If you’re going to see Tron Legacy in the theater, you should really see it on the IMAX. But please don’t take this as an endorsement that you should see Tron Legacy in the theater. It’s really not that good.
In a lot of ways, Tron Legacy is similar to another disappointing movie from this year, Alice in Wonderland. Both are new takes of classic stories (Am I stretching too far calling Tron a classic story? I never saw it.). Both were hyped up because of their special effects. Both were entirely too long. And both caused at least person I saw each with to fall asleep during the movie. I’m ranking Tron Legacy just above Alice in Wonderland, but not by much. I guess I just liked the glow in the dark raver gear.
The Tron light cycle was one of my favorite toys growing up. I never saw Tron, but GI Joe had no problem co-opting Tron’s gear.
Even though the movie wasn’t very good, I bet you’re going to see a lot of Tron Legacy inspired costumes at Halloween next year. Buy your reflector strips now, because there won’t be any come October.
If you’ve ever seen Star Wars, a lot of Tron Legacy will have a familiar feel to it. When he is introduced, CLU comes off like Darth Vader on club night. And the only way to tell Jeff Bridges’s character Flynn apart from Obi-Wan Kenobi is that Flynn’s Jedi robes are easier to see at night.
CGI Young Jeff Bridges looks more like Patrick Swayze to me.
I wonder if I would enjoy Tron Legacy more if I saw the original Tron. Maybe that would explain why Bruce Boxleitner is both Alan and Tron. Unfortunately, Disney won’t let me do that. Disney pulled the Tron DVD from both stores and Netflix right before Tron Legacy was released. It seems like the new movie is a great way to get people interested in seeing the original. I don’t know anyone who was going out of their way to watch Tron before Tron Legacy, but I know a few people who are scratching their heads over why Disney pulled Tron from shelves. I thought the obvious play would be for Disney to do a quick repackaging in time for Tron Legacy’s release, stuffed with a movie cash coupon to see Tron Legacy at a discount. I guessed wrong. If I haven’t lost complete interest in the convoluted world of Tron by the time the original is rereleased on DVD, I’ll probably watch it. Though I don’t know how long I’m really going to care about the Tron mythos.
