Tron Review

Tron

1982

Attention computer geeks and fans of retro videogames: this is the film for you! Jeff Bridges plays Flynn, a computer programmer who tries to hack into a corporate mainframe to prove he designed the latest hit videogame, Space Paranoids, which was stolen by his old boss, who then fired Flynn. What an asshole! While sneaking back into his old workplace, Flynn comes across what looks like the shrink-ray from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, only it doesn't turn him microscopic... it turns him microcyclic! That is, it sends him into the digital world, where he’s forced to compete in gladiatorial videogames for the amusement of a sinister computer program called Master Control. Tron has an ingenius concept and an overall good execution, despite some glitches.

The visuals in Tron are STUNNING! The landscapes, costumes, vehicles and weapons are all very imaginative. Everything's so colorful and neon! Talk about a fun acid trip. The boomerang-like Identity Disc is the coolest fictional weapon since the lightsaber! The majority of the film is set in the digital world, where personified “programs” take on the appearance of their human "users." There are around 1100 effects shots in the film, around 900 of which have actors composited into them. I usually hate special effects extravaganzas, especially when everything onscreen is CGI except the actors, but this is one that really worked. The retro graphics suited the concepts perfectly. The outstanding visuals are matched by an equally outstanding soundtrack -- one of the most overlooked film scores of all time.

I love how the filmmakers "physicalized" everything in Tron, giving everything in the digital world a clever, metaphorical likeness to the real world. Input/Output towers are actual towers. Water is "power." Finding cracks in the system is taken very literally. Bit, the first-ever CG character in film history (sorry, Jar Jar), can only say two words: yes and no. You'll enjoy the film much more if you get these references, which play like inside jokes for nerds. I'm sure even I didn't get them all, but I certainly enjoyed all the elements reminiscient of videogames, from the competitive mini-games to the final boss battle (who has two forms, by the way).

However, the film is not without its flaws. It can be hard to follow. Not everything makes sense, no matter how many times you see it. Like, why does Clu's accent suddenly change from robotic to normal? Why does Flynn attack Tron and Yori on the Solar Sailer? And why does Flynn jump into the MCP? Some of the writing is downright illogical. For instance, why would the evil programs permit their prisoner-programs to carry Identity Discs on them? Sure, the discs are memory banks that store their user-given information on them, but the discs double as versatile weapons. Um, hello? The Light Cycles sequence, despite being is one of the greatest action scenes of all time, has a confusing color scheme. Up to this point in the film, the bad guys all wear red; the good guys, blue. But when they morph into motorcycles, the bad guys turn into blue bikes, while the good guys' bikes are red, yellow and orange. WTF? Speaking of confusing colors, it can be difficult to keep track of who's who in the long-shots, because they're all wearing the same damn costume. Couldn't Flynn have been a different color than the rest of the programs? After all, he's the only user.

How much these dents affect the overall experience is bound to vary by opinion. I'm willing to forgive them, like I do outdated graphics or a weak story in an old videogame. Despite its shortcomings, I still feel Tron is one of the greatest science-fiction films of all time, a must-see for gamers, and still a far better alternative to its pathetic sequel, Tron: Legacy. Like many classic videogames, the original Tron is proof that worse technology often breeds better quality. 4/5 stars.

Tron: Legacy Review

Tron: Legacy

2010

Tron: Legacy is the long-awaited sequel to the nerdiest cult classic of the 1980’s: Tron. I was a big fan of the original, particularly because of how videogame-esque it was. However, I always felt it was an imperfect film, and couldn’t help but dream of someday seeing a superior remake or sequel. Thus, I was very excited at the prospect of a new Tron. Legacy takes place twenty-eight years after the original (the same amount of time between the films' releases), where Flynn's son has to venture back into the digital world to rescue his father. Unfortunately, Legacy not only fails to improve upon the flaws of the original; it fails to live up to it.

Watching Legacy made me feel all guilty and awful, like I was cheating on Tron, and that I should immediately run home and reconcile with it while I still could. The second film made me realize how good the first one really was. Just because a film has its flaws doesn’t mean you can’t love it. The new digital world was too different from the old. It lacked both the magical unrealism and clever metaphors of the original. The new weapons and vehicles were instantly forgettable. The new Light Cycles scenes were actually boring. The frisbee discs (my favorite thing about the first film) were barely used here -- Luke used his lightsaber more in A New Hope! The one kick I got was seeing The Big Door again. But where was the ring-ball mini-game? And the Grid-Bugs? And the Bits? And the final boss battle?! One gets the impression the film was not created by the same hands who crafted the original, but rather a sinister emposter dangling familiar images with one hand while his other picks your pocket.

The videogamey film actually represents a contemporary trend in both the film and videogame industries: upgrading the graphics while downgrading everything else. Maybe that’s all audiences/gamers care about anymore. Personally, I don’t care how fancy the special effects are if the writing sucks. I actually missed the oldschool 80’s CG of the first film, which better fit the concept of retro video games. The screenwriting in Legacy is particularly dreadful. If you thought the original was cheesy, you’re about to be outbid. Legacy's script is full of those easy, go-to lines like “It is our destiny!" and the obligatory “Nooo” scene. The new hero is too dull to root for. I saw the film half an hour ago and I already forget what he looked like. The new villain was even worse. Instead of the awesome Dillinger/Sark/MCP trio of the first film, the badguy here is nothing but a younger, CG makeover of Jeff Bridges (as his Clu program from the first film gone haywire). Even the cool techno soundtrack from Daft Punk didn’t come close to the stellar awesomeness of the original’s epic score.

The one compliment I have of Legacy is that it corrected a minor flaw of the original: at least in the new one, all the characters’ Light Cycle bikes matched the color of their uniforms. Man, that was confusing in the first film when all the good guys (wearing blue uniforms) turned into yellow, orange and red bikes, while the bad guys (wearing red uniforms) turned into blue bikes. Unfortunately, the new Light Cycles sequence paled in comparison to the original. It was so poorly shot/animated/whatever, I couldn't even tell they were trying to cut eachother off with their jet walls! But by far, my least favorite thing about Legacy: they actually reference the first Tron as if it were a real movie within this movie. There's even a poster for it in the background! What were they thinking?! Can you imagine if there was an Empire Strikes Back poster in Return of the Jedi?!

My final verdict: if you liked the first film, you will not like the second. And vice versa. I know I reference Star Wars a lot, but this was like The Phantom Menace for me. I went in skipping and came out sulking. The two Tron films feel nothing alike. While the original felt more geared toward philosophers, artists, geeks, hackers and fans of retro videogames, the new one seems better suited for stoned teenagers who just want to see glow-in-the-dark motorcycles explode. 1.5/5 stars.

My review of the original Tron.