Review - Tron (1982)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and after talking about anime yesterday, it's nice to get back to talking about Disney. For today's review, we'll be taking a look at a sci-fi movie that Disney released back in 1982, and is one of my favorite movies in the cyberpunk genre. I am, of course, talking about Tron, directed by Steven Lisberger and starring Jeff Bridges, Cindy Morgan, Bruce Boxleitner, Dan Shor, Barnard Hughes, and David Warner. 

         So, the world of Tron is divided up into two worlds: the User World, which is the real world, and the Game Grid or simply The Grid, which is a digital landscape within cyberspace that is inhabited by programs. And in the world of the Grid, video games are massive gladiatorial death matches in which the loser faces de-resolution. Each program is given an identity disc, which is programmed with base information and programming information about the program it belongs to. Losing a disc or failing to follow commands results in de-resolution. 

          Our main protagonist is Kevin Flynn, an arcade owner and computer programmer who, with help from his program Clu, is attempting to uncover classified files from the computer servers of the corporation known as ENCOM. Unfortunately, Clu is caught by vessels called Recognizers, and his Light Tank crashes. Clu is taken before the Master Control Program, or MCP for short, and de-rezzed for refusing to talk. It's here where we meet ENCOM Senior Executive Vice President Ed Dillinger, who happened to write both the MCP and a program called Sark. Dillinger speaks with the MCP regarding Flynn's attempts to break in to the ENCOM system, leading Dillinger to cut off any programmers with Group Seven priority access to the ENCOM system. 

       Unfortunately, one such programmer is Alan Bradley, who is working on an independent security program called Tron. Alan goes to speak with Dillinger, who is pretty open about the Tron program, but the MCP is less enthused, as it doesn't want an independent program monitoring it. Alan goes down to the lower areas of ENCOM, where his girlfriend Lora Baines is working on a laser project. Lora has a feeling that the Group Seven cutoffs have something to do with Flynn, so she and Alan go to the arcade to warn Flynn that Dillinger is onto him. At the arcade, Flynn reveals that, while still employed at ENCOM, he started writing some programming for new video games such as Space Paranoids and Light Cycles. Unfortunately, Dillinger stole his files, presented them to the ENCOM board and claiming sole credit. This led Dillinger to his position at ENCOM, and Flynn is forced to live on small amounts he can get from the arcade from kids playing Space Paranoids. But without Group Seven priority access, there's nothing that can be done. Flynn, however, suggests getting direct access so he can forge a Group Six priority access to get into the system and attempt to reach Alan's program Tron. 

         Dillinger, meanwhile, is embroiled in an argument over his decision with a veteran ENCOM employee named Walter, all while Lora leads Flynn to the laser area where her terminal is. Dillinger, speaking with the MCP, is horrified when it reveals its intentions to break into the computer systems of both the Pentagon in Washington DC and the Kremlin in Russia. The. MCP then blackmails Dillinger by threatening to release the files Flynn is searching for to the press. Flynn, meanwhile, attempts to create the Group Six priority access, which the MCP picks up on, and warns him to stop his actions or be put on the Game Grid. The MCP then activates the laser, digitizing Flynn and bringing him to the Grid. 

         The MCP informs Sark about Flynn's arrival, although it only mentions the fact that he's a User, and the MCP wants him in the Games until he dies playing. Initially concerned, given that Programs we're written by Users, Sark eventually agrees to put Flynn in the Games. Flynn's first game is a match against a Program called Crom. After winning, he is taken to a holding area where he meets two other Programs: Ram and Tron. The trio of Tron, Flynn, and Ram end up as a team in a round of Light Cycles, and end up escaping the Light Cycle Grid. Their next goal is simple: reach an I/O (Input/Output) Tower to contact Alan on the outside. 

