Tron

 

1982, Rated PG, 96 minutes, Directed by Steven Lisberger, Written by Steven Lisberger & Bonnie MacBird, Produced by Donald Kushner & Ron Miller, Cinematography by Bruce Logan, Original Music by Wendy Carlos

With: Jeff Bridges (Kevin Flynn), Bruce Boxleitner (Alan Bradley), David Warner (Ed Dillinger), Cindy Morgan (Lora)

Tron takes you into the world of computer programs and video games...literally. It takes place in 1982 when video games were getting their start and computers were beginning to tackle more functions and responsibility. Tron dazzles the eye with bright colors and captures the imagination in its immersive virtual reality.

In 1982, video games were just beginning to enter the mass market from the exclusive entertainment world where they started. Tron gives a bigger picture of that world from the inside out. Tron gives life to the virtual world behind the screen by creating people who do the fighting and obey the commands of their outer world users. The movie uses a simple and engaging plot to address issues of technology, corporations, greed and power.

Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is attempting to find some information stored deep within a computer and he is using a personified computer program to find it. The only problem is, his program is an intruder into the master program of ENCOM and is being hunted down to be destroyed. This scene creates an excellent juxtaposition to the real world of humans and the virtual world of personified programs. While his program is eventually destroyed we soon find out that Flynn is not the only one trying to infiltrate the ENCOM Master Control Program. 

Alan Bradley  (Bruce Boxleitner) is one of the many programmers working under the ENCOM corporation. In his attempts to create a program that monitors the activity of the Master Control he is shut out of the system and suspects that the Master Control is trying to hide something. He teams up with his girlfriend Lora (Cindy Morgan) to find Flynn so they can work together to root out the system. It turns out that Flynn is looking for evidence that proves he was the creator of the popular video game Space Paranoids . He created it after hours when he was working with ENCOM but it was stolen and published by the current head of ENCOM Ed Dillenger (David Warner). They break into ENCOM where Flynn finds himself doing battle with the Master Control and is shot by a laser that transports him to the virtual world where he is forced to become a game player in the video games. He is encapsulated in a virtual world with polygons and light cycles and programs that exist only to fulfill the every command of their user. 

The majority of the rest of the movie takes place in this immersive virtual world as Flynn, Tron (Alan Bradley’s program), and Yori (Lora’s program) navigate their way through light cycle games and tank battles to find the central processor that has the information they need to expose Dillenger, while Sark (Dillinger’s program) hunts them down and tries to eliminate them to save the future of the Master Program. They encounter everything from virtual guards, control ships. the original creator of the program, light beam transports, rejuvinating water, and logic probes on their journey. Only by viewing the film will you be able to appreciate and enjoy these encounters and the wildly entertaining computer speak throughout the film.

Tron successfully immerses the viewer into a created virtual world that was previously left only to the imagination. It gives life to a world that was formerly just numbers and data and allows the video game enthusiast to see life on the other side of the screen. I was not even alive when this movie was made but I constantly found myself marveling over the nostalgic world of early video games and computer programs. Creating this world took an extraordinary amount of work and innovation. The CGI was revolutionary and while it is only displayed in 15 minutes of film, the animation was a significant leap in computer generated images. To film the live action sequences in the virtual world, the backlit animation technique was used where the actors are filmed in a black setting in black and white on large format film which is colorized. This technique requires an enormous workload as the each part of the reel must be gone over with meticulous detail. The end product is captivating virtual world. It is a delight to watch virtual tank battles, tron races with light cycles, and disc fights all well choreographed and created. The animation keeps an excellent balance of creating a world that is obviously virtual but at the same time feels real.

The plot is simple yet elegant. The good guy is the underdog fighting against the villian corporation personified by one man, the CEO. Flynn must overcome insurmountable odds to expose the truth and must use every bit of his expertise to get there. Every act of the movie adds to the overall story and keeps the viewers attention throughout. Each character is an excellent personification of their personalities. Flynn is the stereotypical against the grain computer programer with a laid back attitude that both masks and highlights his genius whereas Ed Dillinger is your typical power hungry CEO who wants to bend the will of those around him to suit his needs and advance his name. Alan Bradley is a standard mid-level computer programer stuck in a mega corporation. The actors bring these roles to life and portray characters that are still relevant today.

The film, while obviously shot in 1982, has aged relatively well as the various themes are still relevant today. There has been a continuous debate over the role of technology and its potential to take over humans responsibilites just as the Master Control Program feels superior in knowledge and capabilities to all of his creators. He begins to have a mind of his own. Greed, power and corruption in corporations is still a relevant issue today that can be found almost daily in the news. 

Tron creates an amazing virtual world around a plot that at the time probably seemed droll, but in the hands of Disney becomes an enticing plot of espionage, power, greed and video games. Viewed over 25 years after it was made, it creates a nostalgic feel and presents a unique perspective on the early world of video games that my generation has grown up and evolved with. For those who are not interested in video games, this is not the movie for you. For the video game enthusiast, Tron will satiate your imaginative thirst to see the virtual world that you so often immerse yourself in on the screen in front of you...but this time it is real. “End of line.”

A

Content Advisory

contains relatively little advisory material. There are a few mildly violent scenes and just two uses of profanity.

Food for thought/discussion

1.Tron addresses the issue of the use and extent of technology. Is this a relevant issue today? How has it changed? What is your opinion of the debate?

2. While the movie takes place at the onset of the video game era, it still touches on the nature of video games. What was the nature of video games then...now?

3. How do you deal with technology that is bigger than one person?