Tron: Legacy (2010)

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Jump to "Now Playing" Review for 'Tron: Ares'

Back in 2010, I recall seeing the ads for this and thinking they looked pretty cool, so I watched the 1982 film for the first time in an effort to catch up on things. As it turns out, however, 'Legacy' only carries over a few bare basics, retconning a few things, making things a bit more confusing than they really need to be. It's just my humble opinion, but I think to really like this chapter of the 'Tron' series (and probably more to come), one will have to sort of treat it as its own separate "what if?" entity.

The truth of the matter is, one shouldn't have to do that, and things could probably stand to be better-written as far as a continuing story goes, but let's face it, the prominent stand-out feature in a 'Tron' movie (aside from a kick-ass soundtrack) is probably going to be its visual impact, and 'Legacy' has that in spades. At the same time, the unfolding storyline amounts to not a hell of a lot more than "okay." Still, through the right lens, much like the original film, it can be a fun ride if you allow it to be, much like a 'Fast & Furious' film, or something along those lines.

Following the events of 'Tron,' Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is promoted to CEO of ENCOM International, the tech company that initially fired him but which Flynn saved from a hostile takeover by the Master Control Program. Seven years later, in 1989, Flynn disappears suddenly without a trace, leaving his son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund/Owen Best), to grow up fatherless and, much like his Dad, get into a bit of trouble. Twenty years after Flynn's disappearance, he sneaks into ENCOM to release their operating system to the public online for free, following his father's ideals of free software.

The problem is, he trespasses to do this, so he foolishly finds himself under arrest. Sam is also ENCOM's primary shareholder, so the whole thing lends itself to the idea that the writing here isn't all that great, as the entire situation seems incredibly unnecessary. Either way, he's eventually bailed out by Flynn's old friend Alan (Bruce Boxleitner), who informs him of a pager message originating from Flynn's old, abandoned video arcade, which has since been disconnected for twenty years and somehow wasn't replaced by a Starbucks. Regardless, Sam goes to check out what this pager message could be.

As Sam enters Flynn's abandoned arcade, we experience a bit of nostalgia, recalling the good old days of video arcades and seeing all the machinery that has since collected several layers of dust. As he wanders, looking for who may have sent the message, he finds a hidden basement with a particle laser that soon zaps him into The Grid, where he is immediately seized and taken to the Games, much like the strays within the system of the last film were made to do, in a sort of Collisseum style, where the games aren't fun so much as deadly.

To cut to the chase, Sam soon meets Clu (also played by Jeff Bridges), a program created by Kevin Flynn, designed to be perfect, who aims to outdo his perfection by building and assembling an army of programs to enter the real world and take it over. He also manages to locate and reunite with his dad and his apprentice, Quorra (Olivia Wilde), who are probably the only hope of stopping Clu. As Sam and Clu race to the portal Sam originally came through to get back to it, or, in Clu's case, take it over. So, it's your standard race against time.

Visually stunning and complete with a soundtrack that fits the film's style like a glove, these things just aren't enough to save the movie as a whole. The truth of the matter is that I tend to find the "rule the world" motivation of villains tired, dated and basic. It's also strange to me that they retconned Clu's origin to some degree, complicating things more than they really need to be. However, despite all my criticism, I think that much like 'Tron', this can still be a fun watch if one wants to enjoy a bit of futuristic-looking entertainment. Just bear in mind that the film is primarily style over substance.

3/5

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