Upon review, “Tron: Ares” was surprisingly good and “Tron” was a technological masterpiece for its time that doesn’t hold up.
So what about “Tron: Legacy?” Well, let’s just say we saved the best for last.
“Tron: Legacy” takes place 28 years after the original “Tron” and follows the story of Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), as he searches for his father years after his disappearance in 1989.
In Sam’s journey, he winds up in The Grid, which has been completely rebuilt from the version previously seen in “Tron” as a way to allow for a system of free information to exist.
The new grid also serves as a clever lore reason for why the CGI looks so much better in the 28 years that have passed between the original film and “Tron: Legacy.”
The time gap between films, unfortunately, means there’s a lot of exposition dumping via monologues, but there isn’t really a way to get around that, as the newer generation in 2010 didn’t even know what “Tron” was.
The gap between films is also helpful as it allows for the audience to be captivated by how the world has evolved, even if that means making a certain character’s change of heart in the third act not make a lot of sense based on what you learn throughout the film.
Hedlund as Sam feels incredibly natural as the son of Flynn in chemistry, personality and mannerisms, which helps contrast him from the other son of Flynn, Clu (also Jeff Bridges, but digitally de-aged), a program hellbent on creating the perfect system.
Clu and Kevin are two sides of the same coin, as they both want to change the world but have different perspectives on how to achieve it.
At the time of Clu’s creation, he was a copy of Kevin, who wanted to chase perfection. As Kevin grew older, he realized that perfection is impossible, whereas Clu never learned that because Kevin didn’t understand that at the time he created Clu.
This debate throughout the film regarding perfection additionally serves as a commentary about director Joseph Kosinski, who was an architect before making his directorial debut with this film.
Architects constantly grapple with the need to be perfect in their craft and sometimes obsess over it, like Clu, without realizing it isn’t possible, as nothing is perfect, like Kevin.
Sam’s journey in The Grid eventually leads him to Quorra (Olivia Wilde), the apprentice of Kevin within the grid. While the film doesn’t dive into it much, there’s definitely romantic tension between the two, both in and out of character.
The palpability of the tension also deepens the character of Quorra as she is a program and therefore shouldn’t be able to have personality or feelings, yet she does.
When watching the film, it’s easy to forget that those on The Grid are programs and not real people, highlighting the connection between the physical and digital world that has only grown over time.
For the film titled “Tron: Legacy,” it really lives up to its name as Sam experiences similar events as Kevin, such as Disc Wars and Light Cycle racing.
These moments hit the nostalgia factor just right to where it isn’t overbearing but isn’t nonexistent at the same time. Think of it as watching a remaster of the best scenes in “Tron.”
This is especially present in the CGI, which is nothing short of incredible, awe-inspiring and breathtaking, as everything feels like a faithful remaster of what was seen in the original film from Recognizers to Identity Discs.
That being said, the film isn’t without some CGI problems. De-aging technology was still rather new at the time of “Tron: Legacy” release, and this film was one of the first to extensively use it for Clu’s appearance.
The de-aging technology doesn’t hold up all that well, as most scenes utilizing it look like something captured from a PlayStation 3. That’s not to say there aren’t times when it isn’t smooth, but the majority of the time, it feels uncanny, even though that helps fit in with Clu’s character as a warped version of Kevin.
Just like this review of “Tron: Legacy,” the best aspect of the film has been saved for last: Daft Punk’s soundtrack.
There’s really no better way to describe it aside from biodigital jazz, man.
Daft Punk are typically known for their electronic dance music crafted in part by samples, but everything in this soundtrack is entirely original.
Similar to “Tron: Ares,” heavier synths and electronics accompany darker characters like Clu, but Daft Punk, contrarily, utilizes lighter and more triumphant brass and horn sounds as well.
The blend created by this allows the albums to accurately instill feelings of dread and hope, depending on what scene is being played.
Just like “Tron: Ares,” I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get goosebumps from listening to the soundtrack.
Rating: 4/5
Luke Brewer can be reached at 581-2812 or at lsbrewer@eiu.edu.
