The Bounty Hunter

Milo Boyd, a former police officer and gambler, who owes money to some dangerous bookies, is a bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail jumping ex-wife. He thinks all that is ahead is an easy payday but when his ex gives him the slip so she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up, Milo realizes nothing ever goes simply with him and his ex. This was a movie that I thought looked very funny and the thriller aspect seemed like a good twist within the romantic comedy. After seeing The Bounty Hunter it missed out on a lot of potential and it should have decided whether it wanted to be a comedy or a suspense thriller, because by trying to be both it succeeded at neither.

I was very surprised by the acting in The Bounty Hunter. Gerard Butler, in the role of Milo just did not work for me as much as he has in other roles I have seen him in. While his character had its moments that I enjoyed, unfortunately these moments were few and far between. Likewise Jennifer Aniston in the role of Nicole, Milo's ex was very lackluster as well. While in a lot of the recent romantic comedies I have seen Aniston in she has been very funny and really made the movie work so well with her character. The dynamic between Butler and Aniston was off throughout most of the movie. I never felt a believability between the two of them as having a hatred each other in being exes as well as the feelings they end up having for each other just felt more like they were dead in portraying this emotion. While they did click for a couple of funny moments together, it is never a great sign for a movie when the funniest scene deals with one of the supporting characters, Stewart getting hit with a horse tranquilizer.

I think the overall concept had room to do a lot with and they could have taken the various situations to different level that they could have been fairly funny and really elevated the comedy aspect in this movie. The story for The Bounty Hunter definitely could have been new and unique, but instead it went nowhere and really gave a feeling of boredom throughout. The thriller aspect of this movie should have been what kept the audience engaged in the story. For me I felt like the thriller part was forced and because of that you just did not care. It would have worked better to have gone one way or the other. In the trying to have the thriller aspect they lost time to focus on the comedy. Had the movie solely focused on the romantic comedy portions The Bounty Hunter may have been a more enjoyable movie that was funny as well. I think part of why the acting did not work is that the script gave Butler and Aniston nowhere to actually take their characters. The characters really had no depth to them. the depth for how you care about the characters is vital even in a romantic comedy. In the romantic comedy it is sometimes the depth of characters that determines how good the movie truly is.

The Bounty Hunter really ends up being one of those forgettable movies. I was disappointed in Butler and Aniston's performances , I think a big part of that is that the script gave their characters nowhere to go. Aniston was still great eye candy and she can still command presences on-screen, but I just wanted to see more from her. The story really missed its opportunities to be a good movie. I expected more going in to seeing The Bounty Hunter, so I am giving it two and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. While this movie is far from great it is still an average movie and at the same time is an okay date movie.

-The Movie Man

Man On A Ledge

 Man On A Ledge is an edge of your seat suspense thriller that will really keep you guessing until the end. I am not sure why, but I did not hear anything about this movie until I saw the trailer for it in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. I do not know why Summit Entertainment did not put more into the promoting of this film. I know recently other actors/actresses that have been upset at Summit because they felt other films were taking a huge back seat to Summit Entertainment promoting The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, which in a sense does make some sense as to why I did not hear about Man On A Ledge until just a month before it came out. The story focuses on Nick Cassidy, an ex-cop who after escaping prison for a crime he claims he was set up for, set out to prove his innocence while on a ledge twenty one stories up. It is then that we learn that he is on the ledge merely as a distraction while the rest of his team is across the street breaking in to steal the $40 million diamond he was convicted of stealing from our villain Robert Englander.

Sam Worthington stars as Nick Cassidy. Washington shows a lot in this role which is not an easy thing simply because a majority of the film he is on a ledge. By being on a ledge his whole believability relies on his ability to bring the necessary emotion to the role so the audience buys in to him and wants to root for everything to turn in his favor. Not having a lot of other things going Worthington does a great job at giving the natural fear one would have while standing on a ledge to the absolute determination he has in his own innocence. Worthington definitely shows the potential he has to be a great A-list actor. Along with Worthington, we have Elizabeth Banks in the role of agent Mercer, the hostage negotiator that Cassidy specifically asks for does a great job as well. Like Cassidy's character Mercer is carrying a lot of emotional baggage into the negotiation situation, since her last negotiation did not end well and the way that has not only affected her, but her relationships with the other cops she regularly interacts with. Banks really plays her character well, because with the limited movement she has to rely on her emotions to make the impression to the audience in how sincere she is in wanting to help not only the situation have a positive result, but also in her believing Cassidy's declaration of innocence. This is the first movie I can remember in seeing that Banks was in a serious role and not a comedy. Banks worked well with Worthington in that there chemistry worked so perfectly together.

