TRON: Legacy (2010) | Sci-Fi Saturdays

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Have you tried just turning it off and turning it back on again?

TRON: Legacy continues the story of Kevin Flynn and his creation of a simulated world where computer programs take on the personalities of human beings. It was a film that was long awaited, and pushes the boundaries of visual effects, yet still seems to fall short of high expectations placed on it.

10 INITIALIZE IMPRESSIONS

After the events of TRON, Kevin Flynn disappears, leaving his son Sam an orphan. An adult Sam visits his father’s disused arcade and becomes trapped in the computer space just as his dad was 26 years before. On the grid, Sam is met by a female program who takes him to see his father, now living as a recluse on “the grid.” He explains that his creation has turned on him, as audiences witness a younger-looking Flynn riding a lightcycle. Sam must join this woman as they fight for their life in a very real arcade game called TRON: Legacy.

Presented below is the trailer for the film.

20 DECODE FILM

One night in 1989, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) talked to his young son Sam (Owen Best) about all the cool things in his computer world, left the boy at his grandparents, and mysteriously vanished. Twenty-one years later, Encom–a software company–is poised to release the most secure operating system ever when Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) breaks into their corporate headquarters, releases the software to the internet (free of charge), and skydives off the building. Sam evades the police on his motorcycle and returns to his residence, a pair of converted shipping crates by the water. Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), Sam’s godfather and friend to Kevin, lets the young man know he received a page from Kevin’s office at Flynn’s arcade.

Sam enters the game parlor and finds a secret room hidden behind a TRON video game. Inside, a computer has a counter on it indicating it’s been running for almost 21 years. Looking into the interface, Sam begins typing in commands, which activate a laser behind him. Suddenly, he is inside the computer system in a virtual reality version of the arcade. He races out of the building and is immediately apprehended by guards patrolling the cit,y looking for rogue programs. With no identity disk, he is given one and placed into the Games–a series of arcade-like challenges that result in promotion to a new game or death (by getting derezzed). Sam succeeds at the Disk Wars game against Rinzler (Anis Cheurfa) when the other program refuses to kill him.

Sam is taken to see the leader of these programs, Clu (a de-aged version of Jeff Bridges), who he initially mistakes for his missing father. Clu has declared war on the Users and puts Sam into the Light Cycle game. He is soon saved by a rogue vehicle driven by Quorra (Olivia Wilde). She takes Sam off the grid to a fortress outside the city where he finds his father, very much alive and very much older. The elder Flynn is concerned that Sam is here and remains distant. He tells his son about trying to build a utopia with Clu and another program named Tron, but Clu turned on Flynn when he realized that the User wasn’t perfect. Clu hunted down and eradicated an entirely new species that Flynn had discovered in the Grid, the isomorphs–isomorphic algorithms that could change everything about science, medicine, and religion. The only iso that remains is Quorra.

Flynn realizes that Clu must have sent the page in order to draw Alan or some other User into the Grid. The portal remains open until the User leaves, and Clu intends to steal Flynn’s identity disk, with all his knowledge, and enter the real world. Flynn believes in the Zen philosophy that the only way to win is not to play. Sam just wants to get home and returns, surreptitiously, to the city to find Zuse (Michael Sheen), who Quorra believes can help him. Zuse turns out to be a traitor working with Clu, and when Quorra and Flynn come to save Sam, one of Clu’s guards steals Flynn’s disk. Flynn, Sam, and Quorra escape, and when Clu comes for the disk, he kills Zuse. The trio breaks into Clu’s command shi,p and Quorra fights with Rinzler–who Flynn recognizes as a repurposed Tron program.

Flynn and Sam manage to steal back the ident disk, but Quorra is captured during the fight with Rinzler. Flynn commandeers a Light Fighter, and the three of them depart for the portal. Clu, Rinzler, and others pursue them in smaller Light Jets, engaging in an amazing battle over the Sea of Simulations. When ordered, Rinzler refuses to take the final shot, so Clu turns on him. Rinzler reverts to Tron and battles Clu as they both crash into the sea. Arriving at the light portal back to the world of the Users, they find Clu waiting for them. Quorra protects Sam while Flynn distracts and taunts Clu. Unknown to Clu, Flynn and Quorra have swapped their ident disks. She now has Flynn’s and is going with Sam through the portal.

Flynn uses his godlike powers to draw Clu towards him, protecting Quorra and Sam, who are able to enter the beam and travel back to the real world. Flynn absorbs Clu into him, which destroys the entire simulation. In the real world, Sam backs up the program into a chip he hangs around his neck. He realizes he needs to take back his father’s company, his legacy, and hops on his motorcycle with Quorra, who is now a flesh and blood being in the real world. He drives her across a bridge back into the city and she gets to experience a sunrise for the first time.

