Re-Review of Tron (1982)

DIMENSION RE-REVIEW OF:

TRON (1982)

Bad fluff, that's what I call TRON. It's biggest detraction would have to be the three words before the title 'Walt Disney presents'. For those who remember The Black Hole as a giant piece of fluff when TRON was released, they must have been disappointed with what they may have been expecting with this film.

The movie takes place in two worlds, ours and the computer world where the programs (people) who live there view the users (anyone who uses computers in our world) almost as gods. Along comes Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who wishes to prove that his video game creations where stolen by promoted hack named Dillinger (David Warner). Flynn is 'zapped' into the computer world by a matter digitizer that the company is inventing under the control of the MCP (Master Control Program) a computer that is working on taking over both the computer world and the real world. In the computer world, Flynn becomes a messiah character (God becomes man/user becomes program) and helps his friend Alan's program Tron (Both played by Bruce Boxleitner) defeat the evil MCP.

This is a deep SF story that came along before the term cyberpunk was even dreamed, with beautiful special effects splashed with colors and textures that make you believe that you are truly inside a computer world. Even when they have a chance to add a cuteness factor that could ruin the feeling of the film with the curser like Bit that answers only yes or no, it is only used twice for that correct amount of comical relief. As always, David Warner provides a great villain that you just love to hate, and to see Bruce Boxletner as Alan looking so young as a computer geek is a hoot. But also be on the lookout for Peter Jurasik as an accounting program that goes up against Flynn in the computer games.

Walt Disney has also remastered TRON and released it on both VHS and DVD. My suggestion is to either rent or buy this film to enjoy something from Disney that is more original then anything they have done today.

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