Tron: Legacy

Classic Movie

Tron is a classic Sci-Fi film that has been shown on TV so many times over the years, most people have probably seen it, but considering how long ago it was released although good nowadays it doesn't look that good. Maybe that's just me, but I prefer more modern movies.I've always been a fan of Garret Hedlund ever since I saw him in Four Brothers so when I saw he was in Tron Legacy I thought worth giving the film a go as I enjoyed Tron. He plays his role very well and he especially plays the rebel well. This film starts of with him showing that he isn't one for following rules and society, so sort of gives you the whole idea of the film.I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The way the effects was done was good, it blended reality/sci-fi/fantasy all into one very well, and the music by Daft Punk just made the whole film gel together. If you are not a fan of Daft Punk you will get why they did the music for this film, I don't think anyone else could have pulled it off.I suppose if you haven't seen the original you might think you won't understand this movie, that isn't true they explain rather well how this leads on from the original. The characters in the film all make sense and there are some good well known actors in it Michael Sheen, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, Garrett Hedlund, John Hurt. I like the way that Jeff Bridges is in the movie in his original role of creator of alternative world.The action sequences are fun and look really good, the way they make different parts come together is very good. For example its a fantasy computer world, so the director had lots of options to play on in order to really experience an alternative reality.The film ends strangely, but the way it does, it opens up the way for a third movie, which I must admit I would be looking forward.

Once upon a time....Long, long ago....I was a teenager.That was in a time now long forgotten.A time dimly remembered in myth and legend.And referred to only as:The 1980's.If you were a teenager at the start of the 1980's [although this was mostly the male ones] you loved visiting amusement arcades and shovelling ten pence piece after ten pence piece into the latest console [or coin op as we also called them] game. You thought computers were the most amazing things ever and that they would change the world.And you went to see the original Tron film at the cinema because it promised utterly amazing and mind blowing visuals and stunning special effects.Well, they pretty much were by the standard of the time.Nobody prepared you to consider what the script might be like.Nevertheless, Tron has a cult following. Thanks to that, a belated sequel has finally appeared. Presumably also thanks to that it's a sequel rather than another remake of a 1980's movie. So thanks to that indeed.There is enough exposition for those who haven't seen the original to get into it, but you're probably better off seeing the original first, in order to get more out of the story.Tron Legacy opens with Kevin Flynn, hero of the original, having made good via trading in on the story of what happened there. Something that has become a favourite bedtime story for his young son Sam. Who has a roomfull of all the Tron posters and merchandise that has made his dad rich. And look very familiar to fans of the original. Which is a nice touch.Jeff Bridges plays Kevin again. And the first clear look we get at him shows that he still looks the same as he did back then. Thanks of course to the wonders of digital technology. This first shot does grab the attention.Does Tron finally have the visuals we all dreamed of back then?But Kevin vanishes. Sam grows up. And finds himself in a world that's all too familiar. A world where mega corporations rule the computing industry and dream only of their profit margins. A world of videos of animals doing cute and/or funny things being internet sensations. And where the pioneers of the 1980's are now old men marginalised in the boardrooms of the companies they helped to create. [A nice performance from Bruce Boxleitner, returning to his role of Alan from the original.]Sam's trying to do something about this, but then a mysterious message sends him to a long forgotten video games arcade. And beyond. Into the world he'd only ever been told about. A world that has become as dark as the real one. Kevin Flynn's bold attempt to change things has been corrupted. And the fight to survive is on...Visually this does do so much that original couldn't. But of course the dvd doesn't have 3d big screen effects. Nevertheless whilst the light cycle and disc throwing battles do look good, the colour scheme of the whole thing isn't the brightest. Which does fit the storyline. But it means it's not quite as stunning as you might have expected. Rather like the original.The effect of digitising Jeff Bridges to make him look younger comes into play throughout, but whilst it does work fine his character in the bulk of the film wears a black body suit with no neckline. And thus it takes a lot of getting used to as it rather looks as if they've just superimposed film of his younger self onto another actor.A movie of chases and escapes and battling villainy and treachery with the occasional action set piece ensues.It does all this quite well.But where it succeeds is in it's resonance. Because it will strike a chord with those teenagers of the early 1980's. Those who've seen the computing future they dreamed of not quite turn out to be what they expected. We can, like the villain of the piece here, cling to the past, or we can learn from our experiences. As Kevin Flynn does.So for that reason, this is quite a successful piece of work. Jeff Bridges aquits himself very well in a role that requires him to do quite a lot of different things. And he gets able support from Olivia Wilde as a denizen of the computer world, who has a couple of lovely little scenes where she shows how desperate she is to know more of the real world.Garrett Hedlund plays the grown up Sam in a role that doesn't really stretch him too much. But watch for Michael Sheen in a supporting role having the most fun you might expect he's ever had on a movie.So it's still not quite the visual spectacular it could be, but the thought provoking parts of the script will make this a good experience for those of the right age.The disc has the following language and subtitle options:Languages: English, Spanish, Hindi.Subtitles: English, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Portugese.English audio description.It begins with several trailers and adverts that you can skip via hitting the next button on the dvd remote.There are more adverts in the sneak peeks section of the extras.But there aren't many more extras beyond that:A one minute long trailer for a forthcoming animated series called Tron Uprising.A four minute long advert for 3d hd dvd, featuring two characters from the Lion King.Plus two eleven minute long features:Visualising Tron: All about the genesis and production of this movie.Installing the cast: All about the cast members and their characters.Both are pretty brief but perhaps because of that do manage to be well paced and pack some interesting information in.

There's a lot of 'meh' reviews out there for Tron: Legacy and I understand where some of that comes from. For me though, this is exactly what I wanted from a sequel to Tron - I adored the silly but romantic idea of the phone-call from Flynn's Arcade and the world that call led into thrilled and amazed me. It was thoughtful, slow sometimes, but always incredible to be inside.I'll leave my review of the film there - much better reviewers out there have written about it, and turn instead to the 3D. Cinema and Home 3D are different animals, that's somewhat unclear to most punters, the technology companies really need to do a better job of explaining it. So where at the cinema, the 3D component in Tron was interesting, sometimes heady in scale, it felt underplayed. At home, where 3D is brighter, crisper and more pronounced - wow. Experiment by turning the 3D on and off during different scenes and what you see is that this is a film not only enhanced by 3D but defined by it. Without the 3D, you're watching a cool pop-video full of effects. With 3D on, you're inside a proper world, not just in terms of depth but also height and scale: camera viewpoints perched high up on ledges give you mild vertiginous feelings, you get that tingle on the hairs at the back of your neck. Characters are distinct and solid within the world and action seems complex and exciting. The Arena scenes are an especially strong demonstration of these effects.3D content has been achingly slow to appear but at last, Home 3D has it's reference disc to wow and delight. Brilliant effort, can't wait to see now what other directors and cinematographers pull off with the medium.

Very entertaining and a great story and great special effects