I saw Tron: Legacy today...and I really enjoyed it. It was a very entertaining, visceral popcorn movie.
Now, let me put into context why I liked it. I am not a huge Tron fan. I saw the first movie at least ten years ago (it may have been longer) only once and was not particularly in awe of it. So, I'm very fuzzy about the original. However, the trailers for this one impressed me. Then I heard all the negativity about it being boring, remote, not engaging for the audience, etc. etc. etc. So, I went into the movie with very low expectations.
And I now strongly disagree. This is a movie that's storytelling lacks the restraint of an experienced, confident hand. This is true. And by that I mean it is rough around the edges as a narrative. The lead actor's performance is only serviceable and the first 10-20 minutes can plod instead of titillate the audience about the wonders ahead (kind of more Cameron and less Speilberg in this regard, IMO). But once Sam gets to the games and there is a moment to soak in just how weird this world is and to submerge one's self in it...it begins to click very well.
The narrative is a very simple one. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Unlike a lot of Hollywood blockbusters that neither try to intellectually or emotionally stimulate the audience (Nolan films are an exception these days) nor leave a lasting impression on the audience...this goes for a very visceral feeling. It is about mood, atmosphere and feeling. And I don't mean just for visuals sake like a boring Michael Bay movie. The whole notion of subverted humanity into the digital world literally personified has an allegorical meaning to me.
In a lot of ways it reminds me of 1980s sci-fi films, and not necessarily the original Tron. It has a punk noir feel to it and can be almost nihilistic in its depiction of man. Clu is a technological recreation of Kevin by Kevin, one that has literally taken over this man's life until it is the only world he knows. The real world, cynically chronicled (in a Disney movie no less!) by Sam as "wars in the Middle East, rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer" is secondary to him. The fantasy makes reality incidental. It reminds me of Ridley Scott films like Blade Runner and Black Rain.
The plot of Blade Runner is not especially complex either, albeit it is draped in symbolism and high artistic intentions that Tron: Legacy never attempts. But it is a story told in the visuals, not in the plot. It probably helps that Daft Punk's score is every bit as good as I have heard. It echos Vangelis's iconic score of that film as haunting, metallic, depressing and ponderous. It in short is the best thing of the movie. And is probably what associated my mind to that connection.
But in terms of thrills it kept me engaged to all the action and I enjoyed the noirish elements like the femme fatale of Gem and the "Rick's Cafe" that the fiendishly hilarious Michael Sheen operates out of (complete with a Casablanca line reference). And the ending worked for me with Clu and Kevin merging--Flynn's own weaknesses leaving him buried in this technological nightmarescape.
I would also add I was surprised by how much I liked Quorra. There is no denying that from the trailers and posters that Olivia Wilde looked like a knock-out in her leather-tight cyberpunk/geek S&M fantasy outfit. However, Quorra was just not eye candy. She provided a real amount of emotional weight to the ending (where the director wisely chose to focus on her sensations of leaving the digital world behind, as opposed to Sam). Her brief scenes gave some surprising humanity to Bridges's character who, other than his first real father-son scene, did not build much pathos with the actor playing Sam beyond generic scripting. I was surprised that she'd be that important to the plot at all.
Now the movie does have its rough edges. As I've said before, the first ten to twenty minutes crawl by. And then there is Clu's CGI. There has already been so much said about how awful that CGI is, I'll just add that despite it taking me out of the movie on several occasions, I could get past it and still enjoy the film. But it appears as successful as Benjamin Button was, duplicating the process on a regular basis is still not there. Also, the handling of the Tron character (or lack thereof) made for a weak dues ex machina in the third act when he randomly turned good and was left in the air for a sequel.
This movie is not perfect. It has its problems. But it is highly enjoyable. And I do not think it is heartless, but rather visually soulful in its own way. There are scenes or characters that don't work, but the movie does. And it is far more engaging than most summer blockbusters. Like this Transformers movie, or that Pirates sequels. It was far above Iron Man 2 this year and actually left me more satisfied than the half-a-film the Harry Potter machine printed money on during November.
I'm just rambling now, but suffice to say that a combination of low expectations and visual/audible brilliance impressed me enough to overlook the flaws.
8/10
I would recommend this movie.
Olivia is adorable.
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