Tron Legacy

Jeff Bridges has had a long and interesting career. He has had hits and misses, Oscar nominations and iconic performances. He was the centerpiece of the 90's cult hit, The Big Lebowski and he most recently portrayed an icon from cinemas past, Rooster Cogburn. Sadly, around the same time the Coen Brother's, True Grit was about to hit theaters, another revamp was released. It has been decades since the Disney, video game film Tron premiered and now for some reason we have been given a sequel.

I suppose it makes sense that Disney would want a sequel. Over time Tron has become more fondly remembered thanks to nostalgia. Special effects have also come a long way giving the filmmakers more to play with in creating a more realistic universe. Fans of the first would love a chance to see the old light bikes and disc battles done in a more impressive 3D world. I have a feeling that most of the hardcore Tron fans out there have not actually seen the movie since they were kids. I would suggest letting it rest in their memories as it is not the cornerstone of cinema some tout it to be.

This new film, set years after the events of the first, is a mess. Its lead character, played by Garrett Hedlund is uninteresting, the 3D is not impressive, the plot uninvolving and most of all, it's boring. Boring should not be an adjective for a 3D/sci-fi/action film.

The story revolves around Sam Flynn, the son of the game's creator, finding a way to enter the world of Tron and his attempts to rescue his father (Bridges) who has been stuck inside for the majority of his life. There are plenty of loopholes and plot contrivances that have kept Bridges trapped all this time, none of which are very interesting. The story attempts to tackle philosophical issues but never seems to totally commit to it. It almost felt like it was a deleted subplot from one of the Matrix Sequels.

The biggest letdown of the movie was Jeff Bridges himself. He is an actor I admire and I usually love his work. Not this time though, he actually seems to be channeling his character, The Dude from The Big Lebowski a lot of the time. As if maybe after the whole rug mishap, he laid off pot for awhile and developed a video game world that he got trapped in.

On a positive note, the movie is very nice to look at for most of the movie. By the end I was over the blue, black and orange. During it's initial action sequences when Sam unwittingly becomes part of the games in Tron, I was quit impressed. The other positive note is the music. Daft Punk put together a really great score that does help move the film along when the pseudo philosophical psycho babble is carrying on far too long.