Tron: Legacy reviewed by the reviewed...

I LOVE the science fiction community! Here's a full circle for you. I found Leonardo Ramirez on facebook, Lyda reviewed his graphic novel, now he's reviewing TRON for me. Awesome! Thanks, Lenny!

Tron: Legacy
Review by Leonardo Ramirez

Here’s a movie I’ve been waiting to see for 20 years. But before I dive into what I thought about the movie I will say that even though I had hoped for as long for a sequel to the original, I’m glad it was not made before now for a slew of reasons. The first one being the special effects. This flick yanks the viewer into cyberspace with major “wow factor”. There’s no time wasted on the digitization of Sam Flynn. Which was great because when our reluctant hero finds himself in the world of Tron, the viewer is sucked into a world that is so grandiose and intimidating that you quickly forget that you’re inside the grid. Not only is there more detail to the vehicles, but the 3D gives a sense that you could really be squashed, slammed or “de-rezzed”.

And that’s just the beginning. This movie is not just eye candy. Although the plot seems a little more convoluted than it needed to be, there is still much angst that is shared with the audience in the life of Sam Flynn. I must admit that it’s possible I may be biased in identifying with a guy that grew up with no dad, but here you really feel Kevin Flynn’s absence from Sam’s life, and the effect it can have when you’re raised in those circumstances. Some may see the situation as cliché but I do not. Sam loved his dad and you share in the pain, loss and the gut-wrenching reunion of father and son. That only could have happened after a life-time of separation and, yes, this could have been simulated in a movie made earlier, but I think the larger gap between movies helped in the setup.

The world of Tron has evolved with a vengeance. For us fanboys there are the new light cycles, aerial assault vehicles and the strap-on-your-back jetpack that for comic fans is reminiscent of the new Blue Beetle costume. The settings are elaborate and well-developed given the time that has elapsed since we were last in the world of Tron.

I was very excited and pleased to see that not only did they do their magic on turning back the clock on Jeff Bridges but Bruce Boxleitner as well, which makes sense since he played Tron in the original. I’m chomping at the bit to say something about Tron himself, but I don’t want to give too much away. Let's just say Tron himself has evolved magnificently.

The soundtrack was an amazing fit with a tinge of retro. The original soundtrack was heavy on the synth, giving it that feeling that you were inside a computer. It's the same instance here, except in updated form. The pounding beats made a great companion to the powerful thrust of the transport vessels while the catchy rhythms and fast paced synth made the light cycle race fast and furious.

Jeff Bridges’ performance was fantastic as always. Despite the fact that Kevin Flynn has been gone for 20 years, you get the sense that he always cared for his son despite his absence, and that he truly would have preferred to be with his son had things been different.

As I alluded to before the plot was a little more dicey than it needed to be, and I was left with a few questions during and after the movie, but these seemed minor to me compared to the grand scheme of things.

Tron: Legacy was clearly worth the wait. And yet there is still one question that I can’t get out of my mind ….

Where did the green beans come from?