Remakes & Reboots: Tron (1982) vs Tron Legacy (2010)

It’s hard to believe, but Disney was in dire straits in the late 70s and 80s. Before infamous CEO Michael Eisner was brought on to save the company, the mouse house had taken a big swing with the Star Wars-inspired “The Black Hole” in 1979. The movie turned out to be an expensive misfire due to its goofy premise and creepy atmosphere that traumatized many children (me included) with a bizarre hell on Earth finale. (Although that movie is a prime candidate material for a remake.)

In the early ’80s, Disney’s storied animation department was also floundering, yet they took a gamble on director Steven Lisberger’s ambitious animation project called “TRON.” The film is a unique blend of Disney-style animation and classic arcade games from the early 80s. As many Gen Xers will quickly reminisce, many of us spent hundreds of dollars of quarters playing the likes of Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or Space Invaders. Not to mention the nascent home game consoles like Atari that were beginning to take off. “TRON” seemed like a sure-fire bet to reach the young male audience that usually recoiled from the Disney brand name.

Fast forward to 2010, and Disney was looking for IP properties to exploit, hoping to start a new franchise to lure that young male audience who, much like their Gen X parents, seemed more interested in spending untold hours in front of their X-Boxes and PlayStation. “TRON” was a safe bet for world-building potential. They hired director Joseph Kosinski to come in and reinvent the dated franchise, streamlining the new film with a sleek and striking production design. The filmmakers managed to lure original stars Jeff Bridges & Bruce Boxleitner, and “TRON” was reborn as “TRON: Legacy.” 

Both films are fascinating to compare, as they share many plot elements. They also feature young directors producing ambitious, visually striking films with undercooked premises that never delve into the prophetic and potential storytelling that could explore the digital and computer age humanity is entering.

So fellow programs, let’s take a trip to the computer’s core and jump on the game grid to revisit Disney’s “TRON” and “TRON: Legacy.” 

TRON (1982)

Chad’s Grade: B-

The original “TRON” was released in 1982 during a crowded summer season that saw the likes of “Blade Runner,” “Poltergeist,” “The Thing,” and “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” But the box office was dominated by Steve Spielberg’s “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” which became a big hit with family audiences. Disney was betting that the neon-flavored arcade look of their summer offering would be enough to lure out all the kids fueling the early 80s arcade boom.

Starring a young and charismatic Jeff Bridges, “TRON” is the story of game developer Kevin Flynn attempting to hack the ENCOM corporation to find proof that ENCOM stole and distributed his series of arcade hit games. When Flynn sneaks into ENCOM’s on-site headquarters, he is digitized and trapped in the computer realm ruled by the “Master Control Program” and sent to compete in the gladiatorial games. Soon, he teams up with “programs” Tron & Yori to defeat the MCP and return to the physical world.

“TRON” has one of those goofy plots right out of the Disney 101 handbook featuring simplistic and one-note characters. Yet the screenplay by Lisberger, Bonnie MacBird, and Charles Haas flirts with many prophetic concepts like virtual reality, A.I., avatars, the internet, and social media. One wonders what cyberpunk author William Gibson could’ve done with the script. This movie is a visual representation of cyberspace, a phrase he would coin a few years later in his groundbreaking novel “Neuromancer.”  There wasn’t a language yet for many of the ideas the film was trying to convey.

What makes the film watchable is an eclectic cast, led by Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner. Bridges was a fascinating actor during this period, as he could move from Oscar-winning fare like “The Last Picture Show” to more campy projects like the 1976 remake of “King Kong.” He’s having a ball here, and his presence elevates the picture. Boxleitner plays a great straight man contrasting Bridge’s wild card Flynn, and he brings a much-needed gravitas to the title character. We also get the late David Warner doing one of his trademark villain roles as Ed Dillinger, the “Steve Jobs” style architect of the evil “Master Control Program” coming to future iPhone users everywhere.

For anybody who’s a connoisseur of retro visual effects, “TRON” is an absolute feast. Even if the graphics look simplistic, the bright neon colors and geometric-shaped vehicles over stark black and white photography were evocative and eye-popping. Not to mention the Syd Mead designed “Light Cycles,” featured in the film’s signature action set piece. We also get French designer Moebius’ fantasy-inspired costumes that bring much-needed whimsy to the proceedings. And there’s great fun in hearing characters call each other “programs” and “users” with names like Ram and Yori. “TRON” is a cyberpunk Wizard of Oz as characters appear in the real world and as their computer avatar counterparts. 

But the film isn’t helped by new director Steve Lisberger whose unsteady hand is apparent throughout the picture. This is a situation where his ambition outstrips his abilities. Certain subplots are hinted at, like a love triangle between Flynn, Tron, and Yori that is never resolved or followed through. It’s never explained why Flynn, jumping into the MCP, suddenly causes the evil A.I. to freeze up. And Flynn gains a cute sidekick, “BIT,” who eventually disappears and is never heard from again. 

Sadly, “TRON” was a disappointment for Disney, as the “E.T.” dominance crushed it at the box office. Even with its cutting-edge visual effects, the concepts were too strange and weird to connect with a general audience. Also not helping matters was the pervasive fear of computers by the boomer set, as PCs and Mac were beginning to invade people’s homes.