The rest of the supporting cast do decent jobs and they all bring great elements to the movie. The other two members of Cassidy's team of Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriguez play off each other well and they have a great banter back and forth that not only brings great laughs throughout but really helps to lessen the intensity of the movie at times. Ed Harris in his very minimal role of Englander, our villain does a good job, that the audience does not like him.

The story for Man On A Ledge just simply worked for me not only as a strong edge of your seat thriller, but it had a story that is strong enough to be compared with other stories for movies that are across different genres. With the premise of a man who claims to have been framed and then sets out to prove his innocence is nothing new, but the fact he is practically stationary on the ledge and serves as a distraction while the rest of his team is trying to prove his innocence is something new to me that was a nice twist to the usual story. As the story progresses the director Asger Leth gives a few nice twists and turns that truly do a great job at helping the pacing move at a steady pace that does not make it feel rushed or dragging. the directing of Asger Leth is new to me as this is the first movie that I have seen his directing, he definitely has a lot of promise. the greatest aspect in the story that really attests to the strength of Worthington's performance is how much the audience can hate Englander even though as the villain he is barely on screen. The distaste for the villain really relies on Worthington's conviction against Englander and the corruption of Englander is what takes the audience hate of the villain to the next level.

Man On A Ledge is an edge of your seat thriller that weaves a great story into the suspense from the first moment until the very end. The movie was entertaining throughout and it really did a great job at keeping me guessing in trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Worthington and Banks really worked well together and really carried this movie and showed their definite future star power. I am giving Man On A Ledge three and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that was worth my time and really is worth the price to see in a theater. This movie will definitely end up in the collection eventually.

-The Movie Man

Super 8

The concept of Super 8 is combining the elements of J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg. The trailer kind of gave you the feeling of this movie being E.T. meets Cloverfield and while that is partially correct this movie is really about J. J. Abrams vision with the stylistic elements of Spielberg. Abrams brings another alien/monster movie to life on the screen and yet the real story is that of a group of younger kids filming a movie and how a train wreck effects their making of not only the movie, but also their lives as even a normal kid. Like most normal kids they have a natural curiosity to know what is going on once their town is evacuated. The story is really about the kids zombie movie making and the family tragedy while there's a monster attacking their town. This movie is in a way Abrams showing how the classic Spielberg movies inspired him.

Elle Fanning ends up stealing the show in her role of Alice. She is able to even outshine all of the adults which is something that is not often seen. The interesting aspect with Super 8 for me is the obvious similar E.T. feeling and how that movie helped a young Drew Barrymore become a star and with Fanning's performance this will be the one that people will look back on and see this to be her breakout performance. It was interesting to me how she is able to be the most memorable character and yet her role is really an offshoot main character. Joel Courtney in the main role of Joe Lamb does a decent job and while he is a newcomer he did show promise as we do see a full range of emotions from him and he does a good job to really control the screen and take over those moments when he is the prominent character, but also the confidence he exerts as they go to try to rescue Alice. The rest of the kid supporting cast help to really support Fanning and Courtney. The curiosity and fear that they all are feeling in trying to not only understand what they saw with the train wreck, but also wanting to know what the Air Force is doing in their town comes across clearly. they are all ones with potential that they could end up having very long movie careers.

