The movie industry has been going through a transformation this past decade. This reform has nothing to do with the new 3D wave or the sudden emphasis on vampires. The fact of the matter is that the movie industry, much like any other entertainment industry at the time, is dominated by geek culture. “The Dark Knight”, “Spider-man”, “Lord of the Rings” are based on comic books or reside on what was otherwise considered geek culture. With this revolution underway, it would only seem fair that the holy grail of geekdom be tapped before the current generation moves on and a new fad rises. For that reason we now have Disney attempting to create their next megafranchise with “Tron: Legacy”
In case you missed the first one, “Tron” is the story of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a video game designer who creates his own virtual world and accidentally gets trapped in it. “Legacy” picks up twenty years later as his son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), is convinced to go after his father in his virtual world. Once he arrives, he discovers that his dad is being held captive by a computer generated clone. He enlists the help of a computer program named Quorra (Olivia Wilde), and together they try to save Kevin and exit the grid.
The story “of Legacy” sticks close to its roots, with the first half being an exploration of the grid while the second is an elongated chase scene. The dialogue is as cheesy as one can expect and the actors all do serviceable jobs (with the exception of a scene-stealing cameo by Michael Sheen). The movie is structured in such a way that you are always treated with some sort of eye candy to distract you from the awfully hammy script and needlessly complex jargon.
Nonetheless, where the story lacks in substance, the film more than makes up for it with energetic visuals. The light cycles make a triumphant return in a sequence that more than makes up for the price of admission. Furthermore, the use of 3D is actually a worthwhile investment, with the grid coming to life as every little spark flies at you. The art style is impressive throughout and the soundtrack by Daft Punk compliments it perfectly. It is one of the most atmospheric and pulse pounding scores ever written for a film and if you are a fan of either their previous work or electronic music as a whole you will not be disappointed.
The need to revitalize this franchise was present. The curremt market made it a perfect fit, and enough time had passed since the previous film for it to be missed and for the visual bar to be raised. The film delivers where you expect it. The action is fast paced and the look remains original throughout while still resembling the source material. The story may be cheesy and throwaway, but that is really not the reason one goes to see “Tron.” So grab those 3D glasses and head to the nearest IMAX, because this is one visual treat that you will not regret seeing.