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