With such a focus on the group of kids, the adult characters end up being very supplementary that there is only a moment or two of character development that I found myself wanting to have had more of a reason to care for the adults and understand why they were the way they are particularly Kyle Chandler's character and why he wanted his son to not be a part of helping with the movie. The problem with the adult roles is that there is so much development on the main group of kids that the adults feel flat and almost just there because the town would have both kids and adults. The only way to fix this would have been to eliminate some plot points and some characters that to eliminate some plot points and some characters that while prominent served no purpose to the overall development of the main story arc.

J.J. Abrams delivers a powerful story in Super 8 that builds throughout. Abrams has shown a great ability to build great stories that through his direction he brings to life in such great ways, case in point the reboot of Star Trek . While at some points the story does get a little muddled at times with so many different plot points running at times, the overall pacing was strong and the feelings that the story was constantly building throughout. As well as it did not have those moments with many smaller climaxes, but instead the tension and even edge of your seat feeling only built up more and more. Probably the greatest aspect of building suspense through the story is the secrecy of what the alien looks like. At different points we see quick glimpses of parts of the alien and also with the objects that alien is able to throw it only adds to the build up as to exactly how big is this alien. I enjoyed in ways the almost Goonies and E.T. feeling we get with the interactions and decisions made by the group of kids and how wanting to know what is exactly driving the Air Force to be in the town.

The build up for the story was perfect and I don't know if it was because the story put you on the edges of your seat with great suspense, but for me the biggest flaw was the climax. The whole pay-off moment for me ended up being a huge let down. When we finally see the monster and how big it is it is almost as if they decided to finish the movie quickly because the movie would end up being too long if they did not rush the end of the movie. They left some questions unanswered which I really would have liked to have known such as why did the alien just take the people and not kill them?

Super 8 is a movie that mixes the feel of E.T./Goonies with Cloverfield. While the build up for the story was great and the story Abrams told was great the pay-off was underwhelming and left me with   a feeling of wanting more. Elle Fanning gives a sensational performance that she actually outshines everyone in the cast. The rest of the kid cast do a great job as this really ends up being a movie that is all about them and not only their curiosities, but struggles with things that happen in life. I am giving Super 8 three buckets of popcorn out of five. While I enjoyed watching this movie it is one that is most worth renting.

-The Movie Man

Shrek Forever After

Shrek Forever After is the fourth installment in the Shrek franchise. When I heard about a fourth movie I was not really sure how I felt about it. I did not know where they could take the story this time around without it feeling redundant in comparison to the previous story lines. This time around Shrek ends up being pitted against Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek is struggling this time with everything in his life and finally feels like the ogre in him has been pacified to the point in which he is no longer viewed to be scary. So in steps Rumpelstiltskin who unknown to Shrek was set to make a deal with Fiona's parents before she was released from the tower. Rumpelstiltskin  offer Shrek one free day away from all of his responsibilities  in return just simply one day from his past will no longer exist. After losing the day Shrek met Fiona, Shrek must go about trying to win Fiona's love and help her remember her love for him. With this storey I definitely thought it was one that could work pretty well.

The main actors from the previous three Shrek films lend their voices once again. Mike Myers as the role of Shrek is exactly what he has been in the past three Shrek movies. Myers brought the comedic moments once again, but I would have loved to have seen more comedy from Shrek's character. Walt Dohrn lends his voice for the role of Rumpelstiltskin. Keeping up with another great villain for Shrek to go against, he gave a great performance that puts Rumpelstiltskin right up there neck and neck with Lithgow's performance as Lord Farquaad in the first Shrek movie. I think Rumpelstiltskin is one of the lesser known fairy tales, and I think his portrayal here in ShrekfForever After is perfect.  His villainous ways in this movie brings an absolute hatred for Rumpelstiltskin and what he has done to Far Far Away. The other returning characters are just as funny as they have been in the previous installments. The new supporting characters that were introduced this time around did a good job and interacted well with the others. The main three witches do a great job and were well though out in such a way that they served perfect roles as Rumpelstiltskin's minions. I would have loved to have had them write more interactions with the witches.

