This is awfully late, I know. But better late than never. Tron: Legacy picks up not long after the first film. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) becomes obsessed with creating a perfect Grid--the virtual world--even to the point he creates a virtual version of himself named Clu. Flynn, Clu, and Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) work together to make the perfect world. But after a certain event, Clu turns on them, forcing Flynn out into the outlands so that he misses his window to get back to Earth. Because of this, his son--Sam (Garrett Hedlund)--must be raised by his grandparents, as well as Flynn's friend, Alan (also Bruce Boxleitner). After getting a message that seems to be from his father, Sam ends up in the Grid and must find his father--with the help of a young woman named Quorra (Olivia Wilde)--and escape before his own window closes and he can't get home.Yeah, that's about it on the plot. They have to escape before the time window closes. There's a little subplot about perfect beings and destroying everything bad about the real world, but it's the one thing about the plot I didn't feel should be spoiled (if you want any kind of surprises, that is). The main problem? This movie is slightly over 2 hours long. That is definitely not enough plot to require that length. There should have been at least 30 minutes trimmed off. Around the middle or so, I actually felt so bored I wanted to fall asleep.
Besides that, though, there's not a whole lot that bugged me. To be honest, I was never a huge fan of the original movie, and those visual effects are so dated it's ridiculous. And considering the visual effects is what it's all about, it makes the original very difficult to watch at times. However, I always felt that if they attempted the film today, it would help tremendously. And you know what? It does. The visuals for this film are gorgeous. They really are outstanding. Everything is a lot of fun, and there is just a detail to everything that is amazing.
To add to the visuals is the awesome action. The movie starts as somewhat of a heist film in the real world which is fun. But once you get into the Grid, that's when things really get fun. From light cycle races to the ring destructo game and more, the action (well, and the visuals) is truly the reason to see this movie.
Acting-wise, everybody did a fine job. The only person to really bother me was actually Michael Sheen, who was a bit too crazy and over-the-top for my tastes. Though that's probably more of a directorial complaint than an acting one. And Olivia Wilde is gorgeous as always. Also... random Cillian Murphy appearance, WTF?
The only other thing I wanted to bring up was the fun soundtrack by Daft Punk. Sure, a lot of it seemed to be the same song on repeat, but it did vary it just enough to be good. Otherwise, I think it's clear what word best describes the movie for me: fun. It's not a great film, particularly thanks to the lackluster plot that tries to stretch itself out over 2 (at times quite long) hours. But the visuals and action are great and are really the main reasons to see this movie.
I Am McLovin!
