As a computer geek who knew about Tron before Tron: Legacy, it’s strange to see it become a mainstream phenomenon.
Artwork by Ed Gloor
Tron isn’t just a movie that came out late in 2010; the original came out in 1982 and became a cult film favorite of geeks. Many new viewers who enjoy the lighted suits, disc fights, and a world within computers have little or no clue that it was first on the scene 28 years ago. Tron: Legacy has a story that is strong enough to stand on its own, though it does borrow here and there from the original Tron. By itself, it’s a good movie that is accompanied by stunning visuals and a soundtrack by an artist who truly couldn’t have been a better choice. It is, however, much better when the audience knows the complete arc of the story.
Tron is not just a movie; it’s an opportunity for geeks to bond over talking about the journey Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges, Iron Man), RAM (Dan Shor, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure), and Tron (Bruce Boxleitner, Babylon 5) took through the Encom company’s computer network to shut down the overlord Master Control Program. Tron was something almost sacred, a shared connection that several computer geeks, video gamers and gadget fiends had in common.
Not anymore.
It was good for Disney to reboot an old story and continue it for the fans, but for those unfamiliar with the world of Tron, Legacy’s just another big-budget blockbuster 3D movie. Sure, the effects were cool, but the feeling of a new world and rebellion that was carried over from Tron won’t sink in for the average moviegoer. There’s no doubt there are fans of Tron: Legacy who don’t even know there is an original. To these new fans I would like to say, know that there were others first amazed by light-up suits and identity disc battles. Know that there have been dreamers who wondered if programs believed in users or not. Most importantly, know that an underground film reserved for computer geeks and fans of Sci-Fi movies now has a sequel that is awesome.
It’s strange to see something that used to be obscure, like an inside joke, become popular, with the punch line exposed for everyone to see. Yes, it has a beauty that only the world of Tron could have, but it feels strange that other people who don’t know what came before it are now allowed in. Part of me wants to make it a requirement to see the original Tron before seeing Tron: Legacy. It’s a bit extreme, but that’s how I and a few of my acquaintances saw it, and by doing that, Legacy gave them a few rewards here and there for seeing the first Tron. Another part of me wants to be okay with the fact that non-geeky masses are enjoying Tron now that it is mainstream, but when it comes down to it, there’s a little sting in my inner geek when I hear that someone has seen Tron and I realize that they’re talking about the sequel and haven’t heard of the predecessor. I like what everyone involved in Tron: Legacy created – a brilliant Sci-Fi father- son story with amazing visuals – but as a longtime fan of a movie made in 1982 that was mostly set inside a computer, it hurts that most of the audience for Legacy never knew that world.
If people are still planning to see Tron: Legacy, it’s worth the hour and a half it takes to see the original Tron. The story will be clearer and those viewers will catch the little homages to the original that are in Legacy.