The plot and storyline for Shrek Forever After is surprisingly good. With this being the fourth installment it is definitely not an easy task for the story to not be so similar as the previous that it is boring and makes the viewer feel like they have already seen this Shrek movie. While there are similar plot elements or themes that have been across all the Shrek films the writers have done a good job at keeping it feeling like it is refreshed and new idea. One of the themes is that of Shrek struggling with his own identity. I liked that they used this identity struggle as the primary plot point that leads to Rumpelstiltskin being able to trick Shrek into losing the most important day in his life and to gain the power that Shrek robbed from him. One of the other great aspects they have been able to do very successfully through all the Shrek films has been the integration of current pop culture references in with a fairy tale type story.

Shrek Forever After exceeded the expectations I had for this movie going into it. They were able to bring a story that was not boring or seemed like the same story as before. I thought Rumpelstiltskin was the perfect villain for the final installment. With the fourth I was not sure if I would find it funny, but Myers and company brought strong one liners and really did a great job at integrating pop culture references into this fairy tale story. I am giving Shrek Forever After three buckets of popcorn out of five. Shrek Forever After is a movie that is worth renting.

-The Movie Man

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is the fourth installment in the Mission Impossible franchise that from the first moment I heard about, I looked forward to seeing. Once again we are sent on another globe trotting adventure with Ethan Hunt and his IMF team. After Ethan and his team are implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin in Russia, they are disavowed and set out as a rogue team to not only prove their innocence, but are trying to prevent a Russian mad man from starting an all out nuclear war. A lot of times movie franchises, once they get into the fourth installment territory the story tends to get stale and end up being the same story rehashed with a different bad guy. Ghost Protocol has managed to avoid this trap even with the fact spy movies can only do so much without getting boring and redundant. The great aspect that works is the mixing in of the comedy into the action so seamlessly that it does not feel disjointed which is what happens a lot of the time.

Tom Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt and not only plays the role amazingly, but it is truly great to be able to see the character development and depth that Cruise has helped to build throughout the entire franchise. Of course on e of the most impressive aspects for me is that Cruise actually does his own stunts. The stunts he does are not just simple fight sequences but are actually quite breathtaking. Particularly when Cruise scales the hotel in Dubai. Jeremy Renner joins the IMF team as agent Brant and brings a great mystery to his character. With all the talk that Renner is set to take over the franchise, he does a great job at establishing his character as a strong agent who is a true equal to Cruise's Hunt character. Renner plays Brant with such a great mysteriousness throughout that the audience ends up wondering throughout the movie what exactly happened in his past that made him leave being in the field. Renner and Cruise share the screen equally and seemed to have an easy chemistry together. This works well for the movie, in that as it proceeds the torch ends up being passed from Cruise to Renner, while we still get a swan song for Cruise as the man carrying the franchise.

The supporting cast matches the performances brought in by Cruise and Renner perfectly. Simon Pegg in a larger supporting role this go around is a perfect fit. Playing Benji, who is no longer just the tech support guy as he has become field qualified. Yet, he is still nervous about being out there as a true agent and has his struggles with that at times. Pegg brings along some of the funniest moments with his comedic timing, especially in  his interactions with Renner. He plays the comedy with such an easiness to it that it makes it fit seamlessly with everything else that is going on. Michael Nyqvist in the role of our villain Kurt Hendricks is admirable. He worked perfectly with what the script gave him, and when onscreen he just had a demeanor that we should not like him, but for me something was simply missing with his character.

The story for Ghost Protocol was just as good as the previous installments. This go around takes us on not only a journey all around the world, but one where I feel like they have finally given us the complete story arc for Ethan Hunt. Of course if this truly ends up being the end for us seeing Ethan Hunt heading up IMF teams is yet to be seen and they left it open ended for Ethan Hunt just like they have in all the other installments. So it will I am sure be up to Cruise to decide what type of role Ethan Hunt will have moving forward. In the story though we are taken from seeing Agent Hunt being accustomed to being the lone wolf out in the field with minimal help and the mentality one must have when working like that to learning how to trust in being a part of a team with what happened to his old team in the first installment and the betrayal he felt. The story flows from point to point with a nice fluidity so that it does not ever feel slow or dragged down, while at the same time it does not move so fast that the audience has no clue what is happening or where the plot of the movie is going. However, the biggest flaw for me was that of our mastermind villain Hendricks. On paper a mad man trying to incite all out nuclear war would seem to be a perfect fit for a spy movie, and I believe mad men wanting to destroy the world with nuclear warfare is a common theme through a lot of spy movies, yet there never was a depth added and we never received the villain soliloquy in which he gives the good guy and the audience his reasoning behind his actions, so I was left not having much of a care for the villain. The audience needs to have a reason to root against the bad guy other then the simple fact that he is going up against Ethan Hunt and his IMF team. I think for me after how great of a villain we had in the third installment with Phillip Seymour Hoffman's perfect nemesis of a villain to Ethan Hunt I just simply expected the writers to take the villain to another level.

