“
Tron.”
People must have had some funny ideas about what goes on inside computers back in 1982. With such new technology on the rise, I can easily imagine somebody looking at a big boxy CPU and wondering if there were little light-up men working inside of it in a little circuit-board-style city. Well, that somebody went on to make a script and movie along that line of thinking.
“Tron” won’t make a whole lot of sense if you think about it really hard; we all know that computer data is not comprised of little gray men running around a physically-manifested space. But does it really matter? For its time, this film featured an intriguing and imaginative look into the workings of a then-advanced technology, boiling its techno-babble down to a theatrical presentation for all to enjoy.
On its own merits, “Tron” presents a unique adventure with an interesting premise that’s rarely used on film. It won’t outclass “The Matrix” or the works of William Gibson by any means. But the film’s real selling point are its special effects; at least half of the film features some extremely funky old-school CGI on a grand scale. Sure, it’s extremely dated by today’s standards: the actors stick out like sore thumbs, clearly cut-and-pasted on celluloid in front of a digital or matte-painted environment. Sure, the CGI is plain, blocky, and untextured, looking like an old “Battlezone” arcade game. And sure, most costumes and sets look like they’re made of cardboard. But the effects run smoothly, show a lot of imagination, have an extraordinary attention-to-detail, and ultimately accomplish the intended effect. In the end, I felt that the film’s SFX were a precursor to modern effects, especially in the way it’s used to paint the environment around the characters (in a manner no different than painting Middle Earth in “LOTR,” or the various planetscapes in “Star Wars,” or any number of other big modern SFX-heavy scenes). Yep, watching “Tron” might be very off-putting for some folks, but I find it visually impressive.
As far as the story goes, it’s a fairly basic and formulaic adventure. About a third of it is spent setting up the real-world situations that lead the main character into the “Grid;” from there, it’s all about fighting and journeying to some place to defeat some evil force taking over everything. Not much different than “Gladiator,” no?
Characters aren’t really huge standouts; the main character is interesting only because he’s so energetically goofy, but everybody else is pretty flat. And by the end of the movie, the whole journey feels slightly arbitrary. He went in, he came out…yep, that’s all.
Cinematically, the film shows interesting photography, and as mentioned above, interesting SFX. Acting is okay; Jeff Bridges is pretty likable as Kevin Flynn, and everybody else seems okay. Writing is okay (if you’re a computer nerd, you might pick up on some clever use of terminology). Production value is rather limited, but the designs are smashing. Music is pretty dated.
Is that a Pac-Man I see on one of the background screens?
3.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3/5, film: 3.5/5) Decreased from 4/5.
Recommendation:
As a rental.
The Blu-Ray looks swell; the real-world scenes look darn near perfect, with only a slight hint of grain/noise. The Grid scenes show heavier grain…around the actors…and everything else looks quite clean. Sharpness and detail are excellent throughout, and color/contrast seems appropriate. Sound quality seems okay with the music and sound effects, but I found the dialogue rather muted.
PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4/5
Next greatest blind-buy: “
Tron Legacy.”
Some 28 years after the original “Tron,” the world of the Grid is revisited with a heck of a make-over. Since “Tron’s” release, computer effects have evolved tremendously, and are finally dispensed liberally throughout this sequel. Once the main character enters the Grid, we are immersed in some of the slickest and coolest-looking SFX offered in any film. It’s big, gorgeous, highly-detailed, imaginative, and quite awe-inspiring at times. A few excellent action scenes keep the story thrilling and fun; some parts drag in the middle, but most scenes are interesting and memorable, and the visuals keep it fresh. Yep, the eye candy is great!
The story generally mirrors the original movie; most of the scenes in “Tron” are repeated with fresh new SFX, wittier dialogue, and a more ambitious production value. “Tron: Legacy” does alter the story and provide a decent follow-up though; the whole drama involving Flynn and his son provides a decent premise for this journey, and the dual-natured conflict between Flynn and Clu provide the formulaic good-vs-evil dichotomy that fuels the physical conflict. The story’s still not terribly original, and at times Flynn’s zen-like behavior seems like a “Matrix” rip-off, and is ultimately a weak attempt to throw some philosophy into the mix. But ultimately, the story and characters are a step better than the original “Tron.” I also have to admire the movie for its bigger and bolder settings; it’s no longer just life inside a computer, it’s literally a whole new world.
Cinematically, the film has awesome photography. Acting is swell; it’s a little hard to accept Jeff Bridges’ dude as “the One,” but he generally fits the character established in the first “Tron.” All of the other actors are pretty swell. Writing seems to be a grade stronger than the original “Tron.” Production value is very high, and the designs are excellent. I love the music too.
Is it me, or did they totally animate Jeff Bridge’s face when he played Clu and his younger self? It looks kinda fake…
4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4/5)
Recommendation:
As a rental.
This Blu-Ray looks and sounds darn near perfect!
PQ: 5/5, AQ: 5/5
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) and tons of loud (VERY loud) explosions. typical Pitt humor and character here, and typical Angelina here. pretty much Pitt toned down from Ocean's Eleven (although dressed the same way) and Jolie from the Tomb Raider series (although not dressed the same way) and pre-Salt action heroine.
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