Tron: Legacy – Movie Review

In 1982 audiences were either mesmerized or perplexed by the complex computer world of the first Tron. A moderate success at the box office at the time, the film would later go on to gain notoriety as a cult classic and eventually found a new audience in the digital age. Tron’s surge of newfound popularity sparked a sequel, and 28 years later Tron: Legacy is here.

Tron: Legacy is far better than its predecessor, which makes sense considering the advances in computer technology in the past three decades. It’s visually stunning, breathtaking, and amazing. There are plenty of homages to the original film present throughout the sequel, but if you’ve never seen the first film you’ll get what’s going on pretty fast.

I saw the film in IMAX 3D and I highly recommend seeing the film in this format. The special effects, race and battle sequences, and several other moments leap off the screen and bring you into the movie. There’s plenty of eye candy to salivate over in both CG and actor form. Olivia Wilde (Quorra) is particularly stunning as are several of the other actresses who populate the computer world.

Garrett Hedlund who plays Sam Flynn (Kevin Flynn’s son) does an excellent job as a young man on a quest to find and retrieve his father who has been “lost” for two decades of his life. Jeff Bridges is great as Kevin Flynn, and there are plenty of great in-jokes for those who have seen him in a certain film where he plays The Dude. Bridges also plays his own nemesis, CLU, which is a younger version of Bridges thanks to the miracle of CG technology.

Hats off to Michael Sheen who delivers an over-the-top performance as Castor, a man whom Sam is sent to for a specific purpose. Sheen is so flamboyantly fun that he almost becomes a distraction compared to the rest of the film. At the same time his presence is welcome and breathes life into the film just when it needs it most.

I liked the film. Die-hard Tron fans will find plenty to love, enjoy, debate, and discuss throughout the film, and the ending is up for debate as well. As I said before if you have never seen the first movie, don’t freak out; you’ll get the gist of what happened in the first one pretty quickly.

I highly recommend you check out Tron: Legacy over the holidays and treat yourself to one of the most visually exciting and fun movies of the year.

Tron: Legacy arrives in theaters December 17, 2010!

What did you think of the original Tron? What did you think of Tron: Legacy? Leave a comment and let us know!

For an alternative perspective check out David’s video review of Tron Legacy:

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