#31 - Tron Legacy

After his defeat of the Master Computer in 1982's Tron, genius game programmer Kevin Flynn goes missing, leaving behind his son Sam as his reluctant heir.  Rather than taking the helm of the ENCOM company, Sam spends his days hanging out in his garage-turned-loft and getting speeding tickets on his Ducati.  All of this changes however when Kevin's old partner Alan receives a page originating in Kevin's office, and Sam follows his father into the digital world of TRON.

I had three reasons for wanting to see Tron Legacy.

1. I felt something of a duty as a fan of the original Tron.
2. I wanted to see 'the grid' rendered with modern CG techniques.
3. Daft Punk soundtrack!

On these particular counts, Tron Legacy did not disappoint.  The visuals are expansive and exquisite; the is CG sharp and sleek and at times indistinguishable from actual actors and set pieces.  Tron Legacy, like its forerunner, is a sort of runway show, a gratifyingly over-the-top display of the possibilities of modern digital artistry.  The soundtrack is fittingly sweeping and its electronic groove matches perfectly with the movie's computer game setting.  And as a sequel to Tron, it is fittingly camp and glorifying of renegade geekery (with the 21st century reference point of the open vs. closed source debate to carry it home).

Tron Legacy's script is a haphazard collection of vague leads and storylines that attempt to collude in a rushed finale.  It frequently pushes aside characterization and coherency for the sake of visual showcase, but also, and less reasonably, for conversations and fights that drag on too long and could have used some tightening.  This might have also helped to reduce the movie's somewhat excessive runtime.  However, at least Tron Legacy seems to revel in its incoherency, foregoing movie cliches for psychedelia and bizarreness.  Which again provides ample opportunity for gorgeous visuals, and that is certainly what Tron Legacy has going for it.