Tron Legacy is an ambitious follow-up to the 80s cult classic Tron. I was initially ready to dismiss this as another recent cash-in on 80s nostalgia, and while I feel like this is at least partially the case, the movie still hold up in its own right.
The acting all-around is solid, but never any more than solid. All of the major actors do justice to their roles and earn their paychecks, but nobody's going to be remembered once the movie ends. Garret Hellund stars as Sam Flynn, son and successor to Kevin Flynn from the original Tron. He's the standard headstrong but good-hearted thrill-seeker you've seen in any family-friendly action movie. Bridges is once again likable as Kevin Flynn and passable as Clu. I'll give the movie credit for making Clu genuinely look and act like Flynn's younger self. Unfortunately he's played as a standard villain without much depth. The idea of making Clu a reflection of Flynn's own hubris is clever, or at least it would be if were explored further. Olivia Wilde plays Quorra, a standard action heroine and love interest, but she adds enough style and charisma to make her character genuinely interesting.
The acting all-around is solid, but never any more than solid. All of the major actors do justice to their roles and earn their paychecks, but nobody's going to be remembered once the movie ends. Garret Hellund stars as Sam Flynn, son and successor to Kevin Flynn from the original Tron. He's the standard headstrong but good-hearted thrill-seeker you've seen in any family-friendly action movie. Bridges is once again likable as Kevin Flynn and passable as Clu. I'll give the movie credit for making Clu genuinely look and act like Flynn's younger self. Unfortunately he's played as a standard villain without much depth. The idea of making Clu a reflection of Flynn's own hubris is clever, or at least it would be if were explored further. Olivia Wilde plays Quorra, a standard action heroine and love interest, but she adds enough style and charisma to make her character genuinely interesting.
Michael Sheen gives one of the movie's more interesting performances as Zuse. Imagine David Bowie as impersonated by Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka and you more or less get the picture. He's likable enough when he's not completely overdoing it, and I can see potential for a good performance, but most of the time, he's completely overdoing it. I hope Sheen's recent roles have paid well, because otherwise going from Frost/Nixon to Twilight and this could mean career suicide. Another disappointment is that the character of Tron himself appears as barely more than a glorified cameo. What little character development he gets more or less comes out of nowhere.
The plot that follows is standard good vs. evil (cartoonishly evil in this case,) but Tron was never about intricate plotlines. Like I've said before, all my gripes so far would be easy enough to dismiss as long as the movie delivers on its promise of spectacular visuals and first-rate action. Thankfully Tron Legacy has both in spades. The 3D is used to excellent effect, giving depth and dimension to an already beautifully imagined world. The grid looks and sounds lifelike and more than does justice to the original movie's idea of a sprawling computerized metropolis. Everything about the universe genuinely looks like a tech utopia gone wrong. The action scenes are exactly what you'd expect them to be: fast, flashy, and intense. The light cycle battle is the highlight of the movie and uses the excellent CG to its full potential, delivering pure visual thrill.
Another highlight is the score by Daft Punk. While I'm generally no big fan of electronic music, I couldn't imagine a more perfect soundtrack to a dystopian techno-fantasy. Fans of the band will also be happy to know they make a cameo and DJs in Zuse's club.
In closing, Tron Legacy is far from perfect, but as both a sequel and a standalone movie it doesn't disappoint.
In closing, Tron Legacy is far from perfect, but as both a sequel and a standalone movie it doesn't disappoint.
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