Tron (1982)

I finally saw Tron! Took me long enough, I know, especially with all the geek hullabaloo about the reboot/sequel. Inside the realm of computerworld, the malicious Master Control Program is trying to take over all other systems by abducting benign programs and forcing them to compete in gladiator-type games. Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), a programmer who works for the computer company that initiated Master Control, enlists his girlfriend Lora (Cindy Morgan), who experiments with lasers or something, and hacker Flynn (Jeff Bridges) to investigate these mysterious and nefarious happenings with the aid of his security program TRON.

Flynn is unceremoniously pulled into the computer network itself, treated like a regular program, and forced to fight in the games. He ends up busting out with Tron (also played by Bruce Boxleitner) and the adorable program Ram (Dan Shor) in some motorcycle-like vehicles with limited motion range. Master Control and his puppet Sark (David Warner) send out various machines and evil programs to get them, as Tron and Flynn try to use their special abilities to free everyone from such an oppressive regime.

Um, this movie is pretty awesome. It's got a cool premise, geek jokes, a computer religion, old-school CGI chase scenes, and Jeff Bridges. The visuals are beautiful and unique, with eerie and mechanical color design for the computer segments. I really liked the washed-out skin tones and vibrant neon light patterns in the clothing and sets. A lot of the CG animated segments are noticeably clumsy or under-developed, but considering this is one of the first incidents of the technology being used in film I am really impressed with the overall look of Tron. Plus it feels fitting since the animated segments take place within a computer, as opposed to blending with real life.

The story is basic at its core (male hero with special powers has to save everybody from an evil guy) but the creative set-up and interesting characters make it engaging and new. It's a bit oversimplified but I guess that's unsurprising from a Disney production. The fact that the only female character starts off as a potentially awesome computer engineer/possible physicist but then is reduced to a scared lady in a tight body suit is also unsurprising. In general Tron does a marvelous job combining stunning visuals with an engaging and imaginative plot, while throwing in some fun characters. I am now even more psyched for Tron 2. Seriously, watch the trailer, it's so rad whether or not you've seen the original.

4/5