Review of Tron (1982) by Eric S — 21 Mar 2011

I caught some of this one on cable the other night after not seeing it in many years, and it does indeed have a charm to it. The effects seem somewhat animated which is strange but interesting. It came out in '82, so we must take that into account.

Jeff Bridges stars as Flynn who hacks into the mainframe of his ex-employer's system to prove that his work has been stolen by another executive. Ultimately, he gets pulled into a computerized world where he joins computer gladiator-esque characters on the grid where they must do battle with the MCP(Master Control Program) to actually decide the fate of the electronic and real world. Have I lost you? lol.

The "light cycle" sequences are quite unique and I'd say the most memorable thing to me about the world of Tron. If you've seen "Tron Legacy", there can be no comparison made with the effects because it's a whole other thing. But like I said, time and place.

What I did not recall is how good the soundtrack is which was made by Wendy Carlos who is best known for their work on Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" and "A Clockwork Orange". This film is dated without question, but definitely worth seeing if you have the slightest interest in it because it is somewhat of a classic.

And yes, that is the girl from "Caddyshack" wearing the modified Cooper Ice Hockey helmet with the accompanying glow in the dark apparel.