Movie Info

RATING:

PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language

GENRE:

Science Fiction

RELEASE:

December 17, 2010

STARRING:

Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett

DIRECTOR:

Joseph Kosinski

DISTRIBUTOR:

Walt Disney Pictures

 

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CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW

Tron: Legacy

Movieguide Magazine

What's This?

CBN.com - Tron: Legacy picks up the story of the original Tron, which pioneered the use of computer graphics in 1982. It's a much more emotional and exciting movie than the original, which fell flat at the box office, although it became a cult favorite.

The movie opens with Kevin Flynn (played by a younger-looking Jeff Bridges) telling a story to his young son, Sam, about a digital world he has created, which has a character that fights for him and all the users, named Tron, and another named Clu, who is Kevin’s creative persona in the world of the grid and who is charged with creating the perfect world.

Kevin tells his son there’s a miracle occurring in this digital world. He leaves to go to his lab, but never returns. Evidently, Kevin was the most successful game producer of all time, so some people think he took his money and disappeared, while others think something nefarious happened to him... (To read the full movie plot explanation, go to www.movieguide.org. Caution: the linked page contains spoilers!).

At the heart of it, Tron: Legacy has a very powerful, redemptive father-son story. Kevin realizes he was seeking to create the perfect world, but his creation paled compared to what was right before his eyes -- his son. So, he has to forsake everything eventually to save the very best thing in his life, Sam. This aspect of the story will capture the hearts and the minds of viewers.

Needless to say, there are also some negatives to the plot. Kevin’s dalliance with Zen, although eventually rebuked, is frustrating. Some of the metrosexual characters are annoying. And, Michael Sheen is over the top as Castor, the flamboyant computer program. Some of the movie involves too much explanation, and some of it is silly.

Even so, Tron: Legacy is a very exciting movie. The ending is extremely powerful; and a great ending can save almost any movie. This new 3D film also contains wonderful, heartfelt emotions.

Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund are terrific. Olivia Wilde is very good, but sometimes seems too posed, as the director tries to accentuate her beauty. The music by Daft Punk is great. The visual experience is arguably the best of the year and certainly compares favorably with Inception and Alice in Wonderland. (The art direction, computer graphics, and other aspects should have been promoted for Academy Award consideration.)

In the final analysis, Tron: Legacy is not quite as good as a box office contender, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but it will find a large audience and is a movie that can be commended with caution.

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