Tron: Legacy

B (6.6)

Almost 20 years ago, Disney had produced and created a movie called Tron which has Jeff Bridges as  Kevin Flynn, the head of Encom a video game corporation who coincidently went into a arcade video game and has to survive several programs to get out. The original performed poorly at the Box Office, but recieved a cult following and a Lifetime Achievement Oscar since it was the first studio produced movie to achieve computer generated effects

Now we have Tron Legacy. In this longly awaited sequel and the lastly anticipated films before the calendar year ends, Bridges appear as the same character and has a son named Sam (later played by Garrett Hedlund) who promised the day after he finish work, he and Sam would spend time together at the arcade in 1989. Kevin Flynn goes missing again and his company Encom has to replace him with another CEO. 21 years later SAm is the largest shareholder for the company and when he becomes curious about his father's whereabouts, he goes into the arcade he and Kevin supposedly hang out and ends up into the same arcade game where Kevin is trapped. He finds his Dad who is stuck in his virtual reality from a chracter he had created named Clu (also played by Jeff Bridges). Sam must defeat Clu and escape from the Game Grid.

Tron Legacy has pretty much the same story structure as its predeccesor. A man's trapped in a computer game and trying to escape to reality while surviving battles with other 'programs'. As the original inspired many great science fiction movies such as The Matrix, it's almost predictable to see the main character Sam Flynn to follow that kind of order.

But the visuals are excellent than ever. The lights are brighter. The 3D is built into vividness and the design is almost perfect. The battle sequences featuring several programs riding each other between light cycles. Awesome. The music by electronica duo Daft Punk which mixes its kind of music with such an emotive score. Really cool. Unfortunately all of it isn't perfect. Half of the film isn't entirely in 3D which is a pity given how we could enjoy this when it was eagerly awaited. You might as well take the glasses off when you are currently watching a 2D sequences.

Jeff Bridges coming back from an Oscar winning performance in Crazy Heart is pretty neat as the previous heart from Tron but more powerful as Clu in here. Whilst Bridges may be having a ball with this flick, it rounds out Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett and Michael Sheen as respective programs. Where the latter's makes the most entertaining character in this flick, the women seems so pointless as they have nothing to do here.

One main element Tron: Legacy lacks is heart. It has almost half of it, where Sam Flynn isn't the person you should think of the most. In fact it's both Sam and Kevin Flynn where there are important. They both have this relationship that is really moving and needing. But to its heart, it feels so wasted. WE just feel that Garrett Hedlund only makes a decent not revelating performance.

But Tron just goes into every cliche there is. Kids will enjoy this movie as your average popcorn flick relying on the special effects, however it fails to balance between the story and its characters where it is more important.