Taking a well established cult classic and updating it for a younger generation with matured technology is quite possibly one of the more ambitious tasks for a film director to take on let alone one who’s most acclaimed work was a minute long video game commercial (See: Gears of War – Mad World commercial). Although hiring a video game commercial director for the hotly anticipated Tron sequel could possibly have been the right choice for Disney Digital 3-D.
The video game world is subject to a savage gauntlet of scrutiny by the masses. Clues from trailers and announcements are mercilessly picked apart and from their carcasses critics are prepared to extrapolate and pan a development studio before they’re given a chance to showcase the fruits of their labour. Video games are the new titans of digital entertainment when you consider; the day-one global box office sales of Avatar, $27m when compared to the day-one European and US sales of marquee title Halo: Reach at $200m. A lot rides on the marketing campaign of a blockbuster video game title, so when Joseph Kosinski’s works (Gears of War’s “Mad World” and Halo 3’s “Starry Night” commercials) were not just well received but highly praised by the masses on the internet, Disney took notice and decided to apply his skills to a major-studio special-effects laden film.
As a result, Tron: Legacy looks fantastic. The world of “The Grid” in Tron is about as close as you can get to a video game so Kosinski hasn’t changed his style much and although a risky approach to directing a feature film; you can definitely see the benefits. The aesthetics in the digital world of The Grid is incredibly difficult to describe in words, the world is lush yet Spartan at the same time, vivid yet monotone. Kosinski had to fabricate an entire world to look so unique yet functional as if it had all been designed by a single person. He said “Everything inside Tron world had to be designed. And it had to be built either physically or on computer. Everything from the city plan down to the smallest detail of a lamp post. You can’t just buy stuff off the shelf and put it in the movie. Everything has to be tweaked and built from scratch”. Perhaps that is why when I watched the film; I bought into this digital world immediately. The architecture, the uniforms and the various items all glisten, gloss and pulse with a seductively sleek intimidation.
The movie sounds brilliant as well with a musical score by the electro duo Daft Punk. Rather than be a showcase for an upcoming album, Daft Punk have kept in the forefront of their work that this is a score for a movie. The traditional horns and strings of the movie are thus woven in with synth tracks and punctuated by powerful basslines that make the visual spectacle tingle with life. Daft Punk wield a symphony orchestra like an artist to a brush and in addition to their own digital magic, the duo have been able to form grand overtures to sombre soundscapes to pulse racing tracks which draw you into Tron’s digitally mystical atmosphere.
That is unfortunately where the forte’s of Kosinski’s experience exhausts itself. The dialogue in commercials is extremely limited and their impact when applied to Tron is the same. Most of the dialogue seems to have been crafted with the intention of being a one-liner; however without a thorough body of execution, the sewn together one liners fail to strike with poignancy.
The main character Sam Flynn played by Garett Hedlund is the worst offender to this diatribe. His introduction builds up to have potential however as the movie goes on, I feel more and more willing to lower my standards. Initially he comes across as a hacker whizz with a rebellious robin hood like complex however when he’s thrust to be the hero of a digital world, he is nerd turned meathead. His character refuses to employ wit and cunning which is only made more apparent when in contrast to his support characters.
Jeff Bridges does his best to prop up Hedlund. As star of the original Tron, Bridges reprises his role and delivers a strong performance of a character that has atrophied in recklessness yet gained strength in wisdom and patience. In a role that demands Bridges to play several iterations of himself, Bridges remains a convincingly real anchor in a digital fantasy. On occasion, “The Dude” from “The Big Lebowski” creep in however they do provide a good humorous reprieve from the dark and savage world of The Grid.
The stand out performance in this film however is provided to us by Olivia Wilde. The introduction of her character leads us to believe that she is a stereotypical “badass chick” however the perspective of her character swiftly shifts to one of a mega-geek. In the world of Tron however, being a typical mega-geek is par for the course. Wilde’s character instead finds fascination and fantasy from printed books and stories of sunrises as opposed to computers and the nocturnal. Any time she enters the screen a spark of delight ensues not only because Wilde looks bewilderingly stunning in the Tron aesthetics, but also because she delivers a refreshing character that is quirky and full of substance. Unfortunately her appearances are limited and not nearly enough time is spent developing her character.
The plot is nothing spectacular by any stretch. The premise is set down very quickly and continues in a very straightforward manner that may have come from necessity. A chase scene or CGI panorama ensues most scenes of meaningful dialogue leaving little time to actually form any complex attachment to the storyline. I would have loved to have gotten a heavy dose of the lore and background on the world of Tron however most of the lore had to come extrapolated from the original film and the viral marketing campaign of Tron: Legacy. When watching Tron: Legacy I definitely realised there was a lot more than meets the eye however I think those who haven’t watched the 1982 original may be at a disadvantage as Legacy provides a lot of fan service.
The best bits of Tron: Legacy for me boil down to the best bits from the original. In particular the gladiatorial arena fights were a fantastic highlight. The combat scenes could have easily been twice as long and twice as numerate before they got tiring. Instead much more time is spent on flyover panoramas of The Grid and the set ups for one-liners. There are only so many times when you can press a button to wow the audience until they begin to get jaded and Legacy skirts that barrier far too often.
Unfortunately that is the greatest downfall of Tron: Legacy. The sparks of fantastic ideas fade away far too quickly to have any true substance. Whether it’s a fascinating character, light cycle-based arena combat or the history and lore of The Grid; the portions of the film we’d love to know and see more of are smothered by either incomprehensible or cringingly predictable plot points.
With a bit more work on the characters and a few more editorial passes on the script. Tron: Legacy would have been a film that stood alone on the summit of CGI feature-filming. However its downfalls leave it as a stunningly beautiful, yet deeply flawed blockbuster that is honestly very enjoyable but lacks depth. Similar to a video game commercial.
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