‘TRON: Legacy’ Review

Screen Rant’s Vic Holtreman reviews TRON: Legacy

TRON: Legacy has to be one of the most hyped, if not highly-anticipated movies of the year. It’s been teased at the San Diego Comic-Con for three years in a row – where the footage shown wowed the crowd. It’s obvious how much hard work and dedication went into the visual aspect of the film, but unfortunately that’s about all it has going for it.

The original TRON was released way back in 1982, and at the time was considered groundbreaking for its use of computer graphics in a live-action film. If you’ve never seen the film and watch it for the first time today, you’ll probably find yourself laughing at the “hokey” visual effects – but remember that back then they didn’t have the advantage of being able to create virtual worlds via CGI motion-capture that could be translated into a computer-based character, etc.

Those who love the original film (myself included) may be infected by a bit of movie nostalgia – it’s not a great film, but it’s entertaining enough and actually managed to explore some interesting concepts at a time where computers were still “new” to most people.

Legacy is a sequel that starts out about seven years after the end of the first film. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has taken over Encom and with the help of Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) has made the company wildly successful. Flynn has a young son named Sam, who he’s regaled with stories of his exploits “on the grid,” and he promises to take his wide-eyed son there one day. Flynn is also on the verge of bringing a “miracle” to the world that will redefine everything – science, religion, medicine, etc.

After sharing this with his son, Kevin Flynn disappears – never to be seen again.

Cut to Sam (Garrett Hedlund) at age 27, now a loner bad boy who’s only involvement with Encom (despite being the majority shareholder) is to hack into it once a year in an attempt to disrupt the now greedy corporation (as opposed to the wonderful, benevolent company it was when his father ran it) in one way or another.

Sam is led to a secret lab at Flynn’s Arcade, where he repeats his father’s last computer command on the dusty console – which transports him into the cyber-universe of the grid. Director Joseph Kosinski makes this universe seem even more “special” in an effective way: The “real world” scenes are in 2D, but once we move into the computer world the 3D in the film finally kicks in – and it really makes for an effective transition. Think about the scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy emerges from her house into Oz – on steroids.

Once in the cyber world Sam is understandably overwhelmed, but adapts quickly being the athletic guy we met in the real-world scenes. Sam soon meets Clu, the program his father created to run the system, who looks like a much younger Jeff Bridges (more on that, later). It seems Clu has turned into a dictator in search of perfection, and is not satisfied with pursing/enforcing it only in the computer realm.

Eventually a program named Quorra (Olivia Wilde) brings Sam to see his father, who has been trapped there since he vanished so many years ago. Of course Sam wants to return to our world with his father, but dear old dad is reticent because his “identity disc” contains the information that Clu needs to invade our world – and he doesn’t want to risk that. The trio race to find a way to stop Clu, and escape the cyber world, before Clu can execute his terrible plan.

TRON: Legacy is a visual treat – at least until you get used to it. Visually, the highlight of the film takes place not long after Sam’s arrival in the computer world. The scenes in which the battles take place on the grid, both the hand-to-hand and the lightcycle racing, are truly amazing. As I watched that part of the film I thought “this is the techno answer to Avatar.” The 3D here is used to excellent effect, including a multi-level, transparent race track where the lightcycles do battle.

The musical score by Daft Punk is an excellent match for the film. Being an old guy, the first time heard of them was in reference to this film, but their techo-rock, pulsing soundtrack matches the otherworldly look of the film. As a bonus, they actually appear in the film (the club scene).

This world is much more detailed than that of the original film, reflecting the increase in computing and graphics power we have today compared to the vector graphics of almost 30 years ago. Updates to the ships and the suits worn by the programs are all well done and are visually impressive – there are also some new designs introduced  to keep things fresh.

There are many nods to the original film – I’ll leave them unmentioned so you can discover them as you watch the movie. However, there are also many things taken from lots of other films that came before – some so similar that it’s difficult not to think “rip-off” instead of “nod.” Those films include Star Wars, The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey and more. In fact, in one scene I thought Garrett Hedlund was channeling Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker.

The world of the film is filled with many perfectly pretty people – and I felt little connection to most of them. If I had to pick one person who generated a sense of connection above the others, it would be Bruce Boxleitner reprising his role as Alan Bradley – and he was barely in the film. Michael Sheen as Castor had an excess of personality that made him seem like he was far more advanced than “just a program.” Olivia Wilde generated no connection and her character was no better. With a collection of the greatest written works of all time having been read by her (as provided by old Flynn), she professed her favorite author to be Jules Verne. Nothing against Jules Verne, but compared to the other books there and her apparent hunger to understand the real world, it seemed like an odd (lame) choice.

