TRON IS STILL MEMORABLE TO THIS DAY

 “That’s Tron. He fights for the Users.”

Former employee of software firm ENCOM, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), and current employee Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) team up to take down the Master Control Program (a malicious AI which has domineered control of the ENCOM servers) and Edward Dillinger (the CEO of ENCOM who stole a game Flynn made, called Space Paranoids, co-opting it into an aggressive security force). Unfortunately, the MCP interrupts Flynn’s attempt to hack into the ENCOM servers, retaliating by taking control over ENCOM’s latest project, a powerful laser capable of digitizing objects and people. Thrust onto “The Grid”, Flynn encounters Tron, a helpful security program designed by Alan with the purpose of stopping the MCP. Together, they will have to rely on good old fashioned teamwork and problem solving to save the day.

Tron is directed and written by Steven Lisberger. The only other credits to his name is a screenwriting credit for ‘Hot Pursuit’ and directing credits for ‘Hot Pursuit’ and ‘Slipstream’. The story is fairly convoluted, but all of our actors/characters act well off of each other, and our protagonists have a nice camaraderie and friendship that is easy to buy. Tron has some unexpected themes involving religion, artificial intelligence, and fascism. Who would have thought artificial intelligence and its applications would be a unifying theme across all three Tron movies? There are also multiple references to 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Wizard of Oz'.

It’s interesting to note that Tron includes multiple trippy sequences aimed to make audiences feel like they are being transported onto The Grid or are traveling into a computer. CLU, who would go on to play a major role in 'Tron: Legacy', even makes a brief appearance in the first act.  The visual effects utilized are adorably quaint and outdated, but they help to give Tron a unique visual identity that it retains to this day. Forty-three years later, there still hasn’t been another film that looks quite like Tron.

Tron was definitely ahead of its time. It tackled topics such as artificial intelligence that wouldn’t become timely or relevant until decades later. It also utilized CGI in an unprecedented way for the time. The way CGI is used is similar to the way movies use CGI today.

Tron still puts all of its sequels to shame, mainly due to just how much personality it has when compared to the subsequent Tron movies. The characters are quirky, but fun. The film itself is weird, silly, and outdated, but it has an odd charm to it. Tron was never a perfect film, but it has gained a loyal cult following over the years, and for good reason. The sfx are dated but memorable, the characters are fun and likable, the world of The Grid is interesting and unique, and the themes explored will likely always be relevant in our modern “plugged-in” era. While 'Legacy' and 'Ares' definitely surpass the OG as far as visual spectacle goes, Tron has more character and heart…which is what always matters most in the end.

3 STARS