In defense of Tron Legacy
Here’s something I wrote to Aint iIt Cool News today in the wake of all the negative criticism of Tron Legacy, a film I enjoyed through and through. I honestly don’t understand the critical groundswell:
Normally, I’m a very happy go lucky reader of the site. But as AICN is one of the more premier destinations for movie lovers the world over, I’m finding myself very disconcerted to come across such a negative backlash to Tron Legacy, which could potentially damage its chances for a sequel. I would really hate for a potential new fanbase to miss out on both a great ride and potentially broadening experience because of a host of bad reviews.
My feeling is that not only were naysayers donning 3D glasses to the experience, but their cynical lenses as well. Of course people are allowed to voice their dissatisfaction, but I simply don’t get the vehement backlash from both critics and talkbackers alike. Is it the sign of a more jaded time in general, where everyone seems to fancy themselves experts on everything? Have we simply become more fascist about requiring a certain kind of ‘perfection’ oft referenced by Clu/Kevin in the film? For my money, the movie delivered on all cylinders as a piece of allegorical, neon hued pop culture.
Having rewatched the 20th year anniversary edition of Tron the night before, one thing came to mind that I was most anxious about when it came to the new film. Would Legacy be able to convey to an audience the sheer labor of love and earnestness that was so evident both in front and behind the camera? Even without watching the extensive “The Story of Tron” BTS doc, you can feel all those happy accidents of filmmaking coming together alongside the ingredients of passion and technical wizardy. Yes, the movie is high on camp value, dated production design wise, and the script is written in really broad strokes. But god knows it stuck to its guns in terms of melding a brave new world warning label alongside the thrills of early 80′s gaming. Jeff Bridges was already channeling the Dude and bless him for it. Alchemy at its best.
Could this film recapture that magic in a bottle? Would a kid now, saturated by all things Star Wars, Potter, and Narnia, be taken on the same wide eyed, wondrous journey I once went on so long ago? For the most part, I would say yes. There is a throughline of care invested into this film and a clear reverence for the source material, while extending it in ways only hinted at in the concept art of Syd Mead and Moebius back in the day. I remember rushing home from watching it as a child and drawing endless pictures of light cycles, disc wars, and recognizers, the imagination ignited in all directions of the Grid. I count the film as a very formative one in my path to becoming an illustrator. I hope the same is true for a child seeing this incarnation through new eyes today.
Over and over again, I’m reading that Legacy’s middle is chock full of boring exposition that brings the film to a halt. That in fact, this proves the film is devoid of soul and cinematically inert. Lest we forget, this year’s “Inception” had loads of exposition to slog through that were made specifically to fit the needs of the story. Such is the nature of world building. If you do not explain the crux and boundaries of the space that you’re inhabiting for 2 hours, you are left hermetically sealed in an airless chamber where you are unable to connect to anything. Personally, I didn’t feel like the exposition was so tortuous here, especially since something had to be said for how a creator can get trapped in his own digital Pandora’s box. Did it go on too long? Was the explanation too preposterous or insufficient? Well, that would be an altogether different issue that doesn’t pertain to the fact that you still need SOME exposition. Nonetheless, I’m curious as to what other way one would choose to address the backstory.
Stepping into the shoes of someone who really wanted to love the film but came away hating it, I’m theorizing that he/she is getting bad acid flashbacks from sequels like Matrix Reloaded or the Star Wars prequels. I can see how certain scenes and characters in Legacy could remind them of the protracted Architect scene or even the Messiah like Neo from Reloaded, which ultimately failed to connect with an audience. But fundamentally, I think the spirit and aim behind the story is very different here. It’s a Wizard of Oz tale where Kevin Flynn is the Wiz, Timothy Leary, Jekyll & Hyde character all rolled into one. He gets caught up in his own hubris and emotionally stunted ideas about perfection and pays the the price. It’s up to his son to awaken him from his exile and in the process, find his own path as well. That seems pretty straightforward to me in watching the film.
More importantly, I want to speak to the point about the film being soulless. Amid all the techno sheen and gorgeous aesthetic of the film, I would also say there is an enormous tenderness beneath it as well. Look into Kevin’s, Sam’s, or Quorra’s eyes at any point in the film and tell me that they are not telling a human story with them. I don’t think I’m reading too much into the narrative when I can see regret, disbelief, joy, resentment and fear all within that one scene alone where Sam reunites with his father. Even if the script is not always up to par, I surely thought the actors were on point. The film often feels like a chamber piece between 3 characters at times. You don’t actually get to see the audience in the stadium scene for example, the Purge occurs in a wide shot, and the clubgoers are mostly window dressing at best. I would imagine this was intentional, as this was quite true of the original film as well. Perhaps some faction of the audience needed more major characters to make it a worthwhile experience for them.
Having said that, one of my criticisms is that we could have used a lot more of Quorra in full on woman warrior mode, or at lest more interaction that highlighted her evolved nature as an ISO. She is after all modeled on a Joan of Arc archetype and giving her a wider berth of characterization may have made the ISOs a greater piece of the puzzle to care about. Also, some glimpse of Tron under that badass mask would have been nice towards the end to give the affair a more human touch, not to mention bring home the fact that the film is still titled Tron for a reason.
All in all, I did love this film and the one that came before it. Although it feels strange to defend a big budget Disney tentpole film, I feel a responsibility to speak up for a piece of filmmaking that a community has dreamt about for years and has a deep affection for.
Flynn lives.
End of line.
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