by Henry Carlson
Coming 28 years after its predecessor’s release, “Tron: Legacy” is the thematic sequel to “Tron” that delivers a strong atmosphere in both sound and visuals but lacks in story development. “Tron: Legacy” follows Sam Flynn, son of Kevin Flynn, the main character from the original film. In the movie, Sam becomes trapped in his father’s virtual world, The Grid, where his father has been trapped for 20 some odd years. Sam must find a way to escape with the help of his father and an inhabitant of the virtual world all the while on the run from the digital overlord of The Grid, Clu.
The movie delivers a stellar electronic soundtrack composed by French music duo Daft Punk that complements and accentuates the technological atmosphere of the film. This is the duo’s third foray into film and has proved to be their most competent, with a soundtrack on par with other impressive movie scores.
The movie takes inspiration from older sci-fi sources such as “2001: A Space Odyssey,” which is very clearly paid homage to in some of the movies locations and visual stylings as well as with the film’s ambience.
The film is not without its faults, however, as the story leaves more to be desired. The plot of “Tron: Legacy” treads no new ground and without the support of the musical and visual stylings would fall lacklusterly to the floor. The plot structure is coherent but some scenes tend to drag where other scenes could have used a few more minutes of screen time. This is not to say that the content of the movie itself is lacking as the film does an excellent job of composing action sequences that keep audiences eyes glued to the screen.
What “Tron Legacy” lacks in story development it makes up for with its beautiful visuals. At the time of its release in 2010, “Tron: Legacy” showed the capabilities of 3D animation with its sweeping neon vistas and visually punching action sequences.
Overall, “Tron: Legacy” is a beautiful yet flawed movie that deserves a watch.
