‘Tron: Legacy’ a fantastic sci-fi outing

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, Garrett Hedlund

After 28 years we return to one of the most original, if not fully successful, films of its time, a film that acted as the standard-bearer of all the high-tech, computer-based, futuristic dramas that followed.

‘Tron’ was the film that, arguably, revived the Disney organisation and although it was never a box office hit, it did become a cult film. The surprise is that it has taken so long for the idea to be revived.

But it has – with Tron’s original hero, the always magnificent Bridges, back in his present-day age and digitally worked younger self (a remarkable piece of cinema and CGI magic) – and it is a stunning work, full of action and breathtaking special effects, thanks to the advances in computer engineering.

The story, which could have been developed more (the effects are, of course, the dominating factor throughout), sees Sam (Hedlund) getting a message from his father’s old arcade where dad (Bridges) has been trapped in his cyber world for 20 years and is pulled into the digital world where they team up with warrior Quorra (Wilde) in a frantic journey in search of escape, all to a driving music soundtrack.

The faults in the film lie in the poor development of the characters and that weak script, though such will not diminish the enthusiasm of an audience that will welcome the return of ‘Tron’ with wild cheering … it is, grumbles aside, quite a fantastic film.

Star Rating: 4/5