Summer has come home early it would seem with Tron Legacy, a futuristic sleek film 28 years after the original was released. This was the one everyone was waiting for, the game changer to make avatar look like an outdated effect, the one 3D film to make you say "money well spent", but yet Tron Legacy is an tantalising tease one to marvel at effects but to throw away right after seeing with a nasty headache.
We pick up the action 28 years after Sam Flynn (Gareth Hedlund), a rebellious 20 something who has nothing to say and wants nothing to do with his fathers company, giving him the biggest share in the company after his fathers disappearance. But after an opening sequence of daring stunts, Sam is thrust ed back to the old arcade "FLYNN'S". Walking in, switching on a light and the games begin. Sam eventually finds the the back entrance, a cob webbed spiral of stairs and locks. The door is open, the laser is set and we enter the Grid.
This is where it starts and not a minute to late, The grid is a world to behold on first viewing. Sam is forwarded to "The Game's" a futuristic version of an outdated Laser tag. Like Sam we don't really now what is happening, thrown into the world of Tron Legacy we see the camera move up, 360 spirals and sideways movements. It's a Dark neon lit world with deeply depressing colours and futuristic beholdment, evoking more of the same range as Blade Runner (the final,final cut). But even with it's no hold barred approach to show of it's budget Tron legacy comes of as Avatars lesser known cousin lacking the complications in it's plot or even a story that is worth telling. Tron is a feast for the senses but never the imagination.
James Cameron's AVATAR was passion project of epic fantasy proportion's, Tron Legacy comes of as Hollywood running out of ideas. Where Tron works can all be found in it's budget, using a burst of colours to lighten up the dark place, this is most useful in one rather thrilling light cycle battle ( I'll admit I'm still a teen, any sort of Battle will do me fine). But that's just it though, where Avatar-no matter how simple- was hyped up as the most expensive film ever made, it had a story to tell relying on a good old fashioned tale to allow Cameron to empower us with his imagination. Tron then comes off as colder and less visionary than it thinks.
The Dude is back though that will get anyone excited for sure "stop messing with my zen man". Man is the one thing that gets repeated over and over with Jeff bridges. . The one thing that drew the team back though was the capture control and through this CLUO is born an alternative and younger Bridges to create the perfect system. Even with my love of Sci-fi , i would pull out the old man card-it's nonsense?. Legacy is bogged down in the same way Air bender was bogged down by Exposition. One minute it's kids fantasy, Flynn escapes, something about a grid and the sun being beautiful and with not one but two Jeff Bridges. Is it petty to think that the film can only not work because of it's story. Tron is distinctively simple, treading familiar waters of overly long special effects adventures (the rec cent star wars, the very last outing for the matrix) Tron is big on power but little of it works dramatically and on a different note the 3D is pathetic with the disclosure saying that it is mostly in 2D. All the 3D does is make Tron even darker.
Gareth Hedlund, possibly comes off as wrong choice for a lead. He has none of the spark with dramatic range to allow us to feel for his character. In the climactic scene Jeff bridges sacrifices himself, this will be the last time Sam will see his father and we see not even a sense of emotion. But the catastrophe continues with Michael Sheen's "Zeus" camping it up to dizzying heights, Daft punk play over the top and all we get is another performance by Michale sheen which promises to show that he may go down the path of Nicholas Cage.
But should we care, the norm of Blockbusters are defined by emotionless expressions and throwaway entertainment but here is the crucial difference with Tron Legacy, a "movie" which relys heavily on the Borrowed cliches of not it's first outing but of all the other movie's that exceeded Tron. Legacy is of colours Blue,Red,White and black and at that Tron becomes incredibly dull. Tron Legacy could have been a sight to behold but with it being short on ideas, it comes of as a spectacle of effects and nothing more.
LOW DOWN
Speed racer 2.0 a spectacle of effects and the dude wearing the gown again. Tron at times is inventive but frustrates with it's familiarity and at that Tron came off as the rushed video game tied in with the film. The only way tron can be sighted is in visuals and that just about shows all of it's wounds and weaknesses.
** out ****
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