The Dude Abides (On the Grid)

Let me begin with a disclaimer: this is the first 3-D movie I have seen since. . . well, probably ever. So I cannot offer any kind of comparison for the special effects of this film versus others in this genre.

Tron: Legacy was an interesting experience. Refreshingly, the story is an actual sequel, attempting to pick up in logical place the last movie left off. It’s not a total reboot, or complete revisionist history.

In brief, the story is a serviceable little action movie, whose plot is amazingly like a video game. (I C WUT U DID THAR, DIZNEE). Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) is the young heir to an intellectual and fiscal empire, but loses his father Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) under mysterious circumstances. Like, literally loses him. Ol’ Kevin’s gone missing and stays that way for a decade plus. (Unbeknownst to poor Sam, but knownst to us, the Dude was just chilling in some bowling alleys in L.A., sipping Caucasians this whole time.)

Flash forward years later and Sam is a young man, daring, wild, and skilled. He rejects his leadership position at his lost father’s thriving company, though he thrills in pranking them by releasing their software platforms for free. But then, just like in every SquareSoft RPG you ever played, Sam and surrogate father figure and Flynn ally, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), receive a mysterious message that seems to come from the missing Kevin.

And so Sam begins a quest to find his father, complete with secret portals, beautiful warrior chicks, and fight scenes literally choreographed to the Daft Punk soundtrack. 

That’s the meat and potatoes of the movie, and it doesn’t stray far beyond those parameters. What I found surprising about the movie was the level of nostalgia that permeated the entire film. I can’t profess to be a die-hard original Tron fan, but I felt that there was some real respect and affection for the source material. Even though they are capitalizing on the Tron name as a platform to launch the movie, the filmmakers never denigrate or ignore the source material. There are some tweaks and nudges, but underlying the whole theme seems to be a very meta awareness of just where this vehicle comes from.

It’s not just a thematic choice, it’s evident in the casting of original actors and the self-conscious nods to the origins of this universe. A scene wherein Sam reactivates his father’s dormant arcade is replete with such touches, from the cacophony of the old style games to the 80’s music that is unapologetically blasting from the jukebox. Kevin Flynn is a time capsule of a character, still using 80’s slang to comic effect throughout the movie. They are broad strokes, but in a movie that is essentially a cartoon, it seems to work. Tron: Legacy seems to be not as interested in creating an impossible future as in acknowledging the not so distant past, which is technologically light years behind our world today.

Bridges is doing a variation on his hippie, stoner persona here, but it works. He is just earnest enough that the tongue in cheek tone of his proclamations seem natural and fun, instead of forcibly ironic. Interestingly, this makes me really want to see True Grit, because it looks like a complete 180 for him.

Hedlund fulfills his role, and hints at the possibility of having a little more depth than your average pretty boy. But he’s pretty bland overall. Olivia Wilde looks amazing as the requisite love interest/hot babe in spandex, Quorra. She manages to be innocent without being too sappy, and is pretty inoffensive as far as token females go.

I’m pretty sure the majority of the FX budget went not to the light cycle duels or airship races, but to digitizing Jeff Bridges’ face into that of a 30-something year old. It’s distracting in the “real world” scenes, but a little more acceptable in the virtual environment. However, it might have helped if some of the other Programs looked a little more plastic. On that note, why not give ol’ Boxleitner a go? That man looks damn amazing for his age.

Michael Sheen shows up as Castor, the proprietor of the Grid version of Rick’s Café Americain. But instead of emulating Bogart, Sheen’s channels straight David Bowie and has a fun time with it. It’s ridiculously over the top, eerily familiar, and a little flair in the dark world of the Grid.

I think it’s worth mentioning that I got a hardcore Star Wars: A New Hope vibe several times throughout the movie. It’s hard to believe this wasn’t noticed, if not intentional. There were several scenes with Lucas-alicious imagery, especially involving some hoodies and robes. Incredibly sly skewering of Lucas’ blind devotion to all-digital/all the time, or lazy, derivative filmmaking? You decide.

Overall, a middling to decent action flick.  Like with a lot of sci-fi, you just kinda have to go on faith with the tech (oh, the irony). I didn’t quite buy off on all the mumbo jumbo they were selling about new life forms and virtual worlds, but who the hell cares? I’m unsure how this will sell to the younger set. Again—my overall takeaway was one of extreme nostalgia, and I’m not sure how that will translate for a disassociated audience. The primary fun for me was watching Bridges gently send himself up, and wondering how much they saved in the FX department by using reflective tape as the primary costuming supply.