Tron: Legacy
Walt Disney Productions/LivePlanet/Sean Bailey Productions
PG
127 Minutes
2010
This is going to sound weird, but Tron: Legacy is one of my favorite films of 2010. I know film snobs are all scoffing and writing me off as another braindead average moviegoer, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy a good popcorn flick. There's just something about this particular one that strikes a chord with me.
Is it that Jeff Bridges, one of the finest actors in the world, came back to reprise his role for a sequel to a 28-year-old cult sci-fi film? Is it the arresting visuals and effects magic that recreated a believable 20-something Bridges and brought a digital world to life? Is it the way the stunning score from Daft Punk is interwoven so perfectly into the film? All those things certainly play a part, but none of them accurately explain my affection.
Tron: Legacy is most definitely a flawed film from an objective critic's point of view. It's mostly visual spectacle with a clichéd science fiction hokum plot. It makes sense, despite many reviews to the contrary, but it's unoriginal, overly philosophical, often silly, and about as subtle as a building falling on top of you. The acting ranges from good (Bridges) to stiff (Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn), to hammy (Michael Sheen's Castor). Even with several expository flashbacks, knowledge of the first movie is practically a requirement, and several subplots are left unresolved.
The truth is even I don't know why I feel the way I do, but I enjoyed Tron: Legacy immensely.