“I screwed it up, chasing after perfection, chasing after what was right in front of me.” – Kevin Flynn

30 PRINT HISTORY “TRON: LEGACY”

TRON: Legacy may not have the longest wait between an original film and its sequel, but it’s certainly up there. The original TRON was released in 1982 and soon became a fan favorite film, inspiring video games, toys, theme park rides, and imaginations everywhere. Twenty-eight years later, this film was the directorial debut for Joseph Kosinski. That’s a long time between a fan-favorite film and its next chapter. At the time, in 2010, when TRON: Legacy was released, it was the third longest wait between an original film and a sequel and the longest for a live action film. The top two spots were also held by Disney films, coincidentally, albeit animated ones. The longest time between franchise films at that time (and currently still standing) is 64 years, between Bambi (1942) and Bambi II (2006). Coming in just behind that film is a 59-year wait between Fantasia (1940) and Fantasia 2000 (1999). TRON: Legacy was third. Unfortunately, in the last 15 years, the “long wait” between TRON and TRON: Legacy falls to at least 15th place, as sequels to many films from the 80s and 90s popped out to cater to fans. Films like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (36 years), Blade Runner: 2049 (35 years), Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (30 years), and Top Gun: Maverick (36 years), which coincidentally was also directed by Kosinski. Disney would also release Mary Poppins Returns, which secured the third spot in the longest time between sequels at 54 years!

The most important thing the film attempts is to not create a Disney-fied version of The Matrix. For the previous ten years, many filmmakers’ ideas of virtual reality or the inside of a computer was to create something that looked or sounded like the world in the Keanu Reeves film. Luckily, the world of TRON has its own look, rules, and style. Kosinski had ideas about what he wanted to do in continuing the world of The Grid. He asked for some funds to complete a short project to help sway Disney towards his idea. This short film would eventually be shown to audiences in 2009 at San Diego Comic Con in order to drum up enthusiasm for the impending sequel. It worked. In short, it looks like TRON, but a version of the world as seen from the 21st Century. The advancements in real-world film technology and visual effects allowed this sequel to make design leaps that were undreamt of in 1982. The world seems more complete due to these advancements. But it also seems more complete because The Grid has been being built for the intervening years. The world inside of the computer has evolved just as the world of computers has grown.

Perhaps the biggest talking point for fans of the film is the return of Jeff Bridges and Kevin Flynn. Without him, it just wouldn’t feel quite the same. Of course, the big surprise is that Bridges plays two roles, but not in the same way he did during the 1982 film. Here, his 1980s likeness is created by digitally de-aging the actor. This is a process where previous, younger imagery of the actor is entered into a computer, and a younger, digital double is created. This was first utilized in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and has been used in dozens of films since. Bruce Boxleitner was included in the film as well, but he did not feature in the story as much as Bridges. Both Garret Hedlund and Olivia Wilde had appeared in some feature films previously, but TRON: Legacy gave them both a much wider audience. Currently, neither is slated to have an appearance in the third TRON film, due in late 2025. By far, the stand-out performance is Michael Sheen as Zuse/Castor, the proprietor of the End of Line Club. His over-the-top performance evokes elements of David Bowie, Alex from A Clockwork Orange, and Cabaret, and becomes a unique character in the normally staid and sanitized Grid.

40 IF GENRE=SCI-FI THEN

TRON: Legacy defines the science fiction genre with its futuristic technology and its stylistic designs, which look both forward and backward. The world of TRON and Flynn wouldn’t be the same without the visual style of pinstripe lighting on characters’ outfits or the neon-glow from vehicles and buildings. It’s one of the film’s most defining characteristics. Like many sequels to popular films, TRON: Legacy keeps the elements that define the original while expanding the world in both breadth and depth. Look at The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, or Terminator 2: Judgment Day as examples. They all take the basic elements of what made their predecessor work and expand on those themes and plot points to make a bigger and more expansive sequel. TRON: Legacy does this to an extent with the new look for the Grid and its increased scope. But it also falls back into the trap of telling a similar story to the original. Sam’s story in this film mirrors his father’s from the original. Man is scanned into a computer world where he becomes trapped until he can find the portal to escape. To be fair, there are not too many ways for characters to enter the TRON universe other than being scanned. From there, it’s a similar take on a classic literary story. But rather than The Wizard of Oz, TRON: Legacy sides a bit more with Alice in Wonderland.