Then there was the quest to get home – was old Flynn’s data disc required or not? Was it important enough to guard with one’s life (because at one point it seems like an “oh well”), and do we even care?

Finally we get to the CGI recreation of Jeff Bridges as a young man. Have we finally gotten past the “uncanny valley” (where the mind/eye discerns that something is just not quite “real”)? Sadly, no. As long as young Kevin Flynn wasn’t talking, the face looked great – but as soon as he spoke, the creepy factor pops up. He looked like he had a face full of Botox – think Joan Rivers as seen recently on The Apprentice. One could argue that Clu was a computer program and should have been “stiff” compared to a human, but even in the opening scene of the film where we see the real-world young Kevin Flynn, the same effect is present.

Really, if you’re going to see the film, try to make it to an IMAX theater if you have one available – and if there isn’t one you really should see the film in 3D, as TRON: Legacy is an example of 3D done right. It was shot in 3D and there is use of both subtle and overt 3D in the film, an overall effect that looks impressive and adds to the feeling of being in a world that is not ours.

But if you’re looking for characters and a story that will draw you in, wait and go see that other Jeff Bridges movie: True Grit.

Here’s a trailer for TRON: Legacy:

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If you want to talk about the film without worry about spoiling it for others, head over to our TRON: Legacy Spoilers Discussion.

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‘TRON: Legacy’ Spoilers Discussion

While we do have a TRON: Legacy review where you can leave comments, we’ve set up this as a place where you can discuss TRON: Legacy spoilers without concerns about ruining the movie for folks who haven’t seen it yet.

If you’re posting comments here, assume that anyone in the conversation has seen the movie – if you haven’t seen the movie, I would recommend you don’t read the comments here until you have.

And while you’re at it, you can give TRON: Legacy your own rating right here:

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Discuss away!

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‘TRON: Legacy’ Interview With Director Joseph Kosinski

We recently had the opportunity to speak with TRON: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski about what it’s like to be on the cusp of the opening weekend for his first feature film. Kosinski is in the unusual position of making his feature debut with not only one of the most anticipated movies of the last several years – but also (potentially) one of the most expensive.

Of course, according to recent projections, widespread audience awareness of the film does not seem to be quite what we, in the world of online movie news, might have assumed it was, and getting an exact read on the budget for TRON: Legacy has been a bit of a slippery affair.

Over the last several years there have been budget reports for the film with estimates as high as $300 million; however, Steven Lisberger (the original Tron creator/director and a producer on TRON: Legacy) has denied that the film cost “anywhere near Avatar money.”

Whatever the exact numbers turn out to be, the team behind TRON: Legacy is definitely feeling the pressure. A virtual army of workers are at the ready, waiting to see how TRON performs this weekend – hoping that the film will do well enough to justify a third instillation in the Tron franchise, and the plethora of merchandise that’s already in the pipeline.

Kosinski has already given a lot to the project: his cinematic vision (he was formerly an architect), tech savvy, understanding of video game culture (he directed video game commercials – prior to TRON: Legacy), and of course, three years of his life. Now, the only thing left for him to do is to sit back, let go, and wait.

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Screen Rant: I’m guessing you are pretty much all talked out right now (we were scheduled with Kosinski at the close of a day full of interviews). But were gonna force you to talk just a little bit more.

Joseph Kosinski: Bring it on.

SR: I’m bringing it! Tell me what it’s like to have TRON: Legacy be your first feature film?

JK: It’s been an incredible experience, I feel very lucky to have gotten the chance. It’s been a long process, but, it’s been an incredible experience.

SR: Well from out here, it looks like there must be a lot of pressure for this movie to perform. This is one of the most ambitious projects that Disney has undertaken, does it feel like a lot of pressure from the inside?

JK: Certainly there’s pressure while your making the movie. You know you want to…I’m glad you used the word “ambitious,” because that’s what we strove to be in all aspects of this film – there is a lot to live up to in terms of the first film. How ambitious it was, conceptually, and visually, and technically. So, I definitely felt pressure in making the film. As to where we stand now; my work on the movie is over, and now it’s just about spreading the word. But in terms of my job, the pressure has certainly eased a little bit.

Disney has been working very hard at getting the word out over the past few weeks. Soft opening weekend box office predictions (about $35 million) seem to have the studio reaching into, what might have before been, territories they would never agree to enter. There is even a TRON: Legacy themed spread in Playboy.

SR: You must be paying at least some attention to the critical response and the box office expectations?

