Didn't they put hundreds of millions of dollars in a new TRON film in 2010? TRON: LEGACY? I remember this franchise that unfortunately never took off. In some ways, I wonder if a streaming show of TRON could have been a bad-ass Disney Plus live action show. Quorra was an awesome character and could have had her own storyline. So what the hell happened to TRON?
I sat down and put TRON: LEGACY on. The movie begins with this futuristic Disney castle. All the bells and whistles of a huge budget film like this one. This means top notch cinematography, design, special effects, costume design and more.
I saw TRON: LEGACY when it came out in 2010 (at the urgency of a friend who was an avid fan) and it didn't hold up. It now holds a different value...a stranger one in my mind. I am slightly obsessed with the GENRE FILM. I think it is a sign of where I come from because in many many ways, genre is as American as a Happy Meal.
TRON: LEGACY is an absolutely stunning summer blockbuster visually but it manages to feel slow and uneven with a lack of charming characters. Everything in the film is lifeless...even though the world is absolutely breathtaking and sort of "realistic" in the imagining. Olivia Wilde and Garret Hedlund work at chemistry to no avail. It is a difficult thing to admit but it seems that TRON: LEGACY has all the necessary pieces to work. I must also say that the legendary Jeff Bridges is more than willing to take on the role of old wise mentor with grace and skill. We seem to have the infrastructure for a new and thrilling Heroes' Journey and a magical digital playground of exciting opportunities.
As with all Sci-fi, TRON: LEGACY suffers a notable problem...it will forever be compared to other sci-fi films. The film that will most naturally compare to LEGACY is the original STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE. It is an action adventure sci-fi with a wise mage and unlikely young hero and glowing laser weapons. This is a major problem because A NEW HOPE is perfectly crafted in almost every way we can imagine. It has great characters and a thrilling plot (with a message) and unbelievably novel and interesting action. I can list five major reasons why A NEW HOPE is a fantastic film but it is better to say how many of those five reasons TRON: LEGACY is missing...probably 3 of them. The Sci-fi genre has a more definitive standard than any other genre, it seems. In my studies, I have often thought about this fact and it is completely unavoidable.
I recently watched AD ASTRA and felt that same tether and that same comparison rising in my mind without meaning it too. I wanted to see AD ASTRA through new eyes but it wasn't possible. I watched an interview with the director as he sat with press in another country. He said notably "I don't care about genre" when asked why American audiences are obsessed with genre. I think to myself that AD ASTRA was nowhere near INTERSTELLAR...oh man...we suddenly find ourselves in that same pickle. So why is this such a difficult hurdle in the Sc-fi genre specifically? It seems it is difficult for us to boldly go where no man has gone before...especially if it is not as fun or interesting as something we have seen before it.
Let us look at a subtle example...we all sort of think, "the ending of ____ film wasn't BIG enough." Translation: "why didn't they blow up the Death Star?" TRON: LEGACY even playfully admits the dominance of STAR WARS in this genre in a memorable and genuinely funny scene with Sam..."What do I do with this?" Sam says while holding an unknown technology in a vertical way (the way a lightsaber would activate). The response is "Not that." Even the crowd in the film seems to get it as they roar digital laughter. This is a major problem...and it creates an easy check-list in every single person's mind. We compare a film to another film and we lose interest. Sci-fi is a genre that begs comparison more than any other.
This film is missing characters we care about and uniquely chosen actors to execute. The other major problem in TRON: LEGACY is inconsistent plotting. Unfortunately, LEGACY does not have a plot where one point leads to the next. The film has the most amazingly strange pace a film can have. The action screams ACTION and the dialogue seems SILENT. What the hell do I mean? The dialogue and lengthy (but necessary) exposition is so slow and quiet...it almost erases the action that came before it. It is more like this than any other film I can remember seeing at the minute...more than anything I can think of at all. Small note: The action is so fantastic when it suddenly bursts on to the screen with the light disks and vehicles that the hand to hand night club scene seems a bit still and weak. I must not forget the fact that the score is awesome and DAFT PUNK captures the fun feeling that TRON: LEGACY reaches for.
