TRON:Legacy - In Depth Review
In less than 48 hours, Serge here has watched TRON Legacy twice. One in normal view and the other was in iMAX 3D, both of this was courtesy of Nuffnang Malaysia and Glitterati Plus Malaysia. For those who has watch TRON the 1982 American computer-animated/live action science fiction film written and directed by Steven Lisberger, produced by Walt Disney Productions and Lisberger Studios and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company; TRON Legacy is the direct sequel to TRON.
1982 was the first TRON and this is 2010, 28 years for a sequel. Serge does not know if there is any other movie besides this that can beat the record, closes one he can think of is Star Wars VI (1983) and Star Wars I (1999). Anyway, tonight it’s about TRON Legacy and even if you have not watched TRON, you’ll be able to enjoy the movie.
In the first part of the movie, we see our hero Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) and his father Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) talk about The Grid and how Kevin created it. In his conversation to his som, Kevin spoke about the miracle. The miracle is not mentioned as Kevin had some work to do and left Sam before giving him a quarter and inviting him to his arcade to play with him.
The next scene tells us about what happen after, Kevin Flynn had disappeared and the stocks for the company he founded ENCOM was going down south. To make matters worst, Sam is now without parents and living with his grandparents now. Fast forward 20 years and we now have an adult Sam who is the highest share holder of ENCOM but never involved with any of their decision making.
Today, ENCOM is launching the 12th version of their operating system to the world. Sam breaks into his own company and hacks the system. This in turn let everyone to download the software for free. Something the current board of directors did not like. After releasing it to public, we see Sam standing on crane at the rooftop of ENCOM being chased by the security guard. He then did a base jump and although he did escape for awhile, it was short lived as he was finally caught by the authorities. Of course with the level of influence his name had and what his dad brought to the economy, he was later released.
Retuning to his pad, Sam is greeted by his foster father and the only person to believe in Kevin Flynn, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner). Alan mentioned to Sam that he had received a page from Kevin from a number that has been disconnected 20 years ago. Before leaving, Alan tosses to Sam a set of keys to the arcade.
Sam went to the arcade and after turning the power on, he looked at the old office before heading to the TRON arcade cabinet. The quarter drop from the slot and he noticed that there were scratch marks on it, indicating that the cabinet can be moved. This in turn revealed a hidden passage way. Reaching the last area, a key was stuck at the door. Sam hesitated to open it but in the end he did.
The room was empty and after a quick search, he sat down and began using the computer that was there. A few inputs here and there and poof! Sam felt a strange sensation before he ran out of the room. Only to discover that he was not where he was. Sam was now on the Grid. Here he gets captured by the programs and taken in.
After a journey, he gets stripped and adorned the infamous clothing of the Grid world. Sam is forced into a disc war battle in which the first match he won. Not knowing what is going on, he tried to escape before he became the final combatant against Rinzler. The battle was fast and cheating to Sam as Rinzler had two disc instead of one.
At the end, Sam was on the floor and Rinzler was about to derez Sam before noticing blood dripping. Rinzler realize that this combatant is a user. We are now brought towards a figure. With the helmet unmasked, it was Kevin Flynn! Sam was shocked and surprise but at the end of the scenario, he realized that this Kevin Flynn was Clu (Codified Likeness Utility) and not his father.
Next scene was the lightcycle battle, one of the best scene in the movie. Of course lightsaber reference here was a mini-epic joke. Spectacular visual effects and Serge just loves how the lightcycles transform. At a pivotal moment just before Clu could get derez Sam, he gets rescued by a mysterious figure riding a lightrunner. Unlike the lightcycle, the lightrunner can sit two occupants and can travel off the grid.
After the rescue and a nice use of light ribbons, we are introduce to the female protagonist Quorra (Olivia Wilde). At this junction, Sam finally meets his father who has a look like Obi-Wan. Much love here, short sentences between father and son. Soon they had dinner and Kevin explained to his son why he could not return. One was that the portal to get outside can only be open from outside and last only 8 earth hours and two, Clu wants to capture Kevin and get his identity disc. This disc is the master key that could allow Clu in theory, to be in the real world.
