MPAA Rating: PG/Genre: Sci-Fi Action Adventure/Stars: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan, Barnard Hughes, Dan Shor, Peter Jurasik, Tony Stephano/Runtime: 96 minutes
It might come as a surprise to some of you out there, but when I am not writing reviews for you guys that are (hopefully) some degree of entertaining and/or insightful I do have a fairly extensive list of hobbies with perhaps one of the more intriguing ones being that I am a retro video gamer. Indeed be it Jersey Devil and Crash Bandicoot: Warped for the PS1, Pokémon on the Game Boy Color/Advance, the first 3 Sly Cooper games and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on PS2, Super Mario World for the SNES, Super Mario and Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 64, Crazy Taxi on the Sega Dreamcast, Metroid Prime 2 on the GameCube, Pitfall on the Atari, or even the arcade game of Pac-Man (though I do admit a fondness for Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures) to name but a few of the many examples that have been a part of my life at one time or another there is no denying that for me I am the kind of person who, if I have found myself having a long day for whatever reason, is able to find a contentment in playing old-school games for a couple of hours and then going about my day with a bit more peace and satisfaction than I might have had previously. Yet despite my happiness when I get to play these, and other, games of a similar ilk there is one question that has gone through my head more than once whilst playing them. That being what would happen if I, for whatever reason, found myself sucked into the world of the game and found myself having to interact with various elements within the game to not only survive, but also try and make it back to reality as I knew it? Yet whereas this very question was a plot device used in not only the latter 2 Jumanji movies (to say nothing of that time-honored animated 2000s kids’ classic Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase), there is another slice of cinema that also touched on this concept to a degree as well albeit through the prism of the world of a computer. That being the 1982 slice of cinema, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, Tron. A film that I not only love with a passion, but which I also happen to have a very intriguing history with. A history that may or may not involve late nights in the hospital with kidney stone pain-induced insomnia and quite a bit of delicious vanilla ice cream. Even with the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia off however, there is no denying that there is quite a bit to like about this movie. Indeed it’s not a perfect film by any means, but with the aid of fairly solid work on both sides of the camera Tron “82” is a boldly novel and downright engaging film that is sure to dazzle the eyes, bewitch the senses, and ultimately keep you riveted right up until the end credits begin to roll.
The plot is as follows: Taking us to the picturesque community of Center City, Tron gets its digitastic story underway by introducing us to a guy by the name of Kevin Flynn. A guy who might seem to be a laid-back and fairly affable owner of a hip and always crowded video game arcade in town, but who is also most assuredly a wonderful example of that time-honored concept known as “appearances can be deceiving”. This is because, as we soon learn, Flynn was at one time a highly skilled software engineer who worked for an iconic technology corporation in town known as ENCOM. However, when his work was stolen and subsequently claimed by a scheming executive at the company named Ed Dillinger, our hero was subsequently fired from ENCOM. Since then though, we see that Flynn has been putting his computer skills to use beyond merely getting virtually impossible to beat high scores on the various games in his arcade to say nothing of making sure that no one is siphoning quarters from the games at the end of the day. Rather, he has also been attempting to make his way (or hack if you prefer the simple yet proper terminology) back into ENCOM’s mainframe computer to locate the evidence he needs to prove his claims and get back into the good graces of the company. A task that, for some time prior to the start of our story, has proven to be quite difficult due in large part to the sinister A.I. at the company called the Master Control Program continuously thwarting our hero’s attempts all while it steals programs from across the entire planet to further its reach over cyberspace as we know it. As our story gets underway however, we see that a pair of Flynn’s former colleagues at ENCOM in the form of engineer/former girlfriend Lora Baines and her current boyfriend/equally as skilled programmer Alan Bradley come to warn Flynn that his hacking attempts are not going unnoticed only to wind up becoming embroiled in our hero’s attempts to break into ENCOM and take the MCP offline with the aid of a security program known as (get this) Tron. Yet, when the MCP gets wind of their scheme we see that it decides to take action and manages to transform our hero into bits and bytes of data before hurtling him into the world of the computer itself. As a result, we see that our hero finds himself in an incredible world where the MCP, along with its ruthless 2nd in command Sark, rules with an iron 10 gigabyte fist and where any program that attempts defiance is made to partake in a series of deadly games. Thus, with the aid of Tron and another program by the name of Yori can our hero take back control of the system, prove his innocence, and return to the real world or is he about to be deleted permanently? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself…..
Now right off, it should be said that the work that is done by the various departments behind the camera is most assuredly not perfect by any stretch, but even so there is no denying that it is fairly solid all the same. Indeed perhaps the big issue with the work done behind the camera can start to be found when one looks at the fact that this film, without credits, runs at an incredibly lean and mean 91 minutes. Now for some movies that runtime would most certainly not be a problem (heck The Secret of NIMH clocks in at 83 minutes and the first Toy Story from 1995 is about 81 minutes respectively). With that being said though, the key difference between those 2 movies and this one (beyond those being animated and this one mostly live action) is the fact that those two movies are operating with a script that is, in the name of complete and total honesty, a lot better written than the one for this film is. As a result, not only are the characters in those films much more substantive, but so too is the narrative in which are they are a vital part. In this film however not only are the characters not given a whole lot to work with to say nothing of the fact that they feel more like archetypes, but the story itself doesn’t seem to have much going for it beyond a few flashes of insightfulness that push back against the basic plot outline I gave you in the previous section. Therefore, what could have been truly three-dimensional characters and a genuinely thought-provoking narrative are sadly not as fleshed out as they could have, and honestly should have, been. With that said though, there is no denying that the rest of the work done behind the camera does what it can to help make up for this. For starters, the work done at the helm by Steven Lisberger (1980’s Animalympics and 1989’s Slipstream) is easily the best he has done to date. Yes, he is hindered by the aforementioned issues with the script, but even so Lisberger does the best he can with what he is given here and ultimately gives us as movie goers quite the entertaining film here. Along with that, this slice of cinema also features truly dazzling work from Wendy Carlos in terms of the musical accompaniment. Indeed not only does the score brilliantly synch up with, whilst also immersing us into, the world presented to us in the film, but it also does a fantastic job at really setting the stage for the story and reinforcing the jaw-dropping work from the visual effects department as well respectively. Speaking of I guess now would be the perfect time to touch on the work done by the visual effects department because in a word or 10 it is absolutely magnificent what they were able to accomplish here. Yes this was the first film to effectively combine together CGI and live-action and yes there are a few moments where the effects could be seen as being a bit on the dated side, but overall I think it can safely be said that it is through the visual effects team’s work on this film that we are able to both be drawn into the vibrant, neon-drenched world as well as continuously be left in awe by what we see unfold there too. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in not-bad work from the editing department among others, it’s clear that this slice of cinema could have used with a bit of tinkering in a couple of key areas, but by and large the work behind the camera definitely does what it can make this as engaging and entertaining of a viewing experience as it ultimately turns out to be.
Along with the fairly solid work done by the various departments behind the camera, this particular cinematic outing is also aided by a collection of also fairly well-done performances in front of the camera by a well-chosen cast of talent even if it does feel like their characters are all a bit on the underwritten side. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with screen icon Jeff “The Dude” Bridges and, in the role of Kevin Flynn, he is terrific here. Indeed as Flynn, we see that Bridges does a wonderful job here of giving us a character who is an equal blend of brilliant, charismatic, snarky, more than slightly embittered, childish, and whose primary motivation in life is nothing more than getting back what was stolen from him for reasons that will benefit him more so than anyone else. As the film goes along however, we see that Bridges excels at not only showcasing for us the heart of gold hidden behind the jerkish exterior that Flynn presents so well to the world, but also at evolving from someone who’s only in it for himself to someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to help Tron and the other programs reclaim their world from the diabolical machinations of the MCP. Suffice it to say it’s a delightful turn from an actor who has certainly given audiences more than his fair share of those across his truly iconic career. Alongside Bridges, this slice of cinema also gives us a terrific performance from Bruce Boxleitner (Capt. John J. Sheridan from Babylon 5) in the dual role of Alan Bradley/Tron respectively. Indeed in regards to the former, we see that Boxleitner does a great job at giving us a truly brilliant guy who is also very much the nicest and, arguably, the most wholesome person in the film even as he finds himself getting fairly exasperated with Flynn and his antics. As for the latter role, we see that Boxleitner excels at taking the earnestness and loyalty found in the character of Bradley and transfers it here whilst also making Tron both more of a leader than a follower as well as more than a bit of a badass as well which Boxleitner delightedly gets more than his fair share of opportunities to show off. Lastly, I definitely feel that this section would be woefully incomplete if I didn’t take the time to praise the trifecta of performances given here by screen legend David Warner (Time After Time) as Ed Dillinger, Sark, and the voice of the MCP respectively. Indeed in regards to the first two roles, we see that Warner does a brilliant job at giving us a pair of characters that are despicable, ruthless, and undeniably corrupt to the hilt yet at the same time are also a bit on the sniveling and even cowardly side especially when it looks like things are going too far than they might like them to. As for his third role however, Warner is nothing short of chilling and diabolical at lending his vocal talents to a technological entity who could easily be seen as this film’s equivalent to the Emperor from Star Wars. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate into the mix fine efforts from such talents as Barnard Hughes (Doc Hollywood, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, and another movie we might be reviewing really soon), Dan Shor (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure), Cindy Morgan (Caddyshack), and Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari in Babylon 5) among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might have a few glitches here and there in its key programming, but thankfully the work done by this cast helps to make up for at the very least a few of those.
All in all and at the end of the day is Tron “82” a perfect gigabyte of cinema in every way? Sadly no though most assuredly not for the lack of effort on the part of either cast or crew respectively. With that being said, is this the worst gigabyte of cinema made by any of the talent involved to say nothing of the studio that distributed it? Thankfully I can confirm that is also not the case though if you think that then 8 Million Ways to Die from 1986, The Island from 1980, The Baltimore Bullet also from 1980, and especially Hot Pursuit from 1987 would all love to have a word with you even though in all fairness I happen to have a bit of a soft spot for the first film on that list. All sarcasm aside dear reader, there is no denying that I do love this film with a passion. To be sure, the script that makes up the spine of the film is not the greatest in the world, yes the story does seem to be a bit undercooked as a result, yes the characters at the heart of that aforementioned undercooked story do seem to be more in the vein of archetypes we’ve seen a million times before rather than three-dimensional individuals, and yes I do feel that giving this film an additional 20-30 minutes on its runtime would have been extremely helpful. With that being said though, the work at the helm is fairly solid, the musical score is riveting, the visual effects are truly magnificent and nothing short of revelatory from a cinematic perspective, and the performances (with particular regard to the ones provided by Bridges, Boxleitner, and Warner) are all fairly well done despite the lack of much in the way of substantive characterization. Suffice it to say then dear reader that if you are looking for a perfect slice of cinema that in some way touches on man’s relationship to technology then check out 2001: A Space Odyssey. On the other hand, if you are looking for a film that also touches on that same concept, but is designed more so to entertain than make you think then definitely check this one out. Now if you’ll excuse me dear reader: I have to go make sure that my own computer is running smoothly. Not because I treat it poorly you understand, but because I just want to make sure that the MCP hasn’t found its way on to my hard drive since I feel that might definitely guarantee me an all-expenses paid trip to cyberspace at some point in the near future. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Tron “82” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