         Unfortunately, Flynn and Ram are separated from Tron, who is forced to continue onward by himself. Tron meets up with Yori at the Simulation Hangar, where she's working on the Solar Sailer. Flynn, meanwhile, shares a last word with Ram, who sadly de-rezzes, and uses his rare powers as a User to manipulate certain elements of the System, including construction a broken Recognizer and attempting to fly it as close as he can get to the I/O Tower. Flynn then knocks out one of Sark's guards and disguises himself as one of Sark's guards. Tron and Yori, meanwhile, speak with Dumont the tower guardian, who allows Tron to enter the tower to communicate with Alan on the outside. Alan then plugs an eradication program into Tron's disc, instructing him to throw it into the heart of the MCP at its base. 

        So, Tron and Yori take the Solar Sailer from the Simulation Hangar, and Flynn jumps aboard and reunites with Tron, as the Sailer heads off to the Central Computer Mesa, where the MCP resides. While en route, Flynn confides in Tron and Yori that he's actually a User. Unfortunately, Sark's command ship intercepts them as they reach the Central Computer Mesa, and both Yori and Flynn are taken by Sark. Tron, thought to be de-rezzed, hitches a ride on a small craft that Sark plans to take Dumont and other captive Programs to the MCP itself, while rigging his ship to de-rez with Flynn and Yori on board. However, Flynn is able to save just enough of it to keep them both from going away, and centers the ship just above the MCP itself. Tron, meanwhile, fights and defeats Sark, who is granted the functions of the MCP and grows massive. With Flynn's distraction,.Tron is able to hurl his disc at the MCP's weak spot, and the MCP is finally de-rezzed, along with Sark. With the MCP destroyed, system function is released all over the Grid, and Programs start reaching out to their Users from every I/O Tower on the Grid. 

        Flynn, meanwhile, is returned to the real world, and given a printout of the proof he needs to incriminate Dillinger of plagiarism. That morning, Dillinger sees the same message and realizes his career at ENCOM is over. The movie ends with Alan and Lora on the roof to greet the new CEO of ENCOM: Flynn himself. 

        Tron is definitely a movie that was ahead of its time. The extensive use of CGI in the movie was incredibly groundbreaking, but it didn't get the recognition it deserved. I think that a lot of general audiences just weren't particularly versed in the computer language used in the movie, so it wasn't able to grasp an audience outside of the visual. Speaking of which, the visual look of the digital world of Tron is just spectacular. Now, the filmmakers had to combine several techniques, including filming actors and sets in black and white, and adding the various colors of light for the circuitry and grid lines later in the production process. It still amazes me seeing how they were able to achieve the look of the movie back in the early '80s. 

        The cast of the movie is, of course, also phenomenal. Jeff Bridges is possibly at his best here, and it's hard not to enjoy his interactions with the world of the Grid. Bruce Boxleitner is also fantastic as both Alan and Tron, and although several will remember him for his role on Babylon 5, I still prefer his role in this movie, because it was honestly the first project he starred in that I fondly remember watching. 

        Both Cindy Morgan and Barnard Hughes are enjoyable as Lora/Yori and Walter/Dumont. I also enjoyed Dan Shor as Ram, who is easily one of the more overlooked characters in the movie, but gives an energy to it that would be missing without him in it. Lastly is, quite possibly, my favorite part of the first Tron, which is David Warner in the roles of Dillinger, Sark, and the voice of the MCP. Taking on the role of THREE antagonists throughout the movie, albeit Dillinger is the far less willing antagonist, is really awesome to see, and he delivers a phenomenal performance throughout the movie. It was definitely tragic when I heard about his passing last year, and he will definitely be missed. 

        Overall, director Steven Lisberger saw a world inside the computer, and Disney helped him put that world on the big screen. I'm glad that the film's cult status helped cement it's place in the Disney pantheon, and that Disney is continuing to grow the Tron franchise through various video game tie-ins and film sequels. The first of which, the 2010 film Tron: Legacy, we will be taking a look at some time this year. As for the original classic, I'm giving the movie Tron a rating of 5/5. Well, that'll wrap it up for me today. Join me on Monday when I take a look at another classic Disney film from the '80s: Who Framed Roger Rabbit.