I saw Tron because I remember how it had exploded on the computer graphics scene in the 80s. The motorcycles streaking along beams of light, hurtling past sharp corners and the world that was far removed from the real one was eye candy. I wish it had stayed that way.
Tron Legacy picks a futile premise. The disinterested, prankster son going back to the world to rescue his long-lost Dad? Trapped in the whorls and computations of a chip? Give me a break. Everything is larger than life and without any real purpose. There is a long-winded sequence, a feast on a pig where the characters drink blue gel and mouth inane dialogue. How did all that food get cooked within this cyber world – or is it that people need to eat, even in that cyber state? No answers. The movie slips through the cracks between 2D and 3D and gets lost in a wire mesh of confusion over the motivations of its characters. Christoper Nolan this guy is not, by any stretch of the imagination.
While Inception flitted effortlessly between its dream and walking states without losing its audience, this one goes where hundreds of others have gone. There is a brilliant sequence in the first half where the cyber stadium is lit with fighters. There may be a reason why this world degenerated into such depravity, but you don’t want to find out. Some legacies, like the hardcovers on the shelves of Tron are best left to collect dust and nostalgia