When Tron was released in 1982 there literally had been nothing like it before. People didn’t have Internet or smart phones back then. The world of Tron was just as strange and new as outer space or the deep sea. And while by today’s standards it doesn’t have the greatest special effects, it was way ahead of its time and it still a fantastic film to watch. And now it’s even better on Blu-ray! Oh, and Tron: Legacy is on here as well which is pretty cool.
In Tron Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a computer programmer, is sucked into the computer by the Master Control Program where programs are forced to face one another in futuristic gladiator arenas. With the help of a program called Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) Flynn must find a way to destroy the MCP and return back to his reality.
28 years later brings us to Tron: Legacy. It seems that some time in the ’80s Flynn disappeared from the public eye. Many thought he was dead. His son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) thought he’d been abandoned until one day when his dad’s partner, Alan Bradley (Boxleitner), points him in the direction of his dad’s old arcade. There Sam unwittingly follows in his father footsteps and finds himself trapped on The Grid.
Flynn’s program, Clu, turned on him and took control of The Grid. Sam must first find his father before taking on Clu before he brings the world of The Grid to our reality.
Legacy is a fun film, and the special effects are absolutely mind-blowing. They have a sleek modern look while still maintaining an esthetic connection to the original. The story is not as engaging as the first, but it’s still a fun film and it’s great to return to The Grid again.
The creepiest part of the film is the CGI used to make Clu look like an ’80s Kevin Flynn. It’s not a 100% perfect and it can be really distracting. As Clu it’s okay, as Clu is a program, but in the beginning of the film when Kevin last sees his son Sam it’s just wrong.
All-in-all this is a fantastic collection. Both films make a great set and they both look fantastic on Blu-ray. This five-disc set also comes with a 3-D disc if you’re into that sort of thing. If not, you can always get the four-disc set.
Tron is presented in 2.20:1 widescreen and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with French and Spanish language tracks and English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Tron: Legacy is presented in 2.35:1 & 1.78:1 widescreen and 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround with French and Spanish language tracks and English, French and Spanish subtitles. Both these films look AMAZING! TRON has never looked better! One of the best Blu-ray’s I’ve seen in a while.
Tron: Legacy Disc (Blu-ray ONLY):
The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed: (46+ min.) A fun fake documentary about the history of Encom and Kevin Flynn, and it is even cooler cause I’m in some of the footage that was shot in here in San Francisco! Also, at the end you can type in three letter codes to see different footage including some of the flynnlives.com viral stuff and a “vintage” commercial for Space Paranoids. Good stuff.
Disney Second Scene: A way to get more behind the scenes stuff while you watch the film, you need an app for your iPhone or iPad or a program for your computer to make this work.
Launching A Legacy: (10 min.) This shows just how important fans are to a film. The filmmakers made a short trailer for the film and showed it to an unsuspecting Comic Con audience. They loved it and the rest is history.
Disc Roars: (3 min.) At Comic-Con the director used the audience to be his audience for the movie. This is really cool. It shows the Comic Con footage then the footage in the film.
Derazzed, Daft Punk video: (3 min.) Great song, cool little video.
Tron: Legacy Disc (Blu-Ray and DVD):
First look at Tron: Uprising: (1 min.) Promo for an upcoming Disney cartoon that takes place before Legacy. Could be okay.
Visualizing Tron: (12 min.) A typical look at how they developed the look of the film. How they designed the suits is very interesting.
Installing The Cast: (12 min.) A usual but interesting look at putting together the cast of the film.
Discovering Blu-ray with Simone and Pumba: (4 min.) A commercial to convince you to buy a 3-D Blu-ray player and TV.
Tron Disc (Blu-ray):
The Tron Phenomenon: (10 min.) Cast and crew, past and present, talk about the films.
Photo Tronology: (16 min.) Writer/Director Steven Lisberger sits down with his son to look at some old photos from when the first TRON was made. I guess this is better than just a photo montage, but it’s still kind of boring.
You also get all the original DVD Features including: Audio Commentary, Development, Digital Imagery, The Making Of, Music, Publicity, Deleted Scenes, Design, Storyboarding and Gallerys.
Digital Copy of Tron: Legacy
Tron is an ’80s sci-fi cult classic, Tron: Legacy is an entertaining all be it flawed sequel. Together they make a fantastic Blu-Ray release worthy of your hard earned dollars. And I can be seen in one of the special features! What other reason do you need to buy this?
Disney presents: Tron. Directed by: Steven Lisberger. Written by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. Starring: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan and Bardard Hughes. Running time: 96 min. Rated PG. Originally released in 1982.
Tron: Legacy. Directed by: Joseph Kosinski. Written by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal. Starring: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde and Michael Sheen. Running time: 125 min. Rated PG. Released: April 5, 2011.
