Review of Tron (1982) by Shane S — 01 Sep 2012

The best that '80s cheese can offer, complete with outdated computer effects (that surprisingly blend in with the ultra-minimalist style Disney was shooting for), corny jokes (especially from Jeff Bridges and David Warner), and a story about how open-source software is good for humanity (yeah, if all the OS programs weren't all owned by companies). While the effects and the story don't hold up to the more cohesive (but still spotty) "TRON: Legacy," it's one of those '80s films that never seems to date no matter how rusty-looking it seems.

So many arcade games, so much misunderstanding on how computers work (dudes, throwing in computer terminology doesn't give you a free pass to violate everything dealing with basic computing), so many outdated fashions, so much blue-screen effects - and yet, it's still a very heartwarming story with some great set pieces (the simulation transporter; the light cycle race; Flynn getting scanned into the computer; the final battle between Tron and the Master Control Program), Jeff Bridges stepping up the plate as one of the finest actors of our time, and Bruce Boxleitner. Everything Bruce Boxleitner.

And besides, if it weren't for "TRON," we wouldn't have CGI in films. Then again, Lucas fanboys are probably silently cursing this film for showing Lucas that CGI was pretty practical (but very risky, considering how this film royally tanked at the box office).