Tron: Legacy is a sequel to the 1982 Disney movie Tron, which starred Jeff Bridges. The movie takes place after the events of the first movie following Kevin Flynn’s son, Sam, as he ventures into his father’s computer creation, the Grid, to save him from the corrupted Clu, a creation of Flynn designed to create a perfect world. This more modern version does a nice job of updating the technology aspect of the franchise as well as reviving some of the old objects and concepts from Tron, including the visually impressive light cycles and discus-like weapons. Visually, the Grid is as eye-pleasing as ever, and the ever-present 3-D works well with the movie’s digital feel. Additionally, the sound track provided by French electronic duo Daft Punk couldn’t be more appropriate.
The overall feeling of Tron: Legacy is incredibly dark. The stark backdrop of the Grid exemplifies the oppression of the antagonist, Clu, and the struggle of the characters really makes the viewer feel for them.
The weakest part of the movie was the plot. Tron: Legacy doesn’t suffer so much from holes in the plot as it does from gaps in logic. Why do programs go party at clubs when they’re supposed to be downloading my torrents? If the Portal is so dangerous to get to, why is there a train leading straight to it? Why couldn’t Kevin Flynn have made a second version of himself to combat Clu? Why is Flynn’s 25-year-old light cycle the fastest in existence? Why is being hit with the light disk instant death, but Flynn can bring Quorra back to life? Suspending doubt by calling on Kevin Flynn a cheating hacker is easy enough, but the ISOs are the real problem with this movie. Kevin says he discovered them as they magically coded themselves and appeared, and he says that they will change everything. However, it is never explained how these little creations could revolutionize anything. The movie drops the subject and throws a fancy battle scene at you.
Overall, Tron: Legacy is an enjoyable movie. The soundtrack is fantastic, and the visuals are what you’d expect from any current movie today, the surprisingly dark atmosphere offers some tense scenes and touching character deaths, but the annoying plot holes make it harder for older audiences to really understand the logic behind the plot. This movie was aimed at younger audiences, and does it’s job at entertaining with fancy lights and sounds. Older audiences, on the other hand, will enjoy Tron: Legacy too, just suspend your doubt outside the theatre before you watch it or things might get confusing.
