Blu-Ray Review: TRON - The Best This Cult Gem Has Ever Looked
I'm not entirely sure the use of the word "Classic" on the cover is entirely justified here, since Tron's popularity must surely be classed more as a cult thing than something of the mainstream. Judged by "traditional" factors for critique, it doesn't exactly shine; the tone extremely camp and a little too self-consciously wierd, the script is full of problems and the pace is all over the place, but it still conjours up a tangible nostalgia that is as much indicative of the magic of cinema as real quality is. In conjunction with the Blu-ray release of Tron Legacy, the original "classic" is now also available to buy on blu-ray. Although everyone should by now know the plot, there may be those of you out there who haven't yet seen the original Tron, having only just discovered the sequel, so here goes anyway. Ex-ENCOM employee Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is seeking vengeance after rival engineer Ed Dillinger (David Warner) passed Flynn's video-game work off as his own, and subsequently enjoyed success and promotions as a result. To get his revenge Flynn breaks into ENCOM aided by friends Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) and Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan), but unfortunately manages to piss off ENCOM's Master Control Program (also Warner), that attempts to defend the concerns of its creator by transporting Flynn in to the ENCOM computer mainframe, which turns out to be a complete virtual world, populated by humanoid Programs, who keep everything running smoothly. The Programs are all subject to the tyrannical leadership of MCP's stooge Sark (Warner again), who takes it upon himself to capture Flynn, who is helped to escape by Tron (Boxleitner) a security Program created by Bradley and Yori (Morgan), a Program a User-friendly Program. Tron is essentially a sci-fi caper, as Flynn attempts to defeat the evil MCP and find his way home, encountering resistance from MCP's Programs, competing in arena games, and finally coming face to face with his tormentors Sark and the MCP. This is a film fuelled entirely by imagination, and facilitated by a joyfully unlimited capacity for the imaginative, and at the time innovative creativity. It achieved things in terms of stylistics and aesthetic that had never been achieved before, and indeed laid the foundations for modern sci-fi blockbusters with their stream-lined and glossy visuals that look a million miles away from the hand-drawn iconic aesthetic of Tron. The plot, and the existential concerns therein can occasionally get a little convoluted, but they do serve a purpose: helping to build up an almost intangible mythos that has lead to Tron becoming one of the most nostalgically-loved sci-fi films of all time. Again, the acting isn't exactly great, but has managed to transcend its limitations to become almost as iconic as the film's visuals. Bridges is great and Godly as Flynn, and he has more than enough charisma to carry the weight of being a near-deity, while simultaneously appearing accessible and empathetic; Bruce Boxleitner is equally good as Bradley and Tron, but it is David Warner who scores the highest points thanks to his triple-pronged performances as Dillinger (deliciously sleazy), Sark (instantly, and convincingly menacing) and the MCP (almost on a par with Douglas Rain's voice work as HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey). These performances anchor the otherwise predominately fantastical film in accessible reality, meaning that as well as being wowed and immersed by the stunning looking world of the Grid, we can also, crucially engage with the characters. Tron will forever be loved for its Alice In Wonderland for Video-gamers sensibilities, and held in the kind of esteem that can only ever be equalled by a film that carries its own considerable weight of nostalgia, and as far as I'm concerned it is a better film experience than its various flaws and limitations might otherwise suggest. It's really the transfer I'm most interested in here, so I'm speeding along to that section...