In the world of motion pictures exists films that must be watched and absorbed for their deep dramatic depth and ability to spark long discussions.
“Tron: Legacy” was not one of them.
Director Joseph Kosinski’s debut film, the sequel to the 1982 original Tron demanded that the viewer’s logic and brain be exchanged temporarily at the box office for a seat to be overwhelmed by the sight and sounds emitted from the screen.
I don’t remember much from the first film, which I watched with some friends just prior to heading to the midnight show of the sequel, and I didn’t have to.
“Legacy” plays like a big-budget laser rock show, featuring a soundtrack by Daft Punk and bright neon colors (mostly green and blue) illuminating the grid, the cyberspace world shown in the film.
Several sequences are visually amazing to behold and would probably be even more so in 3D, including a light bike race, a battle with disks, an aerial dogfight in the finale and a scene in a club, featuring Michael Sheen as the flamboyant club owner. He clearly was having a lot of fun chewing the scenery… Taken literally it probably is not the best idea, considering the scenery was made of electrical hardware.
Almost the entire movie plays out amidst one of the best movie soundtracks I’ve ever heard, which amped up the energy of the film. It was as if Daft Punk was born to score this film. Their somewhat techno, somewhat club musical style is right at home in the grid.
Despite the visually and aurally stimulating effects, if I were to take an exam on the film I would probably fail it. It is the epitome of eye candy: it looks great and is filling, but there is nothing to really retain from it.
That’s not a bad thing, though.
“Tron: Legacy” is unpretentious because it just aims to entertain and dazzle. I didn’t quite always understand who was doing what or why, and when there was nothing pretty or fast moving on the screen for too long a period, I got antsy. But I left the theater knowing that I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the experience.
In this review, I never went into depth about the plot, the actors (with the exception of Sheen) or the characters that they play. Do you honestly care what this movie is actually about, or who’s in it? I didn’t.
Honestly, these things are not important in a movie like “Tron: Legacy”. Nobody bought a ticket to this movie looking for a well-acted, well-filmed American cinematic masterpiece, did they?
People are going for the special effects, the soundtrack and to just have a great time.
And they certainly will.
Oh, yeah… Jeff Bridges is in this movie. Bridges also stars in True Grit, also currently playing in theaters.
Could you imagine Rooster Cogburn inside the grid?