Tron: Legacy Preview
What 20 minutes of Disney's spectacular sequel were like.
Not only were press invited to watch a spoilertastic 20 minutes of Tron: Legacy, but the following day fans got to experience a preview of Disney's long-awaited sequel during Tron Night: 3D.
There's always a dilemma with these things. You get offered the chance to see a sizeable chunk of a hugely anticipated event movie, but then you are spoiling yourself the main event.
Nevertheless, I'm thrilled to have seen what Joseph Kosinski has done with Tron's concept. And it is mindblowing. We are informed that the scenes all come from the first half of the movie, which is astonishing, as what follows would be the climax of a similar project.
We are shown 23 minutes spread over five complete scenes. The first lets us see what has become of Sam Flynn, son of Jeff Bridges' Kevin in 1982's Tron. In the real world, he lives in a riverfront garage with a dog and a motorbike, and is shown to have a rebellious streak, tinged with attitude. It's apparent newcomer Garrett Hedlund isn't going for the cutesy leading man hero with this role. He is visited by Bruce Boxleitner's Alan, who informs Sam that's he's received a page from Flynn's arcade - cue jesting about pagers. This leads to the scene where Sam visits Flynn's arcade, where he finds the secret office and accidentally plants himself in Tron world.
Next up, it's the 3D world of Tron, and it's the moment that's been seen at both Comic-Con and Movie-Con this summer. The creepy landscape looks both ominous and spectacular as Sam finds himself on scanned on a Recogniser ship, before being shot down to a most unusual dressing room. He gets his suit fitted by four almost robotic ladies clad in white PVC, and the whole thing is fantastically iconic and borderline camp.
Then on to the never-seen-before stuff, which is Sam's first game. Floating in a chamber within a roaring amphitheatre, it's giddying, chilling and breathtaking. His disc battle is watched by Clu, a fautlessly digitally altered Jeff Bridges.
If you think that's good, it's nothing compared to what follows. It's lightcycle time! Making jawdropping use of the 3D, we see a chase sequence that introduces us to Olivia Wilde's character Quorra, someone who looks to be brave and daring, judging by her escape plan.
Then we see the actual reunion between Sam and his father Kevin, the proper Jeff Bridges. It's a strange moment. Quorra leads Sam into a Japanese-style room, where he sees Kevin meditating/praying in the centre, and the pivotal moment is (deliberately) without impact. Neither can comprehend the moment, and Sam is told they will talk later.
It ended with the Daft Punk-scored reel, with their cameo introduced by Michael Sheen's Bowie-esque Kaster, before a taster of the soundtrack. Tron: Legacy looks like a labour of love for everyone involved in its creation. The bar was raised by Avatar in terms of vision, and Kosinski's film has taken the legacy and run wild. What could've only been imagined in the first film has been brought to life in a way that remains faithful and understated, but unlike anything you'll see on screen this year. We'll see if the second half lives up to this taster on 17th December.
Subscribe to the SG News Feed
