Stars: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen, Beau Garrett
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Best Sound Editing)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 2/5 stars
(Spoilers ahead) This film follows Flynn briefly, with Jeff Bridges in a moment of creepy, Polar Express-smoothness transported back to his mid-30's, comforting his son before taking off and disappearing. Only an idiot would assume that he hadn't fallen onto the grid that the first film made famous, and so thankfully Disney doesn't spend a great deal of time wasting both ours and Flynn's son's (played as an adult by Garrett Hedlund) in the real world, instead sending us quickly and easily (a little too easily, if you ask me) to the world of Clu, Tron, and now Flynn, who has been trapped there for decades thanks to his doppelganger Clu going rogue and killing anything he finds imperfect.
The film then enters a series of rather stunning visual acrobatics, and while it loses all of the charm and silliness of the first film in favor of something sleeker, faster, it does have some exciting action set pieces, particularly those in the arena where Sam must rather quickly discover his skills with a disc and a motorcycle (thankfully, he rides one in the real world, otherwise we would have a giant, gaping plot point to throw in for that ability). The movie moves at a brisk pace, only slowing down during a bizarre interaction with Zeus (Sheen), who seems to have crossed David Bowie with the Emcee from Cabaret for a puzzling and off-putting combination. Is he hitting on Sam, or just merely stalling him? Or both?
The film's final scenes play out so predictably that you feel like they were written in a paint-by-numbers afterthought party, when all of the Pixar writers taunt the less talented writers at Disney. The film is coolly beautiful, and sticks to the color scheme of the first picture, but also sadly sticks to the hackneyed endings, this time watching Flynn sacrifice his freedom to send his son and his inevitable love interest, played by Wilde (there is no "winner's kiss" but you know it happened off screen eventually, or will wait for the sequel). It would have been a nice change if, for example, all three would have gotten out-it wouldn't have hurt its chances at a sequel (and there's certainly going to be a sequel-why else give Cillian Murphy a thankless, uncredited role as Flynn's nemesis's son?), as they could still have Bridges go back in to save the day if another villain wormed his way into the grid.
The stars of the film are hit-and-miss. I found Sheen's over-the-top scenery-chewing a bit reminiscent of his bizarre work in the Twilight films, and while I've come to enjoy Olivia Wilde as a celebrity, I have yet to be impressed by her as an actress. Bridges, a little bit too reminiscent of "the Dude" and his real life persona, is a bit sloppy, though it's still Jeff Bridges, so his longer monologues have an intensity that's difficult to put down. Finally, there's Hedlund, who has the same confidence and swagger that Bridges had in his early days (and the Costume department seems intent on exploiting it), and the sexy, pretty boy with a deeper side that elicits both swoons and intrigue. His work in On the Road this past year was mesmerizing, and I want to say this may be the start of a young movie star, if he can ever find a way to combine a critical and commercial success in the next few years.
The film's sole Oscar nomination was for Sound Editing, and while it's sturdy, it's not really superb. The film relies heavily on the first film for its soundscape, and nothing about this movie screams "Oscar!" It's not that it's too subtle (which would be welcome in a Disney film), it's that it's just "meh."
But what do you think of TRON: Legacy? Are you clamoring for a sequel, or was this conclusion enough? Do you wish they had stuck to the more primitive visual effects or do you like the, to quote Will Smith, "new hotness?" And where do you see Garrett Hedlund's burgeoning career taking him?
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