If you're a big computer/techno geek, you probably know of or have seen the original Tron movie that came out in the 80’s which tried to merge CGI and 2D images like it had never been done before.
By taking the computer world of arcades and merging them with the world of cinema, the movie attracted a big cult following and not-so-good returns at the box office.
Over 20-years later we have a sequel with even more outstanding visual effects but unlike the original Tron, there are now other movies to compare the sequel to such as the Matrix.
This sequel seems to lose steam half-way through, making the movie just more bearable than an instant classic - don’t be surprised if another sequel comes through though.
Jeff Bridges reprises his original role as Kevin Flynn: the creator and master of the computer world known as the Grid. Garret Hedlund plays his son Sam who channels Jeff Bridges' old school charm and also has a lot of James Franco swagger - which many teenage girls should appreciate.
The plot is quite simplistic and straight forward but lacks complexity and some amount of cyber punk edge which has become synonymous with this genre from features such as the Matrix, Dark City, War Games or even Hackers.
The flick is too Disney and in this instance that’s a really bad thing for it because it becomes way too simplistic and clichéd at times. Although the film does have some strengths such as the special effects.
Flynn’s computer counterpart/negative Clu is a great CGI triumph. For Clu is a total computer recreation of Bridges from the 1980’s movie and does not age.Which makes for a nice contrast between the old man Flynn and his younger computer generated version.
The music is also nice retro electronica courtesy of Daft Punk, who make a cameo appearance.
Martin Sheen almost steals the show with his apperance. Jeff Bridges has some funny lines, some referencing his iconic role as the Dude in “The Big Lebowski”.
Even though there are cool fight sequences, transformation and effects the story still lacks punch or interesting development. Some of the character and story development choices and changes are really too predictable and dull.
Tron ain’t a boring movie but it ain't a great movie either in my humble opinion and that’s a problem.