tron

Originally posted on Cinematical

There aren't a lot of film properties that sort of crack through the veneer of my professionalism as a journalist – that tap into the fanboy hidden behind the film critic - but Tron is one of them. Since Tron: Legacy was announced two years ago, Joe Kosinski's follow-up to Steven Lisberger's groundbreaking 1982 computer-generated adventure has become the film whose release I've anticipated most, and as each new image, clip or piece of viral marketing was unveiled, my excitement continues to grow. The fact that each of these new pieces of the puzzle is beautiful and interesting only fuels my interest further – which is, of course, what distributor Disney is counting on to help propel the film to box office success when it's released on December 17, 2010.

Last summer, Disney offered an invitation to a limited number of reporters to visit the Vancouver set of Tron: Legacy, interview members of the cast and crew, and see how the production is progressing. I was lucky enough to be Cinematical's representative, and suffice it to say I was thrilled to get a chance to check out what was in store for the film. Before we actually visited the set proper, however, we spoke to none other than the star of both the original Tron and Tron: Legacy, Jeff Bridges. The man who would be Flynn gamely answered our nerdy inquiries and revealed what he could about the challenges of taking the franchise and rebooting it, in more ways than one.

I know you're bummed that you missed out on that wicked awesome velcro Tron wallet during the recent Flynn Lives viral campaign, but don't worry, the world of Tron Legacy collectible memorabilia has not ended yet. If you head over to Arcade Aid you can find a little Tron Legacy mini-game that could net you an ENCOM employee ID badge.

All you have to do is scroll through their visual puzzle and correctly identify the 56 classic games referenced within. It sounds pretty easy. Once you've proven that a lifetime's worth of playing video games has finally paid off, you'll be taken to a screen that will ask what you want on your badge. And then through the magic of the US Postal Service, you'll eventually find a real life ENCOM badge in your mail box.

Simple enough, no? Happy Hunting.

Hold on to your butts. The trailer for Tron Legacy has arrived, ready to melt your brain into a useless puddle of goo until December 17, 2010 rolls around and we can actually see the whole thing.

I love everything about this trailer. I love that it's a straight-up sequel to Tron, while being completely accessible to a new audience. I love the newly-designed look of the computer world, a look that somehow manages to be completely original while never betraying the original designs. I love the way it's shot, the way it's cut, and the music cues. It's a perfect, gorgeous tease.

What do you think? Has this added Tron Legacy to your list of 2010's must-sees or does it feel like just another 3D reboot?

(I consider myself a pretty serious movie fan. But the simple fact of the matter is that I miss stuff. Famous and interesting stuff. But not for long! Welcome to the column where I continue my film education before your very eyes. I will seek out and watch all of the movies I know I should have seen by now. I will first "review" the movie before I've watched it, based entirely on its reputation. Then I will give the movie a fair chance and actually watch it. You will laugh at me, you may condemn me, but you will never say I didn't try!)

The Film:



Starring:

Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner and Cindy Morgan

Why I Haven't Seen It Until Now:

I grew up on a steady diet of Indiana Jones, James Bond and Marty McFly. 1980s live-action Disney films couldn't have felt less appealing to a kid like me.

Pre-Viewing:

Tron is a fascinating but tremendously dated and ultimately boring film that hit a specific generation at the exact right moment to have a lasting impact. Like The Goonies, this is a film that coasts on nostalgia and rose-tinted childhood memories and those who loved it as children have yet to realize just how bad it really is.

Jeff Bridges stars as an adventurous computer programmer who enters the computer world known as TRON, where he engages in a bunch of lame video game challenges, culminating in the famous light cycle sequence. There is little plot to speak of and what is there feels like filler to connect the various special effects sequences, which may have been impressive in 1982, but are borderline unwatchable today.

Ultimately, I can see how Tron was a major step forward for visual effects, but outside of that, it's an empty, plotless mess with little to offer me and I'm only watching it because the trailer for Tron Legacy looks pretty nifty.

Post-Viewing:

Okay, put those stones down. I was way off.

Blue Sky reports that Disney is moving forward with a CG-animated television series set in the world of Tron Legacy that would serve as a way to keep the franchise alive between live-action sequels to the feature film. A computer-generated cartoon about programs with personalities, fighting evil in a cybernetic world within a computer? Sounds like Tron is not the only thing getting a reboot, but ReBoot as well. Of course I realize that Tron came first, but there's a younger generation out there with fonder memories of ReBoot than of the twenty-eight year-old cult film Tron. It'll be interesting to see how Disney sets the show apart -- will it keep the darker look of the upcoming film and will it be geared towards adult fans or the Saturday morning crowd?

