 |
| Walt Disney Pictures |
What I find most fascinating about this movie and all it stands for is its marketing campaign. Who (besides some 30-year old cult fans) knows what 'Tron' even is? A nearly 30-year old live-action Disney movie with tacky special effects and an absurdly vague plot that wasn't even that popular. Hardly anyone in my generation has seen 'Tron' and if they think they know anything about it, they say it's about people playing inside a video game. But any of those 30-year old cult fans know that's not the entire story. Seriously, watch the old movie, it doesn't even bother trying to explain anything beyond the fact that Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has to beat this computer or something and win back his company, Encom, from some bad dude who stole it from him. It's a strangely dark and cerebral movie that wouldn't make sense to any kid these days.
So why the PG rating and acting like the first 'Tron' was a big deal when it wasn't? I actually took the time to watch the original with some friends for the sake of seeing 'Legacy' and maybe understanding it. But after seeing 'Legacy', I now understand that the first one really doesn't matter at all. All you need to know and can possibly understand is explained and anything else, like the original, is tossed out there as a bunch of mumbo-jumbo that doesn't make any sense, but none of that matters. This 'Tron' is so slick and dazzling that you could care less what the heck these Iso people are.
 |
| Walt Disney Pictures |
Like the old one, it's a race to the 'portal' to get back into the real world. And they, of course, have to get through some disc fighting, (see pic at right) light-cycle racing (see other pic), and some new mid-air flying-light-machine-thing fighting. Along with 'Inception' and 'Black Swan', this has to be one of the most visually-stimulating movies of the year. New-comer director Joseph Kosinski has really made a big splash in the action sphere of entertainment with the handling of these scenes and the look and feel of the new Grid. It definitely helps that most of these scenes involved an original soundtrack by music artists Daft Punk. Even then, it's not overbearing, blaring beats like you'd expect, but electronic music blended nicely with the sound effects of the movie and the rest of the soundtrack.
 |
| Walt Disney Pictures |
And while I went into this film fully expecting some really neat visuals and action, I did not expect the random themes and messages thrown out there throughout the film and especially at the final climax. Most of it seemed a bit much for a movie like 'Tron' and it's obviously absurd reality. Yet, I guess it just shows how themes like these can be found in nearly every scenario and reality. Without these bits of thought and the ending (which I didn't quite expect), this 'Tron' becomes much more than the original.
That said, I don't really understand why the majority of critics haven't been that pleased with 'Legacy'. The audience and critics are always crying for more inventive and original stories, and that's exactly what this is. When I say 'original' I'm not talking 'Inception', mind-blowing stuff here. Just a story that, even though founded from a previous story, is in all respects 'new'. And if you're not the least bit impressed by the world and action of the Grid, then there's something wrong with you.
 |
| Walt Disney Pictures |
So while much of it may still be vague and underdeveloped in terms of explaining everything (again, what the hell are these Iso things/people?), the rest of the movie just says 'we could care less, LOOK AT THIS LIGHT-CYCLE RACE!' It's not that they ignored it, it just doesn't matter. Sometimes movie critics just need to get a grip and learn to sit back and enjoy a movie, and that's all you need to do here to have a great time at the movies. It's probably one of the best times you'll have with your family at the movies during this holiday season. That is, until 'True Grit' comes out.
No comments:
Post a Comment