But the film stayed alive through cable and home video, and it’s considered a landmark in computer animation. It influenced many future visual effects pioneers like Pixar founder John Lasseter. And the famous “Tron” ride at Disneyland during the mid-80s also helped keep the film in the public eye for many more decades. 

Just enough for Disney to resurrect the concept some 28 years later…

TRON: Legacy (2010)

Chad’s Grade: C+

In 2010 Disney was searching for franchises that appealed to the elusive young male set, as they had cornered the girl market with their popular series of Disney Princess features. Disney wouldn’t purchase the Lucasfilm/Star Wars franchise until 2012, and they had no idea that their newly acquired Marvel comics would turn into an industry-changing juggernaut.

“TRON” had always been on Disney’s reboot radar. And in 2010, many of the prophetic concepts from the original film had become a reality. Personal computers and the internet were mainstays in every household, not to mention the explosion of wi-fi-connected “smart” phones after the release of Apple’s iPhone in 2007. Also, Facebook and Twitter were beginning to flex their social media muscle. Not to mention the popularity of the home game console market featuring sophisticated multi-connected gameplay. 

Much like the original “TRON,” Disney took a bet on new feature film director Joseph Kosinski who wowed the producers with his updated and streamlined redesign of the original film’s vehicles and computer world. They also brought back director Lisberger to produce, along with original stars Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner. Kosinski had no idea that he was creating one of the first “legacy” sequels years before “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” would perfect the concept. “TRON: Legacy” indeed. 

The 2010 version of “TRON” follows Sam Flynn, the 27-year-old rebellious son of Kevin Flynn, who’s haunted by his father’s mysterious disappearance. Sam investigates when Kevin’s former business partner Alan Bradley receives a mysterious “pager” signal from Flynn’s shuttered arcade location. Sam discovers that his father had set up a secret lab complete with the molecule-breaking laser so that he could enter the computer realm. Mysteriously, the laser activates and zaps Sam, where he awakens in a much more elaborate and dangerous computer core. 

After escaping the wild game grid, Sam is reunited with his missing father, Flynn, who’s been trapped in the cyber world all these years. Years ago, when Sam was just a child, Flynn was redesigning the computer core and created CLU, a computer copy/doppelganger to work with the Tron program to fix imperfections and fine-tune his new world. But CLU turned on his creator Flynn now ruling the cyber realm with a tyrannical zeal, and has brought Sam to lure out the aged Flynn from hiding. Soon, Sam and Flynn discover that CLU plans to invade the physical “real” world using Flynn’s master control disc. With the help of Flynn’s right-hand woman Quorra, father and son must stop CLU at all costs and battle the original Tron program, who’s been repurposed as CLU’s fierce henchman Rinzler. 

Compared to the original “TRON,” the sequel has a denser and more complex plot. While the script does flirt with some interesting ideas, particularly the biblical shades of Flynn’s computer doppelganger turning on his creator and Tron being reworked as CLU’s henchman, there’s an alarming lack of world-building. Much of the fun “user” and “program” terminology has been jettisoned. And the “TRON” world is tailor-made to comment on the effects of computer technology shaping our current world. Yet, there’s nary a mention of the internet, cell phones, and humanity’s addiction to social media. All these ideas could have been visualized in this fascinating, neon-colored landscape.

This is a shame because the visuals from director Kosinski are spectacular. The redesigns of the classic vehicles like the Recognizer and light cycles are rendered with stunning details. The new cyber world is filled with a haunting neon glow and some of the sets, like Flynn’s hidden lair, cleverly incorporate elements from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” And the new game grid, with its glass playing field and multi-levels as light cycles, zoom past each other, brings new life to the franchise’s signature set piece. The film was released during the “3D” craze of the early 2010s, and this was one of the few films enhanced by the new technology.

The film benefits greatly from returning stars Bridges and Boxleitner, playing their familiar archetypes with new grizzled energy. Bridges, in particular, has the daunting task of playing wild card Flynn and the villainous twin CLU. Acclaimed indie actor Garrett Hedlund does a credible job of playing Flynn’s son Sam, although you sense he’s uncomfortable headlining a big studio tentpole. And Olivia Wilde brings warm and innocent energy to her role as Quorra, but she doesn’t get much to do other than be the token female sidekick.

Many of the problems that plagued the 1982 original are apparent here. While the movie looks beautiful (freezeframe any shot, and you have a new desktop wallpaper), the storytelling lacks any urgency or energy, much like an empty art painting. The film is filled with many ideas and concepts, but director Kosinski and the writers lack the skill to combine them and create a compelling narrative. A big stumbling block was the new technology used to de-age Bridge’s younger-looking CLU, but the result is a waxy, uncanny valley that robs the plot twist of any dramatic potential.

“TRON: Legacy” did relatively decent and middling box office when it was released in December of 2010. But Disney heavily promoted the film with a massive P&A spend, offsetting any potential profits. You can tell that Disney was banking on this being a new franchise, as the film contains an uncredited cameo of Cillian Murphy as Ed Dillinger’s son, who would’ve made a great villain for future installments. While director Kosinski and the cast were game for a third film, Disney decided to cut their losses and shelved the franchise.

The film did produce a bestselling and evocative soundtrack by the French electronica duo Daft Punