TRON: LEGACY Movie Review

Very short movie review on this X'mas Eve...

Got tix to see Tron: Legacy last Saturday.  This is of course the sequel (not re-make) of the original groundbreaking Tron from the 70s.

Visually, this movie was a stunner and what I expected in terms of pushing the envelope on graphics, motion, and CG.  However, I felt the story fell short.  I fell asleep a few times (admittedly, the late viewing time (11pm + delayed start) may have had something to do with it) but when I woke up, I felt the story had not advanced and we were at the exact same point as before I had drifted off.  In other words, the filmmakers tried to compensate for a mediocre storyline with cool visuals and loud, thumping techno music, which was cool for about five minutes but then got annoying after 1 hour 39 minutes give or take a minute or two.  If I'd wanted to go to a dance club with flashing lights, I would have gone to a dance club with flashing lights.

Jeff Bridges plays a few characters but looks better as the protagonist's father.  In his other role, he looks too much like a Hollywood actor with too much botched plastic surgery.  I thought the lead actor Garrett Hedlund did a nice job.

If you're a sci-fi fan, you must, out of duty, see this movie despite my lukewarm review.  If you're not a sci-fi fan (like yours truly), go if you like cool visuals + thumping techno beats.  Otherwise, go to the video store and rent the original 70s version instead.  (I watched that one a few years ago and remember it being a lot better.)  Oh wait...do video store still exist?

Oh...and what bothered me most about Tron: Legacy?  After watching the entire movie, it fails to answer a very basic question -- WHO the "expletive" IS TRON?!!!!!!!!

Dez