Only this year did I get around to viewing the underrated classic, Tron and it was during a small break between classes did I get enveloped in the simple story of one man in a computerised world trying to get out. We've seen in recent years many different takes on the story of a man in a digitised or conceptualised world and this being either the bane or desire of his existence. From films like The Matrix and Inception come close to the idea of imagination in a fictional universe to a new degree, but Tron Legacy covers the ground in a simpler and a lot more dazzling way.
Don't get me wrong both of the previously mentioned films are still amazing and beautiful to watch, but something a lot of critics have with the story is that the emotional or relationships in the films either seem tacked on or ultimately unnecessary to the overall theme and story, that which we create can destroy us.
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| WHY GOD WHY?! |
Tron Legacy picks up a few years after the original Tron, where Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has built up his company Encom into a giant gaming/computing empire (the film never recalls which, but it's clear where it ends up), one night he simply disappears (guess where) leaving his son seemingly lost and unsure what to do with his life. After being consoled by a guardian parent and growing up to be some kind of hacking, motorbike riding deliquent, Sam Flynn is all grown up and still dealing with his daddy issues.
One night he is told his father's old arcade has sent out of a page and goes to investigate before getting trapped inside the digitised world which his father escaped many years ago. Once inside he encounters some creations from the original films as well as a bunch of new things and a mysterious girl named Cora (Olivia Wilde, who is gonna explode in the next few months), which I won't spoil now, but you probably have met in the trailer or told incessently by your friends (or will soon), with such phrases beginning with "OH AND THIS *BLANK* TOTALLY HAPPENS AND COMES OUT OF THE *BLANK*" and "BUT THIS PART WAS SO COOL, IT HAD *BLANK*"
How the film will do with people who haven't seen the original will be perfectly fine. I think they really need to be drawn in with the visuals as well as the story, characteres etc., as most modern good films do (Re: Children of Men). But the thing that sets Tron Legacy apart from modern sci-fi is the heart and cleverness it has. The film's writing and dialogue makes you smile or chuckle for one of two reasons. Either A) You're a big nerd and you understand things such as The End of Line club or B) There are certain quips in films which you will probably endlessly quote, laugh, share and probably shot in the face mid-reference one day. The true drawing point of the film for me was the chance to re-live and reinvigorate a story I had fallen in love with only recently. The simple and yet, slightly, believable story of a group of programs hailing a user, the idea a tiny society lives right inside your computer is something which ignites the spark of being a child and letting my imagination run wild, something which I don't think has happened since Toy Story or The Matrix.
But in all seriousness, the original drawing point for this film for me was one thing and one thing only, well two things really.
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| Ignore the stormtroopers, listen to the House. |
Beside the incredible musical duo, the rivers run deep with this film. Drenched in religious allegories, I had a small Oh Fuck moment to myself, which really weirded out my friend next me briefly, when I realised that Sam and Flynn, are essentially father and son, and the holy trinity is complete with multiple characters supplementing the antogonist. Whether it's CLU, a copy of Flynn hoping to create a perfect world, or the Rhynsier (who at midnight I could not bother to check) and so many beautiful moments of metaphors trickling in of salvation, redemption and ultimately leaving Bridge's Kevin Flynn as some kind of mix between Darwin and God.
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| This man is your God. |
Whilst the ending left me briefly with a sour taste in my mouth, which I washed away by thinking of the original film and the only logical conclusions (which they'll probably throw on the Blu-Ray around mid-May), I came out of Tron Legacy feeling really good and the fact that it had lived up to my expectations. It personally felt like something had been crafted well and that Disney had taken real care with the property. There were a few dud lines here and there and the theatre I saw it in only had me and 6 other companions, no one else, it was good to see a rising star out of Garret Hudland, Olivia Wilde, Beau Garret and the completely unforgettable Michael Sheen.
Go see it, go see it, go see it. You cannot enjoy this flick if you are a nerd, a geek, a fan of film, slightly interested in fictional representations of religion or just simply wanna good time.
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