Review by Loc
Before the pretty neon glow suits and CGI there was the old-school arcade game. Tron was one of those quarter munchers that you loved, four mini-games that had the odds stacked against you in a weird computer world. Killing robot spiders to get into a cone of light, a block buster game where the blocks moved down on you ever so fast, and a tank battle. Of course, the best was the light cycles, racing against three computer cycles, your trails of hard light creating indestructible walls in a kill-or-be-killed showdown. Good stuff. Oh, by the way, the game was a follow-up to the original Tron movie…yes, seems that some of younger folks didn’t realize that point. Sad. Not that you didn’t know it, sad that I did. Quick hit: the sequel looks so nice, moves so slow.
At the time of its 1982 release, Tron broke new ground in visual effects. The entire film taking place in a “computer reality”, most of the film looked like a darkened soundstage. Ah, but it was the actors running around, each lit up in a strange neon-glow way, that made Tron stand out. Throw in early, early computer graphics and you had yourself a stunning visual display that would open the world to CGI for years to come. What about the movie? Eh, it was relatively boring, slow, with the “stuck in X artificial world” concept that has been done a lot since. Whatever, it gave us special effects and a sweet arcade game.
Cut to 2008, when a basic CGI trailer was introduced at Comic-Con. At the time, there were no definitive plans for a sequel, but the footage ignited a dormant fanbase and opened the doors to a potential film. Two years later, Tron: Legacy hit theaters with slick visuals and a story that involved an aged Jeff Bridges and his estranged son. Sounds promising!
Oh well, promise and execution are two different things, and Tron: Legacy misses on the later. Make no mistake, the visuals look quite cool. Updating the original look, folks now walk around in armored black suits, but the day-glow remains to create walking, running, jumping stick-men. It’s a nice upgrade to a nearly 30-year old look. Throw in some impressive looking mech, from updated light cycles to similar airborne light fighters, and you got something to be proud of…if you’re putting together a portfolio for your visual arts degree.
Because while it all looks pretty sweet, it moves pretty weak. Everything looks slick, but it all moves too smooth. Which is to say, when light cycles fly around the computer arena, they do move nice, but there’s no real sense of aggressive motion. When light fighters zip through the air, they curl and spin and barrel roll nicely, but it’s not much different from your PC game experience. None of this is aided by the 3D experience either. Again, it looks pretty nice, but the 3D doesn’t really pop, and the filmmakers don’t take advantage of action sequences seemingly perfect for CGI 3D viewing.
In fact, if there’s anything to be said, it’s a bit of a letdown that things move so seamlessly, because that thrill of chaos, of imminent destruction, it’s not there. One of the coolest things about the original Tron was the actual physics of the world. Light cycles turned at 90 degrees instantly, because this was a computer world and binary rules applied. In Legacy, those cycles roll so nicely, but there’s no intrigue, there’s no surprises, there’s nothing that makes this any different from the real world, and that’s disappointing. Just give me 90 degree turns and I’d be 50% happier.
So, the visuals look good but they’re not as good as you hope and the 3D is an average experience at best. That means the story and plot become more important, and that’s a problem. Due mostly to the fact that the story is bad and the plot is well thought out for 5 year olds, being transported to the computer world definitely lacks sizzle. There’s no mystery in why they’re there, there’s no mystery in what’s happening, so everything that takes place is like a slow motion, watered version of every other “stuck in X world” story you’ve read. In fact, compare this to The Matrix, which at the time blew you away, and you can begin to suspect that filmmakers thought up of the visuals and shoehorned the story in there. It doesn’t work at any other level than basic and it doesn’t try to get beyond that fact.
The performances are weird as well. For some reason, Jeff Bridges became The Dude while sitting in the Tron world for 30 years. He has the beard, throws out things like “knocking on the sky” meditation, sits around in Jedi robes for meditation, and just plays the serene, zen daddy for no apparent reason. Seriously, there’s no reason for it.
The other actors are passable. Garrett Hedlund plays the estranged son, Sam Flynn. He’s OK, there’s nothing good or bad about his presence on screen. Same goes to Olivia Wilde, playing Tron-world program named Quorra, but pronounced Cora. Best cameo goes to Daft Punk, who wear their trademark helmet getups and fit right in. Worst performance goes to Michael Sheen, playing an over-the-top Castor, the club owner and man who knows people. Sometimes, you get the chance to steal the show by being the personality of a film in a supporting role. Sheen totally misses on his attempt, instead appearing like a bad rip-off of a Johnny Depp character and hamming it up to an 11 on the cheese meter when it fits like a leotard on a sumo wrestler. Not good imagery, either in the analogy or the flick.
Overall, Tron: Legacy waddles along as a flick with the best intentions and poor results. Sure, the visuals looks good, but in the context of the action, they’re blah. The performances are either average or totally off, and make for a weird experience. Finally, the story that holds it all together is no better than your average pop corn muncher that you’d expect to see in the summer months. It’s a bad recipe and leaves you unsatisfied. Out of 100 cycles in the computer world, Tron: Legacy derezzes with 50. So much potential, so little delivery.
Rated: 5/10
