My Review of "TRON Legacy"

I and my wife saw the new TRON Legacy movie tonight. We were both able to see the original TRON movie back in the 80s when it was released in theaters. So I was really excited about seeing it.

This is the first movie I've seen in a theater with 3D glasses. Fortunately they resisted throwing junk at you for the sake of the effect. There were some necessary 3D effects, but they were tasteful. I was really impressed with Disney's required opening palace shot. Scary, I know.

Now, for my opinion...

There is an expected thirty year span between the two movies. I at once was comfortable with the look of the story. And not just because of seeing the first film. But because of where virtual technology is currently at. There is a familiarity about it. There are geometric patterns that we all have come to expect and associate with a digital lifestyle. Classic hexagons and flowing lines have usurped pixels, triangles, and exact 90 degree turns. We've all been there in one form or another by now.

So maybe that's why the story was rather flat for me. Yes, the "hardware" was upgraded, but it gets used in exactly the same manner as thirty years ago. I'm expecting a struggle through a fantastic virtual city in dark streets, and instead we get to experience a traditional disc battle, a new way of riding lightcycles in an arena, and riding the lightbeam. Jeff Bridges 2.0 was interesting, but succumbed to predictability as well. It was almost as if the producers took to the word "legacy" a little too enthusiastically.

If you haven't seen TRON classic, see Legacy first. Or you're going to be in for a bit of a let down. While it's an entertaining movie, I won't actively go out of my way to watch it again. I give it 3 out of 5 stars, mostly for the advancements in the tech.