Can you make a good sequel of a bad movie?
That was the big question in my mind as I prepared to see “TRON: Legacy” when it came out last year. I watched the original a few weeks earlier to get ready for “Legacy”. “TRON” was a groundbreaking film back in 1982, the first movie to use computer imaging and digital technology with a real story and characters. Apparently it blew people away back then. What shocked me when I watched it was the dull story, corny dialogue and bad acting (boy, has Jeff Bridges come a long way).
And Bridges is back as video game creator Kevin Flynn in this sequel, which comes 28 years after the original. But when the movie starts it’s 7 years later: 1989, and Flynn has a son, Sam, who’s a big fan of his dad and his work. One night Kevin, now the CEO of his computer company, ENCOM, simply disappears. The plot quickly jumps 20-years ahead. Kevin’s former partner, Alan, (Bruce Boxleitner reprises his role from the original as well) gets a message that he thinks is from Kevin. He tells Sam to go to the old arcade that his father used to own and look around. He does, and soon he gets lasered into the “TRON” world, where he meets-up with his fathers evil clone, Clu, along with as his father and Quorra, a young woman who lives with his dad.
Sam wants to take his father back to the real world, but they have to get through the portal before it closes. So the race is on.
On of my big problems with the film when I saw it in the theater was that the first half-hour of “TRON: Legacy” wasn’t in 3D (I saw the film in IMAX 3D). The 3D didn’t kick-in until the story moved into the cyber-world. A silly decision. And wearing those glasses for 30-minutes with no 3D to watch gave me a bit of a headache.
As for the film, I was expecting some incredible, jaw-dropping visual effects, but there aren’t any. The cycle races are cool (they were the best part of the original), but nothing to blow you away. The fight scenes are pretty dull (lots of disk throwing), and it’s obvious Sam is going to keep winning or there couldn’t be the rest of the story.
The best scenes in the film involve father and son talking – about why Kevin left Sam when he was a boy and didn’t come back and about how the real world has changed since that day. As usual, Bridges does a nice job and Garrett Headlund is very good in those scenes.
Now, let’s talk about Clu. Bridges also plays this role, at least the face, sort of. Through digital technology Bridges’ face is made to look like he’s nearly 30-years younger. It’s a good try, but it’s also pretty creepy, creating a Bridges’ clone with a weird mouth and blank eyes, not the “evil twin” they were trying to make.
“TRON: Legacy” is rated PG for mild language and sci-fi/fantasy action. It’s o.k. for kids, but I think most will be bored by it. This is really for fans of the original movie, sci-fi movies in general and computers. To me the best thing about the film is the story, so if you’re going to watch itbfor the action and the effects, and chances are you’ll be disappointed.
The Blu-ray and DVD contain loads of extra that die-hards will go crazy over, but won’t help make a so-so movie any better.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “TRON: Legacy” gets a C. Unlike the original, I wouldn’t look for it to become a cult-classic.