Big Picture Big Sound

"TRON" Again, Off Again

Oh hi, Tron. We haven't seen you since, what, 1982? It's been so long, we've all completely forgotten what your movie was about, other than you had cool light-up suits and those badass lightcycles. We can't even rent you on DVD to refresh our memories, that's how long you've been languishing in the Disney vault. It's probably a good thing, since your long-gestating sequel does little to elucidate your plot, while still proving that neon jumpsuits and lightcycles can be pretty cool.

"TRON: Legacy" brings users back to The Grid - a digital universe created in the early 80s by hacker and avid gamer, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges). In the first film, the human "user" Flynn is transported into the ENCOM corporation computer mainframe and has to defeat the Master Control Program with the help of Tron, the program avatar of Flynn's partner, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) and Clu, a program created in Flynn's own image.

In the sequel, Flynn has been missing for some years, leaving his majority shares in ENCOM and his hacking skills to his young son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), which he uses to fund elaborate pranks on his father's company rather than take the reins. (Sam apparently has more daddy issues than Parenting Magazine.) When the elder Bradley (Boxleitner) receives a page from Flynn (yes, on a pager), Sam goes in search of his missing dad. But before he can find him, Sam hits the super-combo and magically zaps into The Grid. Like father, like son.

In the first film, The Grid was literally that - a neon grid on black space defining structures and board spaces. The "programs" wore simple spandex suits and helmets, seamed with colored light. Back in 1982, it was cutting edge. In 2010, The Grid has been modernized - it's now a vibrant cityscape, complete with cars, bars and presumably (judging by all the heavy eye makeup) a thriving Sephora franchise. Years ago, Flynn left Clu (a creepy CGI version of Bridges in his younger days) in charge of sprucing the place up, which he did in spades. However, Clu's been taking his job a little too seriously, wiping out any and every program deemed imperfect in this digital utopia. Sam, mistaken as a renegade program, is instantly marked for deletion. But first, he is conscripted into the games arena, where he must duel to the death with some mean old programs, including Tron (who has forgotten his fighting "for the users" days) and his father's own avatar, Clu. (Oedipal much?)

Commercial director Joseph Kosinski makes his theatrical debut with "TRON: Legacy". His years shilling luxury cars and PC games are apparent in the look of the film. He does an admirable job keeping the audience's attention through the first half hour of the film, particularly as Sam battles in the games arena. Those old enough to remember the original "TRON" will quickly recognize Discs and Lightcycles from their arcade days. Just like the first film (in its day), the game sequences are visually exciting and make you want to play the games yourself. The pulsing, electronic soundtrack (possibly the best thing in the film) by Daft Punk and the IMAX 3D effects only enhance the game-like feeling. It's gorgeously glossy, streamlined and elegant, but the high style lacks substance. Unfortunately, the sequel fails in the same way as the first one - in the storytelling.

When we finally meet Kevin Flynn, he is a veritable monk on the hilltop, looking down sadly at the world Clu has made. Peppered with Dude-isms like, "you're really messing with my Zen thing," Flynn chills out in his mod pad with Quorra (Olivia Wilde), a hot program he calls his "apprentice." Grizzled and dressed in Obi-Wan Kenobi robes, Flynn explains why he remains in the digital realm and how he hopes the real world can be saved by a new race of program called "Isos". But don't ask me to elucidate - penned by a couple of "Lost" writers, the plot is nonsensical and convoluted enough to make the Wachowski Brothers' heads swim. Suffice it to say that Sam and Quorra must combine their talents (being blandly beautiful, apparently) to find a way out of The Grid and to stop Clu before he starts wreaking havoc on the real world.

As mentioned before, the best thing about "TRON: Legacy" is the soundtrack by Daft Punk (who also make an appearance as DJs in a ridiculous club scene). Infusing sounds that reference 80s synth scores from the likes of Vangelis and Jan Hammer with modern electronica, they create a soundscape that is at once retro and other-worldly. In fact, the score is so good, it makes slow, plodding scenes almost intentionally arty. Well, that is, until one of the characters speaks or shows up in full-face silver makeup. Then, sad to say, "TRON" gets hopelessly kludgey. Hopefully someone will give Kosinski a copy of Norton Utilities before he gets a crack at updating Disney's other sci-fi classic, "The Black Hole".