In the 1982 original, Kevin Flynn enters an alternate world of wonder where he meets characters who look like people he knows in the real world. His adventures through digital space culminate in his getting to return home to tell of his travels, much like Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz. In TRON: Legacy, Sam’s trip is similar, with some elements of Alice in Wonderland as he falls into the digital rabbit hole and meets with strange and wondrous creatures inside. Instead of finding digital representations of friends, he discovers his real father and an evil digital representation of the same. This changes the underlying theme of the film, which makes the sequel stronger than the original. Of course, Legacy also contains everything that the original had and more of it. There are battling disk wars, light cycles, and a digital train in place of the Solar Sailer, plus new elements like Light Fighters and the End of Line Club to enhance the world. It also draws inspiration from some other films, both sci-fi and not. The most obvious nod is to 2001: A Space Odyssey in Flynn’s residence. The white, underlit, futuristic floors combined with old 19th-century style furniture is a clear reference to the world that Dave Bowman visits beyond the stargate. Flynn and Bowman could both be seen as similar characters, having evolved beyond their original human bounds. TRON: Legacy also manages to make reference, in small ways, to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, WarGames, and Casablanca.

50 GOSUB SOCIAL COMMENTARY

TRON: Legacy’s main theme is about the inability to achieve perfection. Flynn creates his digital avatar, Clu, as a means to do his work in the digital space while he is back in the real world. He imparts instructions within Clu to create “utopia, man,” the perfect world. As any casual user of computers or technology probably understands, these devices are only as smart as the people who use them. Clu tries to follow that perfection to the letter, which means eliminating his imperfect user and imposing fascist order on the Grid. It’s unclear how a digital duplicate of Kevin Flynn could be so short-sided. At no point do either this film or the original suggest that there are any leanings in the character towards totalitarianism. Perhaps it’s just the filmmakers demonstrating that the search for perfection is really about the homogenization of the world. One of Clu’s first acts was to wipe out the Isomorphs, a new race of programs that spawned ex nihilo, from nothing. He gives speeches to his assembled armies in a way resembling Hitler. It’s the worst possible timeline from Flynn’s directive that could have evolved. Flynn realizes his mistake too late, of course, as he becomes trapped in the simulation away from Sam and his family. Creating a utopia, or yearning for utopian ideals, doesn’t necessarily have to equate to Naziism. There are plenty of other franchises that show individuals working together to build a better future. It does seem like the easiest path from a storytelling standpoint, however, and is almost too trite.

This film also returns to the use of religious allegory as did the original. TRON used the persecution against Programs who believed in the Users as a not-so-subtle commentary on religious persecution. That world had temples where Programs could receiveth the word from their User (in computer terms, I/O ports) as if it were some divine intervention. The Master Control Program was busy cracking down on this heretical belief in the Users (while hypocritically taking commands from his own User). TRON: Legacy shoots bigger with an allegory of Biblical proportions. That’s right, it takes on the whole idea of the Bible. Flynn is very much a stand-in for God, having built the entire world of the simulation. He creates his assistant, Clu, and has a second assistant, left over from the previous incarnation of the Grid, Tron. They are his right-hand men in getting the world built to his specifications. Clu discovers a flaw in the plan and rebels against his master, “falling” from his grace like the angel Lucifer. The world that Flynn made yields a new species, the Isomorphs, which seem to be a stand-in for humanity. Due to circumstances, Flynn must sit back and watch his simulation play out, unable to interfere–until his long lost son returns, Sam. Sam is an obvious metaphor for Jesus Christ, the child of the creator and the one that can restore order to the world. He too is persecuted for being who he is until, at the end of the film, he ascends back into his real world, or what the Programs believe to be the world beyond. It’s not a perfect allegory, but it creates some interesting ideas about how religion is perceived in a digital future.

Flynn continues being a close analog to Jeff Bridges (or perhaps Jeffrey Lebowski) with his philosophical ideals. The reason he is still trapped in the world of the Grid is that he is trying to be more Zen. He practices the art of selflessness, which is about removing oneself from the equation. He also takes the role of master to Quorra’s student, as he teaches her the same thing. He tells Sam the thing that all children of the 80s learned from watching WarGames, “the only way to win is not to play.” Flynn’s belief is that pacifism is non-interventional. He sits outside the world of the Grid, where he can’t be touched, observing but not interfering. His worry is that inserting himself into the mix will make things even worse, especially if Clu is able to get Flynn’s identity disk. But he’s wrong about not playing. He’s still in the game (both literally and figuratively). As the one person who is able to vanquish Clu, his inactions are as much to blame in the decimation of the Isomorphs and the takeover of the Grid as are Clu’s actions. It’s Quorra who eventually shows him the path, as the student becomes the teacher. She shows Flynn how sacrifice is the way forward. She respects and loves him so much that she puts her life on the line several times to buy Flynn and Sam the ability to escape. Eventually, Flynn realizes that with no other avenue, he must involve himself in the fight. But yet he fights without fighting. Real Zen, man. Flynn apparently sacrifices himself by holding Clu back long enough to allow Sam and Quorra to escape, exhibiting true selflessness as he transcends his humanity.

