TRON: Legacy review

By: Robert Acosta

Cast:
Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn
Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn/Clu
Olivia Wilde as Quorra

Plot: 20 years after his father's disappearance, Sam Flynn jumps into the world which his father has been stuck in. He must find his way out or he and his father will be stuck in there forever.

Review: One of the more anticipated movies of the year, TRON: Legacy leaves a better impression than its predecessor did but still doesn't reach its full potential.

I always like to start off with the positives and so I will carry on tradition. TRON: Legacy is not only one of most visually beautiful movies of the year but in quite some time(and yes, it beats out Avatar in my book.) The 3D is done with great effort and it works for the whole movie, or up to the point where "The Grid" is introduced.

So because it looks so damn good, naturally the action scenes are gonna be just as good and intense. All the fights taking places on motorcycles, with disks flying all over the place. The action goes hand in hand with the visuals and ends up being the two best aspects of the film.

The acting part of it all is pretty good, not as strong as the visuals and action, but it's still there. Garrett Hedlund, who doesn't have a lot on his resume in terms of movies, does a pretty good job of playing a believable hero. Olivia Wilde also does a good job serving as the apprentice, so to say, of Kevin Flynn. She effectively pulls off a strong yet impulsive character that, in more cases than not, ends up saving Sam Flynn's ass. Jeff Bridges on the other hand, gives a solid performance but seems to change it up from what he was in the original TRON, nearly channeling his inner Big Lebowski. Now the part of Clu is of course not real and CGI'd in but it's not bad. You can tell that it is CGI but there are times, from far, where it looks pretty real.

Another strong point in TRON: Legacy is its soundtrack. It's rare that I mention a soundtrack being strong for a movie but when Daft Punk is doing 90% of it, guaranteed it's going to be good. It gives you a throwback feeling while having a touch of modernized sound in it, and you'll find yourself caught up in the music.

Unfortunately what holds TRON: Legacy back is the story and characters. Though I didn't have a huge problem with the characters, the movie is called TRON. A little more from the character Tron would have been nice. As for the story, I wasn't tremendously entertained with it. It seemed way too bland, plain and at times, at least for me, a bit confusing. I still have some confusion right now, but that's just me.

Overall, TRON: Legacy is still a really good movie. You're going to love the visuals and the action and the music, but everything else won't impress you nearly as much.

Rating: 4 out of 5