Tron : Legacy

Review by Sean Lynch

The astonishing visual world of Tron returns to the big screen for the first time since 1982, and while the technology has advanced the poor storytelling hasn't. 

Tron Legacy is, much like the original, a technological benchmark in cinema - taking 3D cinema and motion captured actors to a level which is both on par and potentially exceeds that of the highly lauded Avatar.

The new flick follows the plight of Sam Flynn (the nice-to-look-at but charisma-less Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27 year old who is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Tron original, Jeff Bridges).

When Sam investigates a mysterious page (remember pagers?) sent from Flynn's abandoned Arcade (Video Arcades, remember them?) he finds himself pulled into the technobabble world of Tron where his father has been trapped for 20 years.

From here, very little makes sense plot-wise. 

There is the fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde, the hottest young thing on screens at the moment - not including Mila Kunis) learning about "human things", a father and son life or death journey (which doubles as a way of dealing with "Daddy Issues") across a visually-stunning digital universe, double crossing, some weird Nazi parallels, some God talk, as well as the sorts of vehicles and weapons that have made Tron  the cult it is today.

Make no mistake, there are plenty of problems with Tron Legacy... plenty!

The story never quite makes sense (even if you are familiar with the original), there are plot holes galore, some super creepy CGI of a young Jeff Bridges (which, while not perfect now, will lead the way for cinema in the future to allow Brad Pitt to play a 20 year old well into his 70s), the inexplicable reason for old Jeff Bridges being "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski and the severe lack of action and games in favour of endless (and ultimately pointless) exposition.

Yet, try as I might, I can't quite bring myself to say I disliked the movie.

Much like Avatar (whose story was far simpler, yet just as useless), Tron Legacy really thrives in it's ability to take you into the world of The Grid - which is literally what a world created by an iPad would look like.

Having seen the film on both normal 3D cinema screens and IMAX 3D, I can honestly say - IMAX 3D is the only way to see the film. The only thing Tron Legacy has going for it is the visuals, no questions asked (you have to wade through almost two hours of talking to find the visuals... but they're there) - and it won't be delivered any better than it is in IMAX 3D (with over 40 minutes shot in IMAX format).

You could do a lot worse then spend your cash on Tron Legacy, so while you will leave somewhat confused - if you make sure you leave your brain at the door and enjoy the shiny sparkly things then all will be right in the world. 

It's good fun, visually mind blowing... if not taken seriously.

3 out of 5

Tron : Legacy
Australian release: 16th December, 2010
Official Site: Tron : Legacy
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garret Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen
Director: Joseph Kosinski