10 Movies Whose Subplots Needed More Focus

10. Castor's Story - Tron: Legacy

The Plot: The sequel to 1982 Disney classic Tron, this is the story of Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) a man who enters a virtual world to try and save his father (Jeff Bridges), and his friend Quorra (Olivia Wilde) who are trapped there. Along the way, he comes face to face with the evil Clu (a young, CGI'd Bridges) and the charismatic Castor (Michael Sheen) along the way. The only problem is that Sam is an an utterly one-dimensional character. He's a stereotypical good guy without any defining character traits - he just wants to get his dad back - and Hedlund plays him with an over-seriousness that saps the fun out of the film. Everyone who saw Tron: Legacy noted how visually spectacular it was, but commented on how badly-developed the characters were. Well, all except one character... The Subplot: Castor fought alongside the ISOs - Quorra's people - against Clu, under the name Zuse. He only adopted the persona of Castor later to keep a low profile, running the club in Tron City, and acting as a middleman between those who sought Zuse and his alter-ego. He was an anti-hero with a complex past, who cared only about the highest bidder. The transformation of the warrior Zuse into the hideaway Castor is a fascinating story, and Sheen is a capricious presence on screen. He evokes superstardom-era David Bowie, simply twirling his cane as carnage ensues in his club, and the best thing about him is that he's the most layered character in the whole film. Maybe if Tron: Legacy had used him more prominently, it wouldn't have been criticised so harshly.
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Contributor

Mark White hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.