To go along with the story the direction gives us some amazing action sequences paired with some amazing locations. I ended up seeing this movie on the IMAXThe fight scenes were done very well, incredibly brutal and realistic looking. The sound for this film really helped as you could almost feel every punch and kick as well as the explosions. The greatest scene for me was Ethan climbing the hotel in Dubai, the worlds most tallest building. Shot in IMAX as well, I almost felt like I was right there next to Ethan looking down from above. It is even more awe inspiring to watch in the IMAX as he swings himself then launches himself off back into the room he left from originally.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is an entertaining movie that is one that you can watch over and over again. It is always a nice thing when a movie that could easily be a summer blockbuster comes out during the doldrums of the winter, it really ups my excitement level for the blockbuster movies to come out in the following months. Cruise does not disappoint in his role and I still respect the fact that he does his own stunts and seeing the stunts he does here make it even more impressive. Renner was a great addition and will take over the franchise nicely. Even at two and a half hours the pacing fits so nicely that it did not have me getting bored and wondering when it would be over. It was a fun adventure across the world, I am giving Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie well worth seeing on not only the big screen but an IMAX screen as well and it is one that will definitely end up in the movie collection.

-The Movie Man

You Again

You Again is a little different type of chick flick, while there are those typical romantic comedy moments, the main story story deals with the sister of the groom and how her arch nemesis from high school ends up being her brother's fiance. While this alone one would think would make for some funny moments they added a twist by having the groom's mother and the bride's aunt be old enemies from high school as well. While the overall concept had a lot of potential to be a funny movie with a great story, but it really missed out on the execution to reach its potential . The trailers unfortunately showed some of the funniest parts which left the audience feeling a little let down as you always want to see funnier moments in the actual movie and not the funniest ones in the trailer.

Kristen Bell in the role of Marni, does a strong job with what she is given. With the torment she underwent through high school from her brother's fiance the audience definitely feels for her from the get go. Bell is definitely one who is becoming better in every role she is in and she has some very good comedic timing. While I do think she does a good job this is probably my least favorite role I have seen her in. Her character ends up stooping to the level of a high school tormentor which makes it hard to want to root for her. Odette Annable in the role of Joanna, Bell's high school tormentor was cast very well. In the flashbacks to high school she plays the mean girl role so well that we view her as the antagonist and we do not trust her intentions and believe she is just being nice as part of trying to make Bell look crazy. The rest of the supporting cast fit in nicely with the two female leads. Betty White although her role is very small she is still amazingly funny and it is hilarious when she hits on the much younger men. The competition that goes on between Sarandon and Curtis plays for laughs, some of these moments work while some of the other moments fall flat on their face.

The story of You Again is one that is unique. It is a rarity to see the two main characters to be females. While there have been a few movies with two female leads it has been awhile since I have seen a movie with two female leads. I did enjoy the perspective that You Again does show how we can sometimes gets so focused on something that we end up being blind to everything else. Bell's character experiences this phenomena as she is so enveloped in the rivalry with her high school nemesis that she is blinded to see the love interest that she has, as well as the happiness her brother has from being in love. The interesting part of this as well is that because of the focus on her rival, the protagonist feel we had for Bell early on in the movie disappears, and the feelings of pity move to the groom as he sees what his fiance was like at one point in her life and how it has driven his sister to trying to in reality ruin his happiness instead of being happy for him. Yet, the story is able to work in the end because it has a redeeming moment with our main characters.

