TRON Legacy's action packed story and amazing special effects make it a must-see this holiday (as long as you're not a muggle).
Story line: Eight-year-old Sam Flynn’s father, Kevin (creator of the TRON video game and main stock holder of the Encom Corporation) disappears. Twenty years later, Sam visits his dad's old office and gets sucked into the Encom mainframe where he discovers a digital world run by CLU, a corrupt program created by Sam's father years earlier. Sam finds his father, who has been trapped in this world for twenty years, and his father's apprentice, Quora. They only have eight hours to find the portal and return to our dimension, and CLU is mustering all his forces against them. It's a race across the mother board in darn cool vehicles to escape before the portal closes for good…
Positives
The storyline was great! TRON: Legacy's well-structured, concise story arc is full of intensity and action.
Great guy movie--without boobs--so it's girlfriend/wife approved! TRON is definitely a guy movie. When I first saw that Disney was making a TRON sequel, I shrugged my shoulders. However, when I mentioned it to a few guys:
Me: Hey, did you know Disney is making a TRON sequel?
Guy: Dude, that's awesome! I can't wait! I used to have a light cycle!
Me: *cleaning my ears* A what?
TRON: Legacy's storyline appeals to all ages and genders, but especially to guys. The father/son connection, the video-game-style combat, the vehicles--all of it rocks a guy's world in ways we chicks simply can't understand. Example:
Greg (my husband): That's awesome!
Me: It’s just an Indy car.
Greg: Um, no! It’s an off-road Indy car with missiles!
Me: You know, her hair is asymmetrical...
On the guy note, it’s nice to see a Movie Dad playing the hero for a change. All to often, Hollywood dad’s are portrayed as either too harsh or too dorky. I’m sick of dads getting the bad rap.
Garret Hedlund (Sam Flynn): His stock just went up. He's not a pretty boy, he has a great smile, and he walks with a swagger. He is man-hero material.
Olivia Wilde. She can act! She was cute, yet serious!
The costumes are cool. I mean, seriously. Jeff Bridges wears a glow-in-the-dark Jedi uniform. Who wouldn't want one of those?
The Computer Graphics: It's a thing of beauty, especially when you consider how they made Old Jeff Bridges look like Young Jeff Bridges as CLU (and as young Kevin Flynn). Seriously, this movie just set the CG bar.
Another thing I like about the CG in this movie: you don't notice it. That's the sign of great CG: you forget it's there. It's not out of place; it's not added in just to make the audience say "oooh;" and it's well done, unlike some movies where you find yourself saying: "Wow, that looks so not real." *Cough, battle droids, Cough* Good CG is like the Force: it flows through the movie.
I loved the family-friendly aspect of it. It had no cuss words, three drops of blood, and little physical romance.
Negatives:
I found it hard to buy into the whole “secret world inside the computer” thing. It's a computer chip, you can't have people living in it... Harry Potter's magic? Totally believable. Middle Earth? I can totally buy it. Aliens that jump out of your stomach and bleed acid? Yep. A metal dude coming back in time to destroy Sarah Connor? Uh huh. But little people living on a computer chip? Nope. Obviously, the story was great, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just don't buy the humans spending time on a computer chip.
However, I enjoyed the concept of all the old programs partying down with Zuse (or however they spelled his name). THIS I totally believe! It explains why older computers use up so much RAM while doing practically nothing.
TRON Legacy contained a few clichés. Aside from Jeff Bridge's Jedi uniform, I caught myself thinking:
"That is soooo Matrix."
"Oooh, Kevin Flynn has a Bat Cave AND a Bat-Mobile.
"Hey, looks like Jeff Bridges is reprising his Men Who Stare at Goats role."
I had some issues with the whole LACK OF COLOR! Granted, I’m the one who goes all goo-goo when I see cherry blossom trees in martial arts movies, so don’t mind me!
Tron was wee bit weak on the character development. I felt like they sped to quickly through a few scenes. Also, the onscreen chemistry of Bridges, Wilde, and Hedlund could have been a bit better.
TRON: Legacy's Themes
Take yourself out of the equation. American society needs to pay attention. I love the concept of self-sacrifice for others. We Americans have a hollow view of bravery. (Hint: Our heroes are often athletes or movie stars. Wow, the danger of living in the lime light! Egads!)
We’re always on the same team. I love the father/son bonding, and I think this theme can apply to families as well. I wish I had felt more like this with my sisters when I was growing up. Wouldn't life had been better if we had viewed ourselves on the same team--if I had been proud of their accomplishments instead of feeling jealous?
I'll be discussing the themes in detail throughout the week on my blog.
I'll be uploading tonight's radio show soon so stay tuned!
Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston hosts The Final Cut in Movies, an radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies that airs on 740 am WSBR. The Final Cut in movies can also be heard on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.
