TRON: Legacy (2010)
Man I had some really high hopes for
this movie. I am a huge fan of the original and it had a major
influence over my love of scifi and the way I envision 'the net' in
table top roleplaying games. Watched it countless times. So when I
heard they were finally making a sequel I was stoked. When I saw some
of the promo stuff and the viral marketing techniques I got more
optimistic. Then the first shots of the movie, the look, the bikes,
clips of the action, it all looked so damned sweet. Finally we
started getting the basic of the plot with the older Flynn trapped in
the Grid, his son rescuing him, Clu, all that and hell I couldn't
wait.
Then I saw the movie. Then I realized
the basics of the plot weren't much more than that, basic.
Visually the movie is nearly a
masterpiece. The only flaws are the scenes of the younger Kevin
Flynn, the morphing of Jeff Bridges face, it really didn't work well
enough and he appeared a lot more like a character out of the PolarExpress. But hey they give it a good try. But the way things looked,
the development of what we saw in the TRON being taken to the next
level and then further up. It was spectacular. A feast for your eyes.
In the theater on the big screen it was mind blowing. This is the
area where the film delivered so well.
Little touches really stood out. The
programs in white that stripped Sam Flynn and re-equipped him were
one such thing, how they walked and moved, it stood out. That bar
named “End of Line”, a reference to the original movie and
something that just seemed to fit so very well. World building at
it's finest was there.
Oh and the soundtrack. Recruiting DaftPunk to do the music was a stroke of genius and whoever came up with
that idea deserves a medal. Very fitting throughout as they flex
their ability to deliver a wide variety of sound with different moods
and feelings. Plus the helmet wearing due even get their own cameos
tossed in as well.
But then we get to the actual story and
that's where the big let down happens. Falling into the same trap
several other movies do in just being 'okay' while trying to hold up
a huge budget. You end up with a movie that feels only about half
done because they used to much of their time in some sort of set up
for another film to follow. The good guys are likable, the bad guys
are bad and the twists or surprises are pretty much broadcast to the
viewer well ahead of time. Another layer of polish was needed and
somebody to put a stop to the blatant “this is for another movie”
type of stuff that is throughout the entire run time.
Highlights of the movie are the action
scenes, that is pretty much a given. All of the shots of the games,
both the disc fights and the light bike battles. The melee in the End
of Line bar was a bit blunted but still good. That final chase at the
end with the light gliders was spectacular in my humble opinion, an
edge of your seat moment.
So when it's all over and done with you
have some very pretty bubble gum for the brain. You chew it but there
is no nutritional value there. This is why I feel it faltered at the
box office. No word of mouth on how good of a movie it was, just how
pretty it looked. Which is really sad because all those hints of
another sequel really make you want to see that come to fruition.
For any scifi fan it's a must watch.
But when it comes to owning, just pick it up out of the discount bin
instead of paying full price.
Like what you see here, found out how to support this blog. Looking for a tabletop RPG to help emulate some TRON stuff then check out Cyberscape for the D20 Modern RPG.
Kill the fireworks buddy, you aren't getting to make another movie comeback after this.
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