Top2Bottom: Tron Legacy

A long while and many podcasts ago, I took my own slant on the "Top 10" list - the "Top to Bottom" list, which focused on the best three things and the worst three things of whatever we were talking about.

Now, I bring it to SuperRadDad in the form of quick and dirty reviews because, well, because I barely have enough time to maintain a blog, let alone create voluminous content.

So here it is, the inaugural Top2Bottom list for "Tron: Legacy."



Top
3.  It's PG
  I actually didn't realize that the film was PG until I sat through the entire credits and the MPAA came on at the end.  I thought surely for a movie that was so high budget, so visually dark, that it would have garnered a PG-13 rating, but kudos to Disney for making a film that had virtually no cursing (I think a 'damn' showed up at one point), intense fighting and action, and heady subtext while making a film that a family of geeks could enjoy together.

2.  It's so Tron.
  As visually stunning now as it was in 1982, "Tron: Legacy" has all of the eye-popping visuals fans would want to see.  The updated set and costume design feels timeless and delicately side-steps the inevitable "Matrix" Comparisons.  Even the much-poo-pooed CGI of young Jeff Bridges works for me, though that uncanny valley can be a little off-putting.  Neon? Check.  Deadly Discs? Check-plus. Light Cycle Goodness? Checkmate. 

1.  The Score.
 "Daft Punk's" score is incredible, original, and unparalleled.  Not only are they a fanboy's dream in terms of composers for the "Tron" soundtrack, but it might be one of the most perfect scores to a film ever.  Making the music a character itself.

Bottom
3.  It's so Tron.
  Despite my love and fond memories for the '82 film, I acknowledge that the original "Tron" starts out a little slow, picks up once in The Grid, and then virtually grinds to a halt for the last 45 minutes or so.  There was nearly 30 years for the ideas of Tron to simmer into a spectacular Sci-Fi epic, and yet "Legacy" moves at the same plodding pace.  At 2+ hours, a half-hour of static exposition that occurs in the second and third acts could have been cut out to make for a much tighter, action-laden story.

2.  It's so Tron.
  Because of its 28 year hiatus, "Legacy"  has to re-explain its universe and rules for a whole new generation who has no knowledge of the original film, or for those who have completely forgotten it.  It's attempt to bridge the gap between the two films is a blessing and a curse - its continuity pleases die-hard fans, but there's a lot of story to get through that doesn't mean a whole lot for the basic "Where is Flynn" premise.  It might have been better to split the movie up into two parts - one taking place in 1989 covering the takeover of the Grid and Flynn's exile; and the sequel taking place in 2010 of Sean's search for his father.

1.  It's so Tron.
   A myriad of subtext and allegorical potential to expound on in the Tron universe and "Legacy" wastes the opportunity to explore any of it.  Civil Rights issues between Isos and Programs; What does it mean to be a Program; Is there such thing as a User; Are Users interested in the Programs they create or have the Users lost interest in The Grid; If Clu is Adam, then isn't Sean Flynn the Messiah; and finally, Is this all in Flynn's mind? So much potential for depth, but always wading in from the shallow end.