JK: Well it’s hard not to because, ideally, you want the film to be critically successful – you certainly want the film to be financially successful so that you can…well, because that’s how movies like this are made, you know, they  need to make money. But as a director, you can only make the movie that you want to make. You can’t take those things into consideration while making the movie, because then you’ll start running around in circles trying to please different masters. So, I think that while you’re making the film it’s important to just keep your eye on the ball and make the best movie you can, and then realize that it’s out of your control.

SR: From everything we’ve heard, this feels like it was a very collaborative effort as the film evolved, even more so than many films. Jeff Bridges wanted to bring in elements of Buddhism, and his work with Buddhist monk Bernie Glassman; Michael Sheen seemed to have a great deal of influence on the look and mannerisms of his character, Castor. How collaborative was it?

JK: Well any film is a collaborative process, and in a movie like this, this big, you’ve got thousands and thousands of people working on it, so my idea on it was that the best ideas should win. It’s important to listen to those around you, and ultimately you have to decide which path you’re going to go down. You know, you’ve got an actor like Jeff Bridges with something like seventy movies under his belt and your certainly going to listen to his thoughts about the character. You know, I thought he brought a lot to the character of Kevin Flynn. There is a lot of Jeff’s ideas in Flynn’s character, and even some of Flynn’s lines are Jeff’s lines.

SR: Like which ones?

JK: “Chaos, good news.”

SR: What about “your messing with my zen thing man?”

JK: I’ve got to give credit to Michael Arndt  for that one.

Continue to our talk with Kosinski about the message of TRON: Legacy…

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Three More ‘TRON: Legacy’ Featurettes

Concerned TRON: Legacy fans, fear no more -- Walt Disney Pictures has released even more promotional material as the company continues to (hopefully) heighten anticipation for the 3D tentpole pic.

Three new TRON: Legacy featurettes are now available for viewing, so if you crave insider knowledge about the villain, plot, and general atmosphere of the sequel (which is structured as a standalone film), then they’re worth a look.

Clu 2.0 (a.k.a. CGI young Jeff Bridges) has been featured prominently throughout Disney’s TRON: Legacy marketing blitz and the character now even has his own featurette. Once you get past the obvious issues afflicting the de-aged Kevin Flynn (namely, that he looks a bit fake and his growly vocals have inexplicably not changed over the course of two decades), the fact that the film’s conflict literally boils down to “man vs. self” is actually kind of clever and adds some personal drama to all the snazzy 3D visuals and action.

It helps that the plot of TRON: Legacy centers around the reunion between Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) and his father, Kevin. The relationship between the two will hopefully be developed enough to keep moviegoers’ interests when lightcycles and flashy F/X aren’t decorating the screen -- which admittedly might only amount to 10% of the film’s running time, but still, substance is always a good thing.

Watch the Clu 2.0 and “story” featurettes for TRON: Legacy below:

This next behind-the-scenes look at TRON: Legacy doesn’t contain anything but miniscule bits of not-yet-glimpsed footage or new information released about the project -- if that even. It’s probably for the best that Disney puts a cap on releasing much more material from the movie before it inadvertently makes the entire thing available online in some form.

Check out the most recent TRON: Legacy featurette below:

Not much else to say right now -- TRON: Legacy looks to be visually spectacular and will undoubtedly benefit from being viewed on the big screen in 3D and/or IMAX 3D and/or even plain “old-fashioned” 2D, for that matter. Can December 17th just hurry up and get here already?

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‘Transformers 3′ Teaser Trailer Coming With ‘Narnia: Dawn Treader’ & ‘TRON: Legacy’

There is new drama regarding the 3D format of Michael Bay’s third entry in the Transformers franchise, entitled Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Yet another movie website recently ran a post claiming that Bay is having trouble working with 3D and that Transformers 3 is suffering as a result.

Bay has yet again responded via his own platforms, and is still maintaining that Transformers 3 was shot in cutting-edge 3D and will look amazing onscreen…as we will soon be able to see for ourselves.

For those with long memories, this Transformers 3 3D issue has popped up and been swatted down about a handful of times since production on the film began. We here at Screen Rant even managed to incur the wrath of Bay for a story we ran on the matter.

By now it’s pointless to continue tossing out conspiracy theories – and more to the point, why argue about this 3D issue when we can judge the first footage from the film within the next couple of weeks?

While swatting down the latest naysayer claims, Michael Bay let this little hint slip about a Transformers: Dark of the Moon teaser trailer:

“…I will give full details of my process and why I liked 3D in the next week right before the Transformers announcement piece comes out on Tron and Narnia.”