Tron Legacy hits theatres on December 17, 2010.

Some intrepid Tron fans, either reminiscing over the original movie or impatient for the sequel, have taken matters into their own hands and used hand-made props to remake the iconic lightcycle race scene.

Miké and Vinz, with the help of a few friends, used cardboard and plastic sheeting among other common items to recreate the lightcycles, the arena, and the grid. Even the soundtrack is recycled, although from Steven Lisberger's original score. While it's been a while since I've seen Tron, this fan made video seems to recreate the scene shot for shot. By today's standards, the original film's computer graphics (pun unavoidable) are pretty crude, but back in the day, you have to remember that was pretty flashy. And this hand-made rendition does it justice; it was uploaded to Daily Motion, where it's already had over half a million views.

Tron Legacy is scheduled for release in December. But if you're getting nostalgic, you can watch Miké's and Vinz's tribute after the jump.

Welcome to Captain's Log -- your round-up of sci-fi randomness from around the web. Here's what's happening:

Could Joss Whedon have a new show in the works? Matt Roush at TVGuide reports of an upcoming meeting. (This time, not with Eliza.)

The Hollywood Reporter posts that Jonathan Levinson will tackle zombie flick Warm Bodies. Let's hope these zombies are quicker than the Mandy Lane distributors.

Holy poked eyes, Batman! Gizmodo finds a batumbrella.

But an even better geeky adornment is Mystery Science Theater in eyeglass form at Geekologie.

io9 shares a peek at the dry ice-covered dunes of Mars.

Diego-san, the humanoid one-year-old with the gargantuan head. [BoingBoing]

As The Los Angeles Times shares, Versace gives his fashion take on Tron.

And finally, the web is buzzing with new Star Wars opening text. [Awesomer]

It's not my intent to become a shill for Sideshow Collectibles, but I could not, in good conscience, let this slip through the cracks. Sideshow offers a series of artsy Disney vinyl figures from the design geniuses at MINDstyle that include things like a Tiki statue of the alien Stitch and absurdist versions of Mickey Mouse. Now MINDstyle have gotten their hands on two beloved geek properties and smashed them together in a way that just feels right.

If Tron is the peanut butter, then The Black Hole is the chocolate, making MINDstyle's vinyl V.I.N.C.E.N.T. figure the delicious peanut butter cup. And it is delicious. The limited edition 10-inch tall robot is styled with a Tron color scheme and is ready for pre-order on Sideshow's site starting today. Honestly, if this had been released when I was seven, my brain would've exploded.

Want to know exactly how badly Fox fumbled the marketing for Avatar? Just look at Disney's marketing of Tron: Legacy, a movie that is still a full year away but already has the geek population ferociously excited and the public aware of its existence. THIS is how you market a motion picture. Take note, Fox.

Perhaps to celebrate the fact that the film is approximately one year and a day away from release, Disney has released a new poster that shows us nothing we haven't seen before, but still looks slick and pretty (Disney could sell this entire movie on those light cycles if it wanted to). The poster also comes with a new image from the film and an official synopsis:

"TRON: LEGACY is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that's unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the digital world of Tron where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant Quorra (OLIVIA WILDE), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey of escape across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous."

Okay, confession time: I haven't seen Tron. It's somewhere near the top of my science fiction list of shame and I'll rectify that sometime soon. In the meantime, I'll exist as proof that this is a great marketing campaign: I'm still interested in Tron: Legacy despite having no attachment to the original. At the very least, it's going to be a visually stunning experience.

Tron: Legacy will attack your eyes with ferocious 3D amazing on December 10, 2010.

IO9 posted this little video earlier today for Tron Legacy. I am not a gamer, but I have to say this intrigues me. I'm a fan of the original movie, and this makes me excited about the sequel to one of the most innovative films in decades.

While the original characters and light cycles were state of the art at the time, the new characters have advanced significantly, looking "super sleek" as Meredith at IO9 points out. Back in 1982, when Tron was released, color graphics adapters were still brand spanking new, so this is an incredible update. According to the report, a longer clip will be shown on December 12th at the Spike Video Game Awards.

Watch the video game sneak peek after the jump.