Rebuilding Rob

As a kid growing up in the 1980s, Tron was something of a cultural touchstone. From what I recall, the movie wasn’t a box office blockbuster. But in 1982, the idea of a real person being sent into a computer program/video game resonated with a lot of people.

Hell, I never even saw the movie and I had a Tron T-shirt when I was in the second grade. I remember playing the video game “Tron Deadly Discs” on the Mattel Intellivision video game system. And of course, I remember trying, and failing spectacularly at the Tron arcade game.

Tron is a movie. actually been meaning to sit down and watch for some time. I started really thinking about this when Disney released Tron: Legacy back in 2010. But now, with Tron: Aries forthcoming, and the soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails that is said to be better than the movie even deserves, I figured it was time.

THE PLOT: Computer engineering and video game creator. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is down-on-his-luck and reduced to owning a video arcade. Ed Dillinger, (David Warner). has stolen Flynn‘s ideas and used them to catapult himself to the top of the corporate ladder of a computer conglomerate.

Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan) and Allen Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) reluctantly forces with Flynn in order to clear his name and regain access to their own computer creations. Little do either they or the fraudulent Dillenger realize that the master control program MCP has some nefarious plans of its own.

When Flynn is caught trying to hack into the MCP, he is electronically sent into the computer world. There, he must help Tron (also play by Boxleitner) and York ( also played by Cindy Morgan) to take down the MCP

MY COMMENTARY: This is definitely a movie that one has to view with their 1982 glasses. The special effects, were revolutionary for 1982, however, they seem primitive by today’s standards. Of course, as some of the 80s computer imagery and digitized audio has made something of the nostalgia comeback, (for people like kid 2 in particular) there is a certain aesthetic here that some people would appreciate.

Like any story that takes place at least partially, within a computer is difficult to conceptualize. The writers are burdened with trying to give human characteristics to hardware, electronic, circuitry, and digital computer programs. I still think that the whole “guy in the computer“ storyline was done much better, and actually less convoluted in The Matrix

In some sense, there was almost a religious aspect to Tron. The programs are seen a slaves while the human users in the real world are seen as veritable gods. The programs don’t see the users, but they can feel their existence and believe in them.

FINAL TAKE: Tron wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great. As I mentioned before, the movie was something of a cultural touchstone in the early 1980s. In that sense, I am glad that I watched it. But I didn’t loved it nor did I hate it. But Tron has taken a place within my personal 80s nostalgia canon.

If you’re an 80s aficionado, or have a passing interest in either Tron: Legacy or Tron: Aries, I would definitely recommend checking out with the original Tron, as Jeff Bridges reprises his role as Flynn in both sequels Otherwise, you’re not missing much.

Tron and Tron: Legacy are streaming on Disney+

Tron: Aires opens in theaters October 10, 2025 

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related (and perhaps, not-so-related) posts:

• Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “Rob‘s Retro Review: Tron (1982)” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob