I have seen the original "Tron," albeit a while ago, but I remember that it was in 7th grade, in my computer class. My teacher wanted to show us the movie because when it came out in 1982 it was new and exciting, in that it was the first computer-animated movie of its kind. I know Jeff Bridges was in it as well, but other than that, I don't remember much about it; after seeing the dynamic "Tron Legacy," however, I am going to have to re-watch it.
Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund, "Country Strong") idolized his father Kevin (Jeff Bridges, "True Grit") - until the night he disappeared, when Sam was twelve. His father was a technological genius who used to disappear into a computer game called "Tron," and he used to tell Sam how one day he would take him with him to "the Grid," where Tron was played. Fast-forward to fifteen years later, when Sam is twenty-seven, and the main shareholder of the company his father once led, now a multimillion dollar corporation. His father's old business partner gets a mysterious page from the old Flynn arcade, where the number has been disconnected for twenty years, and Sam goes there to check it out. What he finds in his father's old office, however, sets off a chain of events that he can't control, and he soon finds himself living the game that his father has created.
Jeff Bridges technically plays two parts in this movie - his normal self and "CLU," his evil nemesis that is actually a younger version of himself - and it was crazy to see him look so young (I'm not sure how they did that, but some intense computer generation must have been involved). Olivia Wilde (TV's "House") has a nice supporting part as Quorra, and Michael Sheen ("Beautiful Boy") has an interesting role as a crazy Willy Wonka-type man in the game. We all know that we aren't exactly seeing this movie for the acting in it, though - more so for the special effects and 3D, anyway, which ended up being really nice.
Yes, see this movie. I saw it in 3D and IMAX, and the 3D was really nice and did add a lot to the movie; the IMAX, however, can probably be skipped, though it was nice to see it on such a big screen. The graphics and computer animation in the movie are amazing, and are among the best I've seen lately. I was a little confused throughout the movie because it doesn't explain much plot-wise, but I do enjoy a good sci-fi movie every once in a while, and one will most likely be as enthralled with the world of "Tron" as I was.
"Tron Legacy" will be in theaters on Friday, December 17th.
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Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films