Movie Review: Tron: Legacy

I honestly thought I had my expectations for Tron: Legacy set suitably low. I was wrong. I didn't remember much of the first film, just that the plot was weak but there were fun action sequences and a weird look to much of it that I never really cared for. Still I played the arcade game A LOT during the summers of 1982 and 1983.

Tron: Legacy fulfilled my expectations of having a worthless plot with lots of meaningless computer gibberish dialog. I don't hold that against it. But at over two hours, there were lots of scenes of exposition and far too few action scenes. If you're going to make a dumb action movie, make sure there's more dumb action than dumb plot and character development.

The original had some big game sequences that became video games, most obviously the discs and cycles. So what new games does the sequel have? Discs and cycles and flying ships. The playign fields were updated a bit and I liked the multiple levels for the cycles but I found these kinda short and unexciting. Most of the developments in the cycle race were telegraphed way ahead in the scene. The flying ships, while new to Tron, were really derivative. As soon as enemy fighters appear (whose wings unfolded like the Emperor's shuttle) they sent Sam (the new hero) back to the turret and yelled "Here they come!" Where have I heard that before?

In fact that was an example of things that I found most annoying and most entertaining in the film. So much of it was derived from others films. Sure some things were homages but I didn't find much original. The music had some 80s songs from the soundtrack. Fine, but the original score seemed to be completely derived from Terminator 2, The Dark Knight and Inception.

Flynn's House was the bedroom from the end of 2001. It's nice that a 40 year Kubrick film still looks futuristic, but it could have been anything else. It's not like Flynn had a history of loving Louis XVI decor. I guess he loved 2001. I don't understand his character being merged with The Dude's. When the first Tron came out, no one was saying "Time to split man", so why does Flynn?

Flynn now wanders around in Jedi robes. At one point, on a solo mission to get a ship, he comes across a program (in humanoid form) and it tells him he's unauthorized. Flynn stares it down and it changes its mind. If only they could have worked the words "These aren't the droids you're looking for" into the scene. Well they could have, it would have made just as much sense as anything else.

It's not too surprising that Quorra's character (Olivia Wilde) was the best. She program but also part alien life form. So she's great in action scenes and isn't otherwise dour, in fact she's fascinated with the real world. Still, in her first scene she's perched on the top of a building peak very Aeon Flux-like.

But they didn't just borrow from sci-fi films. They have to go find this program named Zeus who will help them. Plot-wise, he's like the Merovingian from The Matrix trilogy. Character-wise he's Jack Sparrow crossed with David Bowie doing Jack Nicholson's Joker dance. But as Sam arrives at his night club (yes a night club) he says something like "Of all the infinite places you could be you show up here at my club". If only they could have worked "gin joints" into it.

So I was bored for most of the two hours though I kinda enjoyed picking out all the places they stole things from. Anyone have any more to add?\

Update: When they're debating how to defeat Clu, Kevin tells Sam, "It's his game! The only way to win is not to play. War Games.

I'm not sure about this one, but I think at one point Flynn says "Game over man" which would be from Aliens.