The comedy throughout You Again could have been better. It is always disappointing when with a comedy movie in the trailers you see some great comedic moments and then after seeing the movie you realize that the funniest parts were in the trailer. Betty White as the grandma was a little under utilized for comedy. She really could have made a bigger impact in the laugh department had the writing allowed for it.  The comedy did do a good job though at not going to the demeaning of others for the laughs, but used a lot of situational laughs that most people can relate to one way or another. The chemistry between Bell and Annable works well throughout the movie to really help with the comedy.

You Again is a movie that while not great is an enjoyable movie to watch. Kristen Bell continues to show why she is a strong young actress and Betty White shows she still has good comedy chops and really could have been used more. I am giving You Again two and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that is worth the rental price and is available currently on instant streaming through Netflix.

-The Movie Man

Beastly

This is another modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast. In Beastly the retelling centers around a high school in New York and pretty boy Kyle, who after a prank on the school weird girl Kendra, who in this modern day story is definitely more goth/emo then witch, but she curses him to be as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside. Beastly is a movie that I went into not expecting anything out of because from the trailer it seemed almost a teen angst movie, where the characters stew and the plot simply goes nowhere. While Beastly was not great it ended up being decent with some strengths and weaknesses. I think the focus for this movie was toward the tween age group and I am sure they though the movie was just liken them, but the movie could have had more to offer.

The acting for this movie is far from great, but , but they do what one would expect in a tween focused movie. Alex Pettyfor stars as Kyle/Hunter. While the writing for his character is far from deep Pettyfor does the best he can with his abilities, and while he had his weaknesses there is definite room for growth and he could be a star in the future. At the beginning of the movie he plays the arrogance with such a great flair that the audience definitely  views him as someone that needs to be knocked down a peg or two. Then after the curse he plays this brooding, even moping character. I would have liked to have seen his character be more beast/intimidating, while the brooding, mopeyness fits for the tween audience it left somewhat lacking for me. Vanessa Hudgens in the role of Lindy (the Beauty) was really shallow and lacking for what was needed. Hudgens really did not do anything with the role, when she brought almost no emotion to any aspect or interaction with her role. Her reactions to things were just not how one would expect someone to react to them. An example of this is her initial reaction to seeing Hunter for the first time, and seeing his scars and such. In supporting roles I really enjoyed Mary Kate Olsen as Kendra and Neil Patrick Harris as Will, Hunter's tutor. Olsen plays the goth witch role perfectly. We can really feel for her awkwardness and hurt she feels from the prank. As the audience we feel justified for her in placing the curse. Harris in his role provides some great funny moments. Being the blind tutor he plays off the other two main characters to perfection.

Being based off of a novel has intrigued me to read the book to see how well they adapted the book into the movie. The story does come across to me to be similar to the lately popularity of Twilightesque writing geared toward the teenage girl. There were definite ways I would have liked to see different aspects portrayed that would have made the movie stronger. One such thing I mentioned earlier is the deformity, scaring of Hunter's character. While I could see why the popular kid with good looks looking the way he did from the curse would be devastating to a high schooler, I felt they could have taken the curse an additional step or two to make the outside interpretation of how ugly he was on the inside to a feeling of pushing, that Lindy would have felt a little more hesitant around him at first. Another weakness was the romance between Lindy and Hunter. From Hunter's perspective we can see why he falls for her. Yet, from Lindy's side it is like she just gets there without a journey or us even seeing what puts her to that point. While the story did have its weaknesses I did enjoy this modern day telling. I felt they kept the story simply so that the audience did not have to think much about where the story was going, but instead we could just watch and simply see a movie for the enjoyment it is supposed to be.

Beastly was never meant to be a movie that would blow your socks off. Instead it is a movie meant for that teen audience that just wants to see a movie with good looking people. Pettyfor is an upcoming star that I think I will keep my eye on to see how he looks to improve in each movie. While Beastly had its ups and downs I am giving it two and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie where you do not have to think, but instead you can cuddle up with someone while watching. Beastly is a movie that is worth the price of renting for a movie night.

