Tri-City Herald Logo

'TRON: Legacy' leaves a bunch of white noise | Tri-City Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Archives
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services

    • News
    • Local News
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Hanford
    • Northwest
    • Nation & World
    • Obituary Listings
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • Health
    • Weird
    • Photos
    • Weather
    • Videos
    • Sports
    • Local Sports
    • Preps
    • Prep Countdown
    • Seattle Seahawks
    • Seattle Mariners
    • Tri-City Americans
    • Tri-City Dust Devils
    • Tri-Cities Fever
    • Hydros
    • Photos
    • Outdoors
    • Blogs
    • College
    • NFL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NHL
    • MLS
    • Golf
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Public Records
    • National Business
    • Technology
    • Entertainment
    • Local Arts
    • Celebrity
    • Mr. Movie
    • Movie Times
    • Movie News
    • Music News
    • Calendar
    • Submit Event
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Contests
    • Living
    • Food & Wine
    • Wine Press NW
    • Antique Appraisals
    • Health & Science
    • Home & Garden
    • Light Notes
    • Religion
    • Spiritual Life
    • Births
    • Engagements
    • Weddings
    • Anniversaries
    • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Editorials
    • National
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Submit Letter
    • Guest Columnists
  • Obituaries

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad

  • About Us
  • Mobile & Apps

Movie News & Reviews

'TRON: Legacy' leaves a bunch of white noise

By Ed Robertson, atomictown.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

December 19, 2010 09:01 AM

At one point, everyone from Philip J. Fry to the degenerates who madeCuster's Revenge have wanted to experience life as a videogame.

Sustaining yourself by eating those hearts lying all over the placewould be pretty gross, but floating fruit and giant gold coins wouldbe plentiful. And who says you actually have to risk your life savingsome princess or defeating the evil sorcerer who's thrown the worldinto darkness? Even Link takes breaks to go fishing. Just go find aminigame where you shoot ghosts all day.

-- Local show times, theaters, trailer.

Then again, you might end up stomped to death by a giant, furious ape.Watching TRON: Legacy isn't that painful, but at times it comesclose.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Tri-City Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Back in 1989, Garrett Hedlund's father, video game designer JeffBridges, disappeared without a trace. A mysterious page from his dad'sold phone brings Hedlund to Bridges' secret workstation — where he'ssucked into a computer world called the Grid.

There, he's forced into arena battles by Clu (also played by Bridges),the program that's put the Grid under martial command. But Hedlund'sdad is still out there. Together, they'll try to liberate the Grid andthwart Clu's plan to destroy the real world.

Why would someone bent on the annihilation of Earth waste his timearranging and watching gladiatorial contests? I'm...not sure. Whywould Clu or any of the sentient programs who populate the Grid enjoythat in the first place? Again, it's unclear. Maybe they're thatevolutionary software that designs itself. Or maybe it's shallow lipservice to the original film with no real idea why it's there, likeeverything else in TRON: Legacy, a movie that waves its handsat any notion of worldbuilding in favor of light-based transportationand chicks in outfits even thinner than the plot.

Honestly, it does look great. I doubt I'll be the first or the last topoint out that, whenever you're confused as to what Hedlund and teamare doing now, you'll soon be distracted by some nifty light cyclebattles. Or light train rides. Or light jet dogfights. In the DVDdeleted scenes, we'll probably see them cutting across town on lightrickshaws and a heartfelt father-son moment when Bridges takes Hedlundto the virtual beach to show him how to light surf.

Or if light's not your thing, just stare the hell out of Olivia Wilde,Beau Garrett, and assorted models tromping around in painted-on suits.The original Tron was hardly sexy, but if you're going to bealone through the holidays, memories of this sequel will be the giftthat keeps on giving. I'm talking about touching yourself.

But there is such a thing as a refractory period. And in that period,if at no other time, you will be forced to wonder why everyone's planto get out of the Grid and save the day is so awful yet so easy.

Legacy has four writers to its credit; two of themfirst-timers, two of them with a lot of TV work to their names.Despite (or maybe because of) all this manpower, the dialogue's fullof clunky exposition and the story's a lightweight collection ofcliches and nonsense burdened down by halfhearted links to theoriginal Tron. It probably would have helped if they'd writtenin any personality or unique details to the world and its artificialpeople. With only the skimpiest internal logic to rely on (anddelivered mostly via epic Bridges monologue), everything thecharacters do feels even more arbitrary.

Director Joseph Kosinski works a few laughs out of Bridges'techno-Dude presence (though his Obi-Tron Kenobi robe is more theunintentional kind of humor). Daft Punk has a couple neat songs and anice cameo. And right, the graphics and action are physically ascolorful as anything since Speed Racer. But in terms ofcoherency or imagination, Legacy is just a bunch of whitenoise.

Grade: C-

  Comments  

Videos

Frozen 2 (Official Teaser Trailer)

New Aladdin trailer gives peek at Will Smith as the Genie

View More Video

Trending Stories

Richland playoff game canceled after Snoqualmie Pass closes

February 22, 2019 05:32 PM

Winter storm watch issued for Tri-Cities

February 22, 2019 05:54 PM

Medvedeva wins Russian figure skating to revive worlds hope

February 22, 2019 05:15 AM

Million dollar deal would give TRAC a new name

February 22, 2019 06:23 PM

ATM bandit raids 100 Kennewick bank accounts. More than $75,000 stolen

February 22, 2019 05:36 PM

Read Next

Domestic workers gather to celebrate ‘Roma’ and the Oscars

Celebrity & National

Domestic workers gather to celebrate ‘Roma’ and the Oscars

By SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS Asssociated Press

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 23, 2019 02:13 PM

Dozens of domestic workers around the US fly to L.A. to watch the Oscars in celebration of the visibility that the movie "Roma" has given to their role in society.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Tri-City Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE MOVIE NEWS & REVIEWS

‘Leave No Trace,’ ‘Eighth Grade’ to vie at Spirit Awards

Celebrity & National

‘Leave No Trace,’ ‘Eighth Grade’ to vie at Spirit Awards

February 23, 2019 01:25 PM
Stanley Donen, director of ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ dies at 94

Celebrity & National

Stanley Donen, director of ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ dies at 94

February 23, 2019 11:19 AM
US Latinas rally around ‘Roma’ actress Yalitza Aparicio

Celebrity & National

US Latinas rally around ‘Roma’ actress Yalitza Aparicio

February 23, 2019 09:10 AM

Movie News & Reviews

A Mexican town produced a ‘Roma’ star and a superb youth band. But will the band survive?

February 23, 2019 12:00 AM

Movie News & Reviews

No thanks to the academy, Oscar stumbles to the stage

February 23, 2019 12:00 AM
Correction: Empire Cast Member-Attack story

Celebrity & National

Correction: Empire Cast Member-Attack story

February 22, 2019 11:47 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Tri-City Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
Advertising
  • Digital Solutions
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Contact Us
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story