Rob Reviews: Tron: Legacy (2010)

I’m so old, that I have reached point in my life or I can’t think of a movie from 2010 as being “old”. But Saturday I finished watching Tron: Legacy for the first time. Of course, a few weeks back I did review on the original Tron from 1982. You can read that review HERE. I must admit it took me a little time to wrap my head around the fact that …Legacy is now a 15-year-old movie itself. Not only that, but as a sequel, it itself was 28 years removed from the original Tron.

Plot

….Legacy is the story of Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) the son of original Tron protagonist Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges). Sam is a self-exiled heir to the tech empire created by the elder Flynn in the time between both movies. Sam is also the wanderer, living in the edge of town, and talented, but haunted by his father’s disappearance.

Inevitably, Sam is transported to the Grid, the computerized world first seen in the 1982’s Tron. There, is reunited with his father, who has Ben stranded in The Grid for decades by his digital doppelgänger Clu (a de-aged Bridges) Together Sam, Kevin and his companion Quorra (Emily Blunt) hatch a daring plan leave The Grid in order to stop Clu and free the enslaved programs from the real world.

My take:

I read a little bit about how… Legacy ended up in “developmental hell“ as they call it in Hollywood. But I think what further complicates matters with a movie like Tron, or any story that is heavily dependent upon technology, the movie seems kind of dated within just a few years. However, it’s safe to say that most of the special effects in Tron: Legacy hold up really well. Of course, the CGI used to de-age Jeff Bridges into a younger looking Clu were somewhat masked by the darker aesthetic in the Grid.

Like any good sequel does, …Legacy expanded upon the world of The Grid, as first seen in Tron. The aesthetic has changed entirely, as I think is important considering that this is such a technology-dependent story. But the world of The Grid reminds me of a combination of both the Real World and The Matrix, see in the Matrix trilogy. The cities , while heavily inspired by cyberpunk often take the minimalist approach that we see in theyThe Matrix. In Flynn‘s compound, he has books, he has fine dining elements. But not much else. It’s as if they’re trying to say that by having high tech, they don’t need much. Less is more indeed.

On the other hand, the more untouched frontier-like aspects of The Grid remind me of the post apocalyptic “real world“ as it was presented in the matrix. It is dark, dangerous, and rugged. it just goes to further prove my theory that 1999. The Matrix is the most influential, sci-fi action film of the last 30 years.

I think it is important to also know that the costume design of the gladiators in The Grid reminded me of the RoboCop remake that would follow …Legacy four years later.: Very sleek and minimalist, including helmets that featured nearly full face shields.

Beyond the visuals, …Legacy picks up many story tropes of the Matrix Trilogy:, which granted in itself are not very original: a totalitarian ruler in Clu, a virtually extinct subculture in the Isos and the oppressed programs that are either under Clu’s control or fighting back against him.

None of this is to take away from …Legacy. It is sleek, stylish and may be remembered more for its visual influence than for its box office gross in the years to come

Final analysis:

I enjoyed it… Legacy. More than I thought I would to be honest. At times, I felt like I was forcing myself to sit through the original Tron a few weeks back. …Legacy featured a world that I wanted to explore along with Sam Flynn and rediscover as a returning, viewer. The score, which featured music by Daft Punk contained elements of the original Tron without feeling too much like I was listening to 8 bit MIDI files. Tron: Legacy checked off all the proverbial boxes of a good sequel: it got viewers caught up with preestablished characters, and expanded upon the world we had seen previously and left me wondering what happens next.

RECOMMENDED – for fans of the original Tron a d of science fiction in general.

Tron and Tron: Legacy are currently streaming on Disney+

Tron:Ares is currently playing in theaters.

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