In the conversation that followed, Sam learned about the miracle. This miracle was isomorphic algorithms (ISOs), these ISOs has the potential to unlock huge mysteries in almost every field of science. But Cluwho was programmed to make things perfect found ISO to be imperfect and killed them all.
Not wanting to be captured, Kevin took the passive approach and Sam was not pleased. Even Quorra was unhappy. In his room, Quorra speaks about a progam who might be able to help, Zuse. Taking the information, Sam took his dad’s lightcycle which is the fastest cycle in the Grid and went search for Zuse. Somewhere at this time, Kevin realizes that being passive will not bring anything and in turn asked Quorra to prepare the lightrunner. This time, he does not want to lose his son.
Sam was brought to the End of Line by Jem, one of the sirens which suited him before the games. Here at End of Line he is greeted by Castor the proprietor of the End of Line club and also the alter-ego of Zuse. There they spoke and Sam ask for Zuse’s help to get him to the portal. At the same time Clu was at Kevin’s hiding place before he left and launch an attack on End of Line. A battle ensued and Quorra here suffered a near fatal injury and her system was down.
Kevin came to the rescue and just as the three of them escaped, one of Clu’s men manage to capture Kevin’s identity disc before he got derez by Zuse. After surviving the explosion and slowly bringing the elevator to a stop, Sam wanted to go back to get his dad’s disc back but Kevin would not let him do so. Sam was messing with Kevin’s zen.
Clu was now at the End of Line, Zuse has double cross Sam as he wanted to have full control of the city from Clu. The disc was given and at the end, Zuse gets double cross by Clu who derez End of Line with Zuse and Jem in it.
While fixing Quorra, Sam learns that she is the last surviving ISO. Here we learn that, Kevin would give up everything in the Grid to spend his time with his son. After learning about what had happen in the real world, Kevin pardoned himself as he wanted to knock on heaven. Quorra by now had a system rebooted. The three now arrives at a station and here they see an army of which Clu is now addressing them.
We learn that Clu wants to -perfect- the human world and will be using Kevin’s disc as a way to get there. Quorra used herself as a distraction and fought against Rinzler, letting Kevin and Sam to get onto the station to reach the portal. It is here, Kevin realizes that Rinzler is actually TRON who has been repurposed by Clu. Sam manages to rescue his dad’s identity disc and Quorra, while Kevin commandeering an aerial fighter rescued the both of them.
A battle in the sky began, carnage everywhere and many of Clu’s forces were derez. Only Rinzler and Clu was left, it was probably some thing that sparked in Rinzler circuitry. He remembered fighting for Kevin and “fighting for the users” before he attack Clu. At this stage, the yellow circuitry is blue and just as TRON was about to defeat Clu, Clu steals Tron’s fighter jet leaving Tron to fall.
Being the quicker jet, Clu arrived at the portal first before our three protagonist. Kevin fought with Clu and sacrificed himself by merging with Clu, this allowed Sam to use his dad’s identity disc to get back to the real world with Quorra. Upon arriving to the real world, Sam mentions to Alan that he will start working at ENCOM on Monday, naming Alan as chairman. He then takes Quorra to show her a sunrise, as she had expressed interest in seeing one earlier in the film.
Now as the direct sequel to the original TRON, Serge is happy to say that most of the elements are there and even though there was not much screen time of TRON, this is about the legacy and in this movie, TRON is not the plot device. Battle scenes was just nice but if only they had more lightcycle battle. Serge likes Olivia’s portrayal of Quorra, Olivia gave her character a child-like inquisitiveness; much akin to a program that wants to learn.
Serge did not like how Jeff Bridges characterized Kevin Flynn but as Clu, it is good. Overall and the fact that Serge has watched this both in normal and in 3D, he will have to say that there isn’t much oomph in the 3D version or it could be Serge and his irritating love-hate with those 3D glasses and movies now a days that wants to make things 3D.
Music on a whole is good especially when it’s Daft Punk! Serge recommends getting the OST. Did you know that TRON:Legacy is the first 3D movie shot with 35mm lenses and full-35mm chip cameras; and it’s the first movie to record uncompressed HD Video to Hard Drive.
Final score, 4/5 stars.
Originally published at Dustyhawk :: Broken Mirror