For those who aren’t movie buffs eager to see the two films Michael Bay referred to: the next installment in Fox’s Narnia series, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will be in theaters on December 10th, while Disney’s sci-fi sequel TRON: Legacy will be packing 3D theaters on December 17th. If the Transformers: Dark of the Moon teaser trailer is to be released alongside those two films, we should expect it to debut online (albeit in 2D) anytime within 10 – 14 days from now – at least by my estimation.

Check out the early synopsis for Dark of the Moon below:

In this new movie, the Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race between the U.S. and Russia, and once again human Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf)  has to come to the aid of his robot friends. There’s new characters too, including a new villain in the form of Shockwave, a longtime ‘Transformers’ character who rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth.

There will supposedly be a lot of reveals in the film about the intertwined histories of humans and the robots from Cybertron, with the usual big battles and massive explosions you expect from Michael Bay.

Ironically enough, due to all this controversy over the 3D format, what might’ve otherwise been viewed as another lackluster sequel in a so-so franchise is now going to be a lightning rod for scrutiny. Expect hardcore movie fans and Blogosphere reporters alike to put this film under a hi-res microscope – and don’t be surprised when somebody posts a shot-for-shot analysis of the 2D teaser trailer to determine the potential quality of the 3D (or lack thereof) in every frame.

Look for the Transformers 3 teaser trailer in front of The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader on December 10th and TRON: Legacy on December 17th.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be in (3D) theaters on July 1, 2011.

Source: Michael Bay Forums

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TRON: Legacy ‘Vehicles’ and Behind-The-Scenes Featurette

What day comes after Monday, but two days before Thursday? If you didn’t immediately answer TRON Tuesday, then clearly Walt Disney Picture’s TRON: Legacy marketing blitz hasn’t properly grabbed hold of your subconscious yet (don’t worry, they’re working on it).

Two more featurettes for the 3D digital world adventure are online and they offer a closer look at the design of the film’s too-cool-for-reality vehicles, as well as a more general behind-the-scenes glimpse at the elaborate sets and technology used to fully realize “The Grid.”

TRON: Legacy director, Joseph Kosinski, hired automobile designer Darren Gilford as production designer for the film, which not only contains newly improved, highly detailed versions of the light cycles from the original Tron, but adds low riding cars and assemble-it-yourself-in-midair jets into the mix. Those that watched either the third TRON: Legacy trailer or the most recent international theatrical preview - or really any footage from the movie released, so far know exactly what we’re talking about.

Cast members Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, and Olivia Wilde get to talk up TRON: Legacy even more in this new “Vehicles” featurette -- props to the trio for still appearing enthusiastic while they chat about the same movie they’ve been promoting seemingly 24-7 for months now.

Check out the “Vehicles” video below:

The raw behind-the-scenes TRON: Legacy footage offered a glimpse at the expensive but sick looking practical sets and cybersuits (which actually light up, no less) worn by the actors, as well as the fancy motion-capture getup that Bridges had to don in order to create the character Clu 2.0 (a.k.a. CGI young Jeff Bridges).

Kosinski is quite keen in this second TRON: Legacy featurette to call attention to the prestigious nature of his technical crew on the project (was anyone NOT a previous Oscar nominee and/or winner?), who look to have done a bang-up job of meshing actual props (duel discs, helmets, etc.) and people with CGI landscapes and digitally-created architecture -- both in the 2D “real world” sequences and the 3D scenes set in “The Grid” itself.

Watch the latest behind-the-scenes video for TRON: Legacy below:

TRON: Legacy arrives in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D theaters on December 17th, 2010, which means we only have three TRON Tuesdays left. So -- who here’s excited?

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

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Behind The Scenes Of ‘TRON: Legacy’ – The Actors Talk About Making the Film

Disney has released fifteen minutes of behind the scenes footage from TRON: Legacy as they increase their marketing campaign in preparation for the December 17 release of the film. The footage is fairly raw, unlike a traditional BTS feature, which would be inter-cut with interviews that give the context for the footage. One does get a sense of some of the technology used in making the film, as well as some of the techniques employed.

We also hear from TRON: Legacy stars Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund, along with producer Sean Bailey and director Joseph Kosinski, about what it was like to make the highly-anticipated sequel.

In the footage there are a few shots of Jeff Bridges in “the vault,” which is a room of any size, painted green, and filled with sensors designed to capture the movement and facial performance of the actor. The capture is used to assist in the creation of the CGI version of Bridges as Clu – a.k.a. the young Kevin Flynn – as well as the environment in the scene as well as the camera angles. This was a process which blew Jeff Bridges away. He shook his head in wonder, saying, “Wow man, making movies without cameras — what an idea! When they first said that, I said ‘what are you talking about’!?!”

