In the beginning of Joseph Kosinski’s first film Tron: Legacy, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a genius software engineer, mysteriously disappears after telling his son Sam (Garret Hedlund) about a digital world known as The Grid. Flash forward 12 years and Sam is a fully grown adult, wasting his time playing pranks on his father’s former company, ENCOM. After receiving a mysterious call from his father’s abandoned office, Sam decides to explore and in the process, is transported to The Grid.
Sam struggles to navigate through the hostile Grid, engaging in a gladiatorial duel with deadly disks and later battling humanoid programs on light cycles. He narrowly escapes death with the help of Quorra (Olivia Wilde), who takes him to meet his father, isolated from The Grid. After a short reunion, Sam learns that evil programs seek to enter the portal he has re-opened to travel to reality. These are the same evil programs who usurped his father and prevented his return, led by his father’s misguided virtual doppelganger, Clu.
The most intriguing part of Tron: Legacy is undoubtedly its special effects and overall feel: the entire Grid appears animated yet realistic at the same time, immersing the viewer into the concept of a virtual reality. The glowing lights of the city and arena in particular contrast the dark and stormy surrounding world, reflecting the idea of a division between technology and nature. The costumes of the programs in The Grid fit perfectly with the environment, with outfits of all white or black with colored streaks that line the sides. Even the techno group Daft Punk made an appearance at a dance bar, providing electronic music fit for the atmosphere.
The action sequences are similarly well-done; however, there should have been more. If you are expecting lots of action in Tron: Legacy, you will be disappointed. The fighting consists mostly of a short disk-throwing sequence as well as a bike-riding fight. These scenes are thoroughly enjoyable but are the only source of quality fighting for quite some time.
The acting was a mixed bag all around. The versatile Jeff Bridges does a fantastic job as Clu, portraying a heartless, cold program with the desire to perfect reality. His portrayal as Kevin Flynn is almost as convincing, as he must assume a strange zen-like role, which feels out-of-place in a technological world. Garret Hedlund does a satisfactory job as a rebellious young adult, but there were no specific moments where he showed great emotion nor did the character progress throughout the film. As Quorra, Olivia Wilde acts well, portraying the curiosity of a program seeking to learn more about human culture and traditions. Although he played a minor character, Michael Sheen creates a vibrant atmosphere as the lively Castor, an extravagant club owner whose bubbly personality energizes everyone around him.
Unfortunately, despite all of the special effects, Tron: Legacy lacks a compelling plot. There were possibly only one or two major plot-turns in what otherwise seemed like a very linear storyline. Additionally, the movie introduces several elements which are confusing and unnecessary. The reason why Sam’s father is trapped is because Clu sought perfection, which necessitated eradicating a species of self-created programs called isomorphic algorithms (ISOS). Since his father opposed genocide, he was imprisoned in the virtual world. Yet how was one program supposed to eradicate an entire population? Why does no one notice that some ISOS still exist, yet Clu spent 12 years methodically trying to destroy them all? The entire concept is not well explained and leaves one asking why it was even included in the film. Another strange concept is the identification disk, which plays a large role in the film. Sam receives one shortly after entering The Grid, and the disk is meant to contain all of the information about someone, down to the DNA — like a genetic passport. This idea falls flat because the disks lack emotional attachment to their respective owners despite their physical power. For example, in the disk arena, the disks are capable of ripping through programs, and when Quorra is hurt, Sam’s father cleverly uses her disk to reconstruct and rebuild the lost limb. Yet the same disk that is used to kill and give life is simply handed back and forth between Sam and his posse, and no emotional attachment is shown between a person and his/her disk.
The movie is also available in 3-D, but the 3-D effects are minimal and unimpressive. What is unique, however, is that the reality portion of the movie is displayed in 2-D, and when Sam is transported to The Grid, the film changes to 3-D.
If you are willing to enjoy a truly unique environment at the expense of a flimsy storyline, The Grid is waiting for you in Tron: Legacy.