-The Movie Man

Tron

Tron is a movie that really entertain, I like to think of it as a big small movie. One that was definitely ambitious and is presented in glossy and vivid wide-screen, yet it has a nice sort of light feel to it. While it is definitely a movie that has a very campy feel and has developed a cult following over the years. In 1982, Tron was nothing short of breath taking. Although it was originally panned by critics, those who have taken the time to look closer, have noticed there is more to this film then there first seems to be. I had never seen this movie until after seeing Tron: Legacy, did I finally go back and see the original film. Tron is a movie with a great deal of replay value, and one with compelling characters.

One of Tron's greatest strengths lies in its extensive use of parallelism. There is the world of the user (almost a god or demigod motif), contrasted with the world of the programs (which is very much  a metaphor for our world). And just to enhance this metaphor, Dillinger's helicopter is shown with neon-red lines, and the final fade to black is preceded with a time-lapse of the city-suggesting data running along traces. The obvious parallels are with the use of the same actor for each character's counter parts in the digital world, Flynn and Clu, Alan and Tron, Laura and Yori, Gibbs and Dumont, Dillinger and Sark. However, we see a number of other characters show up here and there, in more subtle forms. For example, there is Sark's second in command on the bridge of the carrier. He shows up earlier in the film as Peter, the suit who was watching Dillinger's office. Then there is RAM's human counterpart asking Alan if he can have some of his popcorn.

The plot for Tron is quite simple. Despite this simplicity, it is cleverly used for the purpose of making the audience think about the world and how it could relate to some "higher world." If we are programs then who are our users? Is there a level up from us and do they know all the answers? There is certainly a metaphysical angle to Tron, which the audience can either pay attention, or disregard in favor of the simple thrill of watching Light Cycles square off against each other on the game grid. Many elements are combined in this film, the gladiatorial film, the exodus, the revolution, the sentient AI, the battle of good vs. evil and the almost prophetic depiction of the compute industry. Ed Dillinger and Encom are very much parallels to real themes that have taken place in the computer industry in the years following the release of Tron. While there were those out there who were critical of the "unbelievable" aspect of this film, they need to relax and realize this was only a movie. Never is the audience expected to believe that this is the way the computer world really works or that a person could ever be zapped into a computer. In fact to allude to the type of story the audience is being presented with, Tron does a near quote of Alice In Wonderland with "Stranger and stranger." In a way Kevin Flynn fell down a rabbit hole of a different sort.

Of most of obvious interest is the fact that Tron pushed the computer graphics technology of the time to its limits and beyond. As a film, Tron is definitely both unique and entertaining. This movie is full of eye-candy for those who are visual in nature. The design work is top rate, everything about Tron is meant to immerse the viewer completely in this fantasy world. With everything that Tron did in its time it is a film that has not only garnered a cult following, but has had a tremendous impact on even today. John Lassetter has talked about the impact Tron had on him within the world of animation. While this may be somewhat extreme, but the way Tron inspired Lassetter without it there may have been no Pixar and no Toy Story.

The acting by Jeff Bridges in the role of Kevin Flynn was brilliant. He made the character believable and I feel that there are the computer-industry hot shots out there that act and are remarkably similar to Kevin Flynn. This believability carries over to the film itself. No matter how much of a leap you're expected to make the believability in his character makes him all that more compelling. The rest of the supporting cast do a great job as well to being compelling characters. Boxleitner as Alan Bradley/Tron  and David Warner as Dillinger/Sark/MCP are characters that you know precisely where they stand and you know who is good and who is bad. While he movie is named Tron this movie is truly about Flynn and showcases what Bridges can do.

Tron is one of those movies that by today's standards is very lagging in the technology and effects department, but when Tron was released it was on the forefront and really pushed the limits in movie making. Tron is a movie with a simple plot that can also allow the audience to look onto deeper levels. Jeff Bridges gives a strong performance and really the movie relies on him as the movie he is the focus. Tron the movie is fun just like the game. I am giving Tron three and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that I need to add to the collection and I am sure I will ad shortly.

-The Movie Man