He said that the one of the the most surreal moments in making the movie was when he was first scanned, so that the computer could create a digital imprint of him in order to create his younger avatar, which audiences will see in the film. The actor said it was “Just like the first Tron (when his character is “digitized” onto the grid) but for real!”

This method of filmmaking took some getting used to for the actor, who likes to “relate to the lens and have a costume and a set.” Although, he feels that the best thing to do in acting (and in life) is to adapt to the the reality of what is happening, and adapt quickly, so for him this work became about becoming “like a child, when you don’t have all the cool gear, and you have to use your imagination.”

As far as where this new technology will lead, Bridges, as well as many others, speculate that the possibilities are endless:

“They’re going to be able to combine actors too — I’m not sure how I feel about this — but they’re going to be able to say ‘hey, let’s get  Boxleitner, and Bridges, and throw in some Brando and see what happens.”

Though the cost and time commitment involved in the capture process (it took two years to create the look of Clu, and then longer to create movement) will likely limit its use in feature-film productions, at least for now.

In the footage, you are also able to also see Jeff Bridges in the capture helmet as he portrays Clu in a scene set in the “End of the Line Bar”, with live-action actor Michael Sheen.

It feels as though the scene in which “the sirens” first give Sam Flynn his grid wardrobe and identity disk is choreographed somewhat like a dance. You can hear a count out for the movement of the  four exotically beautiful “programs” charged with preparing Sam for the “games,” a.k.a. “Disk Wars.” You can also see some of the choreography from the fight scenes, which Garrett Hedlund, describes as “unlike any I have ever seen.”

Take a look at the footage below:

First time director Joseph Kosinski has a fair amount riding on the success of this film, and so does producer turned Disney President of Production, Sean Bailey. This footage may be intended to prep fans for the vastly different, and far more modern version of The Grid that they will be introduced to in TRON: Legacy.

Some fans speculate that Disney has pulled the copies of the original Tron from shelves in an effort to disassociate this film from the now dated look of the original, so that casual movie goers will not assume that they will see more of the same in TRON: Legacy. Of course, it’s possible that Disney is simply hoping to time the release of the remastered original film, with (what they hope will be) the blockbuster success of the sequel. Sean Baily would simply say “We have some big plans for the original Tron,” while emphasizing that TRON: Legacy is a “standalone movie.”

TRON: Legacy – which was green lit due to the enthusiastic audience reaction to the test footage released at Comic Con three years ago – is now depending on that sane audience to show up in force and bring ten friends each.

TRON: Legacy hits theaters on December 17

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New ‘TRON: Legacy’ Clip & Featurette

Feeling concerned that TRON Tuesday came and seemingly went without new paraphernalia being unveiled for Disney’s TRON: Legacy? Rest assured, the company has released even more material in promotion of their big-budget, 3D tentpole pic.

Yet another clip from TRON: Legacy has made its way online, along with a featurette that looks briefly at the different style and representation of reality vs. “The Grid” in the cyber-world adventure.

Most moviegoers missed out on Disney’s TRON Night Event, but the Mouse House seems determined to make even hermits that live out in the farthest regions of Antarctica aware of the impending release of the TRON sequel. Last week’s third TRON: Legacy trailer had its share of extravagant visuals to help fuel fan anticipation, but it was the Daft Punk “Derezzed” music video that really did an excellent job of portraying how stylish TRON: Legacy will be in terms of its visual and audio design.

Tech-savvy Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) is the protagonist for TRON: Legacy but, based off the footage we’ve seen so far, he seems inexplicably morose for a fellow who finds himself sucked into a digital realm full of robotic women armed with laser-tipped fingers, and gargantuan Recognizers zooming about throughout the atmosphere.

Just watch the latest TRON: Legacy clip and tell us that Sam doesn’t seem a bit too detached about being fitted with a snazzy black cybersuit by four milky-eyed ladies, led by the albino Siren Jam (Beau Garrett):

TRON: Legacy promises to have 3D eye candy galore, so here’s hoping that perhaps Sam’s old man, Kevin (Jeff Bridges) and his protege Quorra (Olivia Wilde) are a bit more enthused than Sam and help make the film an overall fun, energetic romp.

L to R: Wilde, Bridges, and Hedlund strike a pose for 'TRON: Legacy'.

Everyday reality will look quite different from the digital world in TRON: Legacy since the brown-tinted real world scenes were shot and will be presented in two dimensions before the scenery shifts to the 3D lightning-strewn world of “The Grid.”

Check out what we mean by watching the behind-the-scenes video below:

TRON: Legacy hits 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D screens in the U.S. on December 17th, 2010. Are you feeling all the more excited to actually see this movie at last?

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

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