Even though Tron: Legacy was number three at the box office for its second weekend, it is said to have only grossed an estimated $ 20+ million over Christmas domestically for a total of $88 million, according to Deadline Hollywood, solidifying fears that Disney will have a hard time recouping the $150 million production budget and the $120 million marketing budget without an overseas boom.  This they say is due in part to the mixed reviews the movie is getting by critics who obviously refuse to see the movie for what it is: a highly visual thrill-ride.

Because this film does contain such elaborate visual effects, I decided to see it on IMAX in 3D (which I highly recommend).    Before the movie started, they informed the audience that some of the scenes were filmed in 2D but to leave the glasses on for the entire movie.  I can tell you without giving too much away that you can safely leave the glasses off for the first fifteen minutes of the movie or so, before the character Sam gets pulled into the video game world.  But then you will definitely need to wear the glasses for the entire duration of the movie after that.

What can I say other than Tron: Legacy was everything I expected and more?  Being a huge fan of the original Tron movie, I knew the story, I recognized the original actors, and I was very pleasantly surprised and relieved to see that they didn’t screw it up!  That was the first hurdle for me, seeing as how this sequel comes 28 years later, knowing the trend in mainstream American cinema to water stories down to make them palatable for younger audiences.  Thankfully, Tron was originally written to appeal to all ages so all the sequel really needed to do was find a believable and entertaining way to keep the story going.  And I think they succeeded in doing just that.

With nods to the original story, Tron: Legacy flashes forward from early on to present day where Flynn’s son, Sam, is a rich, badboy, (or is it bad richboy?) who has a penchant for humiliating CEO’s and going really fast.  The story maintained the conflict of the original where Flynn was battling Dillinger for control of the company (Cillian Murphy’s cameo as Dillinger’s son hints at a possible sequel in the future).  But the overarching theme and what ties the story together is the love between a father and son and how this singularity can survive across decades and trips through digital universes.

It was nice to see Bruce Boxleitner who played Tron/Alan 28 years ago, although I was a little disappointed that Cindy Morgan, who played the original hot Tron chick Lora/Yori, was MIA despite numerous petitions and Facebook campaigns to include her in this film.

Jeff Bridges was aged but still cool as ever, being the great actor that he is, and I am so glad he did not refuse on the grounds that he has moved on to bigger things like singing country music!  Gotta love the digital Jeff Bridges, too.  Garrett Hedlund plays Sam, son of Flynn, and does a decent job, confident but not too cocky.  I am sure he will soon grace many a teen magazine cover in the near future.  Daft Punk’s score was amazing as well and not only contributed a great deal to the mood but really fit in well with the digital landscape.  Which brings me to the effects.  Back when Tron first came out, the effects were revolutionary because no one had really gone there before, into a digital world and made it believable.  With the advances in special effects that film media has made in close to 30 years, I was expecting to be blown away and I was.  The effects were incredible.  People I know who generally dislike sci-fi have been pleasantly surprised by the movie and are now “fans.”

And that’s what I think needs to happen with Tron: Legacy.  A lot of reviews I have read are trying to dub this movie a fanboy flick that “regular” people won’t like and that’s just not the case.  This movie is made for everyone and I firmly believe if audiences give it a chance, they won’t be disappointed.  End of line…

Tron Evolution Game Trailer

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