60 LIST SCIENCE

TRON: Legacy’s biggest advancements are in the tools used to create the world inside the computer. Where TRON was able to use limited computer-generated imagery while creating its world, 90% of everything seen in this film was generated by computers. No longer are characters resigned to wearing costumes with reflective patches that are filled in by rotoscope artists. Technology is at the point where small fiber optic lights can be built directly into the clothing. Real-world computers are powerful enough to create the look of light cycles appearing from nothing, as if drawn from a schematic in space. And, of course, the ability to create a true digital recreation of an actor was only a dream in 1982. At the time it was released, the digital creation of a younger Jeff Bridges (based on his 1985 appearance in Against All Odds) was initially an amazing creation. Still images look like Jeff Bridges. But when those images begin to move, the uncanny valley of simulacra in the real world manifests. There’s something plastic, fake about his movements and facial features. This ends up becoming one of the biggest distractions for the film and, unfortunately often takes precedence over the other awesome elements of the film.

One of the more imaginative elements of TRON: Legacy, and one that is not capitalized on enough, is the creation of the Isomorphs. Both Alan Bradley and Flynn talk about how their discovery (their digital DNA) will change everything from science, medicine, philosophy, and religion. It’s a discovery that Flynn was ready to capitalize on before becoming trapped in the digital world. But exactly how does this discovery change those things? It’s an intriguing thread that could use more exposition. It’s possible that the future films in the series may follow up on that.

Another interesting tidbit that Legacy addresses is the speed at which time passes in the computer. Hours in the digital world are minutes at home. It’s not a new idea. Last week’s film, Inception, had a similar premise for the way things work in dreams. This explains how Flynn was able to accomplish so much. However, the only flaw in this is Flynn’s age during the film. If he was trapped in the simulation for 20 years, he should be considerably older, and not the same age as Jeff Bridges is 28 years after the original film. If minutes in real time are hours in the Grid, then hours are days, and years would be decades. This would make a much less interesting film and probably should have gone unstated in order to keep people like myself from nitpicking it.

70 GOTO FUTURE

As with Wendy Carlos’ pioneering electronic score for TRON, TRON: Legacy takes things to the next level, utilizing one of the most iconic bands in the electronic music genre, Daft Punk. This duo, who appear in robotic masks and outfits while performing, created the soundtrack for this next film in the franchise. It’s fitting as they took inspiration from Carlos and the original TRON soundtrack, as well as the look of the film, influencing their outfits to an extent. Aurally, the soundtrack echoes the originality of the 1982 film, using some of the original’s themes while firmly creating a new and original tone for the sequel. The upcoming sequel will continue to move forward on its soundtrack, with Nine Inch Nails reportedly being tapped as the new artist. While many would love for Daft Punk to continue, the new film sounds as if utilizing NIN might better fit its reported plot.

A short film was created for the Blu-Ray release of TRON: Legacy, entitled Tron: The Next Day. It shows what happens after Kevin Flynn disappears, with the birth of the “Flynn Lives” movement, also setting up potential elements for a third film. A third film that has yet to materialize. Disney was relatively quick to continue the TRON universe beginning in 2012 with a 19-episode series called TRON: Uprising. It serves as a prequel series to TRON: Legacy, pushing the events of the 1982 film towards the 2010 world. It was well-received by fans but was canceled quickly, leading to the off-again/on-again nature that Disney seems to have with the future of the franchise. In 2016, Tron Lightcycle Power Run, an immersive rollercoaster ride, was opened at the Shanghai Disney theme park. Riders sit on virtual light-cycles as they cruise in and out of the ride enclosure. An American version, titled Tron Lightcycle / Run, was opened at the Magic Kingdom in 2023. All of this leads up to the hopeful release of TRON: Ares, a third film due in theaters in October 2025. Little is known other than that Jared Leto will star as a Program who enters the human world. Apparently they decided to switch it up and have a Program enter our world rather than having another human enter The Grid, an obvious nod to the Crocodile Dundee sequels. Jeff Bridges is also rumored to return.

TRON: Legacy is an imperfect film, probably stemming from creative differences or time constraints rather than a commentary on the themes of the film. Yet it still captures the wonderment and amazement of existing in a world filled with digital constructs and miraculous technology. Perhaps its difficulty was in creating a sequel to a popular film that also serves as a unique vision of a future digital world. In the 28 years since TRON was released, many films–and also video games–have achieved many of the visuals and immersive looks at worlds that TRON described. For audiences that were expecting wholly new ground, many were disappointed. TRON: Legacy still tells a heartwarming tale of parents and children and reminds everyone that hubris and ego can be dangerous toys to play with–even in the digital realm.

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