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Tron: Legacy: Movie Review

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Tron: Legacy picks up the story of the original Tron, which pioneered the use of computer graphics in 1982. It's a much more emotional and exciting movie than the original, which fell flat at the box office, although it became a cult favorite.

The movie opens with Kevin Flynn (played by a younger-looking Jeff Bridges) telling a story to his young son, Sam, about a digital world he has created, which has a character that fights for him and all the users, named Tron, and another named Clu, who is Kevin’s creative persona in the world of the grid and who is charged with creating the perfect world.

Kevin tells his son there’s a miracle occurring in this digital world. He leaves to go to his lab, but never returns. Evidently, Kevin was the most successful game producer of all time, so some people think he took his money and disappeared, while others think something nefarious happened to him... (To read the full movie plot explanation, go to www.movieguide.org. Caution: the linked page contains spoilers!).

At the heart of it, Tron: Legacy has a very powerful, redemptive father-son story. Kevin realizes he was seeking to create the perfect world, but his creation paled compared to what was right before his eyes -- his son. So, he has to forsake everything eventually to save the very best thing in his life, Sam. This aspect of the story will capture the hearts and the minds of viewers.

Needless to say, there are also some negatives to the plot. Kevin’s dalliance with Zen, although eventually rebuked, is frustrating. Some of the metrosexual characters are annoying. And, Michael Sheen is over the top as Castor, the flamboyant computer program. Some of the movie involves too much explanation, and some of it is silly.

Even so, Tron: Legacy is a very exciting movie. The ending is extremely powerful; and a great ending can save almost any movie. This new 3D film also contains wonderful, heartfelt emotions.

Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund are terrific. Olivia Wilde is very good, but sometimes seems too posed, as the director tries to accentuate her beauty. The music by Daft Punk is great. The visual experience is arguably the best of the year and certainly compares favorably with Inception and Alice in Wonderland. (The art direction, computer graphics, and other aspects should have been promoted for Academy Award consideration.)

In the final analysis, Tron: Legacy is not quite as good as a box office contender, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but it will find a large audience and is a movie that can be commended with caution.


NOTE from Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide Magazine. For more information from a Christian perspective, order the latest Movieguide Magazine by calling 1-800-899-6684(MOVI) or visit our website at www.movieguide.org. Movieguide is dedicated to redeeming the values of Hollywood by informing parents about today's movies and entertainment and by showing media executives and artists that family-friendly and even Christian-friendly movies do best at the box office year in and year out. Movieguide now offers an online subscription to its magazine version, at www.movieguide.org. The magazine, which comes out 25 times a year, contains many informative articles and reviews that help parents train their children to be media-wise consumers.

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About The Author

MOVIEGUIDE® was founded in 1985 by Dr. Ted Baehr, past president of the Episcopal Radio & Television Foundation and former director of the Television Center at the City University of New York. MOVIEGUIDE® is affiliated with the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry (CFTVC). Both MOVIEGUIDE® and CFTVC are dedicated to redeeming the values of the entertainment industry, according to biblical principles, by influencing industry executives and artists and by informing and educating the public about the influence of the entertainment media and about how to train their families to become