DVD Spotlight: TRON and TRON: Legacy

What an absolute thrill it must have been for ‘TRON’ fans who stopped by the West Hollywood Best Buy earlier this month. Not only were they able to meet Joe Kosinski, director of the new ‘TRON: Legacy,’ and Steven Lisberger, director of ‘TRON: The Original Classic Special Edition,’ but they also scored signatures on the blu-ray and DVD release of the films. Check out these awesome pics…

 

Ok, let’s take a closer look at the movies…

‘TRON: Legacy’ (Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language) – You can read my full review here, but what I loved most about this movie is the great visual effects and stark “reality” of The Grid. I wondered what it must be like to live inside all of that white, black and gunmetal grayness. The story begins with a flashback to 1989 as Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) – now the CEO of ENCOM – tells his son Sam about the Grid and how he’s discovered something amazing. Unfortunately, Kevin goes missing, and Sam grows up not knowing what the amazing thing is.

Tron: Legacy DVD and Blu-rayFlash forward and Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is now 27 and the head of the company. He’s a renegade, though, and proves it by breaking into the ENCOM building, stealing the new software, and releasing it online. Power to the people, right?

But when his father’s friend and business partner Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner, who played the part in the original ‘Tron’) gets a page from Kevin’s old office in the arcade, Sam checks it out and discovers a secret workshop, where he activates a digitizing ray that transports him into “the grid” and smack into a game of life and death.

‘TRON’ (Rated PG) – This movie was released in 1982, which was really at the beginning of the computer craze. In fact, word has it that many Disney animators refused to work on the film because they feared that computers would put them out of business. Well, not really, because even though hand-drawn animation is becoming a thing of the past, computer-generated animation needs people, too.

The story follows programmer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), whose former colleague Ed Dillinger (David Warner) steals his ideas for several popular arcade games. With help from Alan Bradley (Boxleitner) and Lora (Cindy Morgan), Flynn manages to break into the computer system, but in the process, gets turned into a computer file and has to battle it out in there. Don’t forget, though, that Flynn is a master computer programmer and awesome gamer.

What I love about the original ‘Tron’ is that even with all of the modern technology and digital special effects in filmmaking now, the movie has really stood the test of time. Probably because at the heart of it is a man-vs-machine story that never goes out of style, whether you’re talking about  HAL in ‘[amazon_link id=”B000UJ48SG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]2001: A Space Odyssey[/amazon_link],’ the robots in ‘[amazon_link id=”B0012GVKVY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]I, Robot[/amazon_link],’ or even the matrix in ‘The Matrix.’

Tron Jeff Bridges

There are a variety of ‘Tron’ and ‘Tron: Legacy’ editions on store and cyber-shelves right now, but the one I received includes both films: ‘[amazon_link id=”B004K4N64E” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Tron: Legacy / Tron: The Original Classic[/amazon_link].’ It’s a five-disc combo featuring Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and a Digital Copy. They really pulled out all the stops, with hours of exclusive content and bonus features, including…

  • First Look at TRON: Uprising, the Disney XD animated series
  • Visualizing TRON – How did the filmmakers bring to life the gorgeous world inside the GRID?
  • Installing the cast – Hear from all the stars of TRON: Legacy and their experience in making the movie
  • The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed [BD Exclusive – Interactive bonus piece] – What happens immediately following the end of the movie? What is Flynn Lives and who is responsible for their efforts?
  • TRON: Disney Second Screen [BD Exclusive – Interactive bonus piece] – Using your iPad or computer, watch the movie with exclusive interactive elements available on your 2nd screen
  • Launching the Legacy – Beyond the amazing visuals is a rich story filled with an entire world’s history and mythology. Discover how the writers and filmmakers created this complex fiction
  • Disc Roars – Watch director Joseph Kosinski use the raucous crowd at Comic-Con to record actual ADR for the disc game stadium crowd
  • Music video – ‘Derezzed,’ written, produced, and performed by Daft Punk


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Comments

  1. Lill Avatar

    I enjoyed Tron, too! Good thing there were able to put together most of the leading characters in Legacy!

  2. Jane Boursaw Avatar

    Lill – I really love it when they bring back some of the original characters in sequels and remakes. One that immediately springs to mind is the ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ remake, and I just read an interview with Barbara Eden who said she’d love a role. It’s just in the writing stage at the moment, but I bet they’ll work her in somewhere.

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