I just got home from Times Square after attending a press screening of Tron: Legacy and I have to say after getting all excited for weeks when the trailer finally hit the web, the moment I put on those 3D glasses and I took that journey for two hours, it was the most amazing experience I've had at the movies in a long time. if you haven't seen the 1982 original, don't fret my pets - the sequel catches you up to speed and actually holds up as a stand alone film. This was the film Tron was meant to look like and boy does it deliver.
Garret Hedlund plays techno-savvy Sam Flynn, the 27-year-old rebellious son of Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges. After Kevin went missing 20 years ago, Sam was set to take over his father's company, which he does not want. The CEO's in place are taking his father's company down a path Kevin never wanted, so every now and again Sam makes an appearance and causes a bit of trouble for the execs.
Sam winds up getting a clue that leads him to the arcade where his father disappeared. In no time flat he's transported to an all digital alternate reality inside a computer that his father created 20 years ago. The visuals of the alternate world is nothing like I've ever seen captured on film before, and gives another thought-provoking action film featuring hackers called The Matrix a run for it's technological money.
On Sam's journey we come across a beautiful warrior named Quorra (played by the excellent Olivia Wilde) a curious program who is interested in seeing the outside world and wants to help Sam save her people. Michael Sheen provides some comic relief as a Zuse, a flamboyant club owner with an agenda of his own. Tron himself gets to kick some serious ass, but it's Jeff Bridges, playing multiple parts as Clu, the younger version of himself that wants to take over the world outside of the grid, and as Col. Kurtz, the older zen-like version of himself who sems to be having a ball. I don't want to give alot of the film away, but I will say this - Tron:Legacy has got a great story, an awesome father/son plot line that's rare in films these days, eyegasmic special effects, a killer gladiator fight scene featuring fast motorcycles and flying disks that light up that'll rival any Quiddich match at Hogwarts and a kick-ass score courtesy of French duo Daft Punk (who also cameo as-what else-DJ's in the film).
It should also be noted that the electronic duo have scored their first ever high mark on the Billboard charts. The original motion picture score for "TRON: Legacy," debuts on the Billboard album chart at No. 10 this week, scanning over 70,000 units in its first week of release. It is the first score soundtrack to debut in the Top 10 in five years ("Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" in 2005). The "TRON: Legacy" soundtrack marks Daft Punk's best sales week and is their highest-charting album ever. The duo's previous best week was 2001's "Discovery," which debuted at No. 44, with 34,000 units.
So I say run, don't walk on Friday when Tron Legacy drops at a theater near you on December 17..In the meantime check out the Breakdown Remix and the original mix of Derezzed, one of my favorite cuts from the movie below...
Daft Punk - Derezzed (Breakdown Remix) by Breakdown
Daft Punk - Derezzed by RP!
Tron: Legacy Cast
Jeff Bridges ... Kevin Flynn / Clu
Garrett Hedlund ... Sam Flynn
Olivia Wilde ... Quorra
Bruce Boxleitner ... Alan Bradley / Tron
James Frain ... Jarvis
Beau Garrett ... Gem
Michael Sheen ... Castor / Zuse
Anis Cheurfa ... Rinzler
Serinda Swan ... Siren #2
Yaya DaCosta ... Siren #3
Elizabeth Mathis ... Siren #4
Kis Yurij ... Half Faced Man (as Yurij Kis)
Conrad Coates ... Bartik
Daft Punk ... Masked DJ's
Ron Selmour ... Chattering Homeless Man
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