TRON: Legacy. Rated PG (mild science fiction violence). 125 minutes. Directed by Joseph Kosinski. Screenplay by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.
If Avatar set the benchmark for 3D wonderment, then TRON: Legacy gives it a hefty nudge and in many, if not all, of its sequences, is equally as impressive as its environmentally-inspired sibling. In a spectacular directorial debut, Kosinski masterfully (with the exception of a couple of boring sequences of laboured exposition) brings the vision to life.
It has been 20 years since Sam Flynn’s (Garrett Hedlund) father (game creator Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges) disappeared. One night, he is visited by his father’s friend, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), who informs Sam that he has been ‘paged’ from the disconnected number belonging to his father’s long-abandoned gaming arcade. When Sam goes to explore the arcade for any trace of his father’s reappearance, he finds himself transported to “The Grid” – a virtual world where his father is trapped in a battle for supremacy with his clone, Clu.
The futuristic environments are a triumph of state-of-the-art digital 3D technology – especially the multi-layered, glossy black glass gaming ‘grid’ onto which young Sam makes a dazzling debut. Hedlund is great as Sam, and receives wonderful support from Olivia Wilde (TV’s House) as Kevin’s confidant Quorra. Both Bridges and Boxleitner reprise their roles from the prequel (1982’s TRON), and bring authority and a perfectly-matched casting synergy to the story.
The original score by Daft Punk is fantastic, while the cinematography by Claudio Miranda (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), editing by James Haygood (Fight Club, The Panic Room) and inspirational production design by Darren Gilford are absolutely faultless.
Ultimately, there are few words that can describe the astonishing amount of artistry that is on show here – other than “Wow!”, which I predict you will find yourself saying over and over again.
This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.
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