time, the fans hadn't weighed in over on IMDB and I wasn't about to spoil everything by browsing forums, so I had no other opinions to go by. Typically I don't pay attention to popular consensus but when I get this excited, I tend to read more than I should. So I did and what I found began to irritate me a little bit. All across the board were complaints of hollow acting, a terrible storyline, agonizing pacing and that the creators stuck too closely to "TRON's" original formula. This struck me as odd considering how much praise that film initially received and how its become a classic in the eyes of many people. One of those "you have to see it" films. Even the positive reviewers only seemed to give the sequel praise over its dazzling special effects but condemned everything else. It didn't make sense to me: "Why would they expect more now? If the only reason the original got so much hype was over the special effects, why did this one have such high expectations?" It's not like the last film was catered for a sequel and in retrospect, we didn't really -need- to see more of the world. On top of this I had people in my life consistently reminding of how awful the trailers looked or how the idea for a "TRON" sequel was too late and pointless or how nothing about it seemed appealing. I was literally being barraged by negativity whenever the topic arose. Regardless, I didn't back down and was still determined to watch with an open mind and that is what I did. The moment the lights in my theater went down I took everything I had heard or seen and put it as far away from my mind as possible.

"TRON: Legacy" is one of the best science fiction films I've ever seen.

"Legacy" begins in 1989 with a quick and effective exposition from the last film via Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) telling his seven year old son, Sam Flynn (older version played by Garrett Hedlund), a bedtime story. The story goes that ever since Kevin Flynn had taken charge of the technological giant Encom, he has been working with Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) and a new version of his self created digital counterpart CLU (Jeff Bridges) to rebuild The Grid into an inhabitable world for programs & users. We are then given the rest of the exposition via overlaying newscasts, reporting on the disappearance of Kevin Flynn, and how Encom was being turned over to somebody else. During this we also learn that Sam's mother had died several years prior. So obviously those lobbies for Cindy Morgan to make a return didn't work. Quickly the exposition turns over to a twenty-seven year old Sam Flynn speeding away from police officers on his product placement motorcycle. We being to learn that Sam doesn't agree with how Encom is charging outrageous amounts for a brand new operating system and how their business practices clash with his father's. At the same time his feeling of abandonment has caused him to exclude those in his life who used to be important, including his 'surrogate father' Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner). Though Sam's character is played off as a nearly cliche' disgruntled child who has been gifted with his father's genius, he's still a very likable character.

I think audiences have become too jaded when it comes to "cliches". When I look at a film, I do notice certain cliches but only if they are shoved down my throat throughout the film's entirety. In the example of Sam Flynn, we have a child whose mother is dead and who lost his father at seven years old after being promised so many extraordinary adventures. After being told he could one day visit The Grid with Kevin and witness miracles for himself. Having one parent die and the other disappear is pretty disturbing for a seven year old and I would find it hard to believe that anyone in such a situation would be mentally sound afterward. The other reason I stick up for Sam's character in the film is because he doesn't retain this badass, angry, disgruntled persona throughout the film. Once he enters The Grid after discovering his father's secret work station underneath the Flynn's Arcade, the magnitude of the situation hits him and causes a fairly quick transition from bratty adult to somebody who is trying to struggle for survival in an unknown world only mentioned in stories via his father. This isn't to say the character's writing is hold and Garrett Hedlund isn't the best actor in the world but I did find myself being interested in him. Particularly after he finally sees his father again (this happened in the trailers and in the first twenty minutes of the film, hardly spoilers). The reaction he has is so genuine and not over the top like audiences are used to. There's tears but no bawling and falling to the floor. It cause the handful of people in my theater to go completely silent and I found it surprisingly touching.

"Legacy" has a lot of these moments, in my opinion. Times where you know what's at stake and how much emotional gravity is behind the situation. Particularly in the backstory that takes place between the two films. Without going into spoilers I'll say that CLU is played off as a Hitler style dictator who has corrupted The Grid due to seeing Kevin as an imperfection, which is a very obvious reference to HAL 9000. During the film we get the entire backstory and reasoning behind CLU's betrayal and the fate of Tron, The Grid and its inhabitants. These moments are actually quite powerful and in a movie filled with women in skin tight outfits, shiny lights and nifty action sequences, it amazes me that the creators pulled them off in such a serious manner. There's a specific moment where CLU is trying to hunt down Kevin and fails to do so. After he realizes that Kevin slipped away there is a flashback of CLU's recreation. Kevin tells him that his purpose is to help him create the perfect system. It is seen that Kevin is obviously very excited and proud of his new creation by the very child like remark; "You and I, we're going to change the world forever man." as the two walk off. Its a very emotionally driven moment that serves even more powerful purpose later in the film. The actors did a very good job of keeping you on the same path as the story and making sure you were interested in what they were doing.

About a third into the film we are introduced to Quorra (Olivia Wilde), a special type of program who I can't go into much detail about due to spoilers. Her character is that of a typical protagonist; somebody who shows up in the nick of time and who is always willing to put herself in front of others. But there's a very deep sense of innocence that resonated from her mannerisms and body language that made me care for her character's development. There are a number of new characters who are introduced throughout the film, including an eccentric nightclub owner named Zeus (Martin Sheen) who does an excellent job having fun with his character. Bridges' reprisal as Kevin Flynn has also taken a bit of a new direction with the suggestion that all of Kevin's time on The Grid has turned him into somewhat of a master of zen, somebody who has pushed beyond himself to become one with the world he created and then lost. The new angle is a little more humorous than serious most of the time but its obviously not meant to be taken too seriously. Something that really stuck out in the film for me is that the characters all seemed important in one way or another. Not a lot of time was spent with characters who didn't advance the plot or have some sort of voice or purpose in the story.

The Grid is absolutely breathtaking to look at and like its 1982 brother, "Legacy" is a marvel of special effect technology. So many times I sat there trying to make out what was organic and what wasn't. Even more amazing is the revelation I came across prior to the showing; more of the movie is special effects than real people. Knowing this made the experience even more worthwhile because I could not believe almost everything was created with a computer. Which is ironic in itself. During the film's beginning exposition we learn that The Grid is being completely recreated by Kevin, Tron and CLU. This gave the creators a bit of an excuse to turn the world into whatever they want. I do love the world and feel like its one of the aspects "TRON" was missing. Everything felt a bit hollow and without purpose but in "Legacy" there's an entire world within this computer system that is thriving and expanding with its own rules and forms of entertainment. A lot more time is given to the games from the original and a new spin, where thousands of programs actually show up to watch, provided a very nice sense of importance. The disc battles and light cycle matches were upgraded in the best ways possible and really didn't disappoint. Wonderful choreography mixed with top notch CGI made them feel more epic and entertaining.

One of the biggest complaints I've come across is the film's pacing. I can honestly say I'm baffled by this statement, even when it came out of my wife's mouth. Not once was I bored in that theater and not once did I feel like the two hour running time was overdoing it. Maybe in a movie that gives us so much CGI there's a natural expectation for more action and less explanation through words. People want their stories explained in visuals, I understand that but the story in "Legacy" was so interesting to me. It brought in elements like evolution, abiogenesis, destruction of understanding, the human condition and the realization that perfection requires heavy sacrifice. The film may be rated PG and Disney may not have allowed the script to go into dark waters but trust me, the story is pretty heavy in some aspects and the creators did the best possible job that they could to convey this story to us without breaking the boundaries of Disney law. Something was happening at every moment, characters were providing exposition every minute and when nothing was happening story related? There was action. I felt like I was watching the next great science fiction film. The next big thing that kids would be talking about and what adults would be geeking over. It introduced me to a brand new world of characters, elements and stories. There's not much else I can say about it besides that I do not agree -at all- with the pacing being awful and I honestly cannot take anyone who says the film was ludicrously slow very seriously in that regard.

There are a few moments that make you stop and go "Wait, why?" or "How does that work". There's also a few important plot points that are quickly talked about and I feel like audiences might miss them and then wonder what is going on by the end of the film. A couple of cheesy moments are thrown in here and there. The cliches are there but what is surprising is both the cheesy moments and cliche developments aren't shoved in our faces. There's no forced romance or drawn out epic battles or "twists" and nothing over the top happens that shouldn't be over the top to begin with (such as action sequences). In a way this hurts the movie a little bit because it does make you start begging for more information and wishing to see a more expansive perspective on The Grid. This is another complaint that has been floating around: "Why did this happen?" "When did that happen?" "How does that work?". When did the meaning of science fiction turn into explaining everything and have it bound to the laws of reality? Everything needs to be explained word for word and obey all the laws of physics? Everything that takes place in the film is explained to the extent that it needs to be in order to create an engaging story. We're given a solid plot with an end goal and some interesting tidbits on the side. Exactly what any fiction movie should be. The film isn't trying to kid itself or take itself too seriously or be something it isn't.

The music is scored by Daft Punk and boy what a treat that was. I honestly don't like a lot of what they put out but this film is causing me to consider re-listening to their previous works to see if I missed anything really good. The score fit with the world and with the actions being made by the characters. Very electronic, trance and dance style, loved it. They also make a very amusing cameo appearance as .mp3 files.

As for how it holds up as a sequel, I kind of wish it wasn't a sequel. With a little added script this would have been an excellent start to a TRON trilogy or something of that nature. Making this the sequel to something that is now hailed as a classic is hurting the film in its own way. Even though I cannot fathom how people are "expecting" anything after seeing the original, I can understand why there is a want for something much greater and epic. Though I firmly believe the film delivered in this regard, a lot of people feel otherwise which has caused me to really scratch my head. Either way, the other film is pretty dead in my eyes after this. It gave way to a great idea but failed on so many other levels. "Legacy" is everything the original should of been but was incapable of pulling off due to restrictions.

One last thing; this film borrows heavily from other film such as 2001, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Blade Runner, respectively. There are certain instances where you won't be able to help but make the association between these films. It doesn't ruin the film at all, mind you. The homage is done in a way that you still feel like you're watching "TRON" and not a cheap rip off of a Lucas classic.

There's so much I like about this film that its difficult gathering all the words and expressions to convey my excitement. People may laugh at me for my claims but I do stand by them with confidence. You're thrust into worlds beyond your own imagining with complicated and beautiful creations that work in mind bending ways. A feeling of otherworld importance is put in front of you and there's a sensation of wanting to jump into the screen and immerse yourself in the adventure. "TRON: Legacy" is filled with special effects so breathtaking that for a few moments I forgot "Avatar" ever existed. But beyond the dolled up look of the film there -is- a great, emotional and heavy story there with the potential for another installment. Excellent directing, excellent cinematography, really good acting and overall, a thrilling adventure. In my top favorite science fiction films ever, hands down and I know that forever will I be in the minority on this one. Arrogantly though, I have to stand my ground in saying that the people who disliked this film so much must be being held back by nostalgia and the expectation of something more. Though I honestly cannot take the popular consensus seriously when films like "Transformers 2" and "Inception" perform as well as they did. Maybe mainstream audiences didn't get it. Glad I did and I sincerely hope you'll believe me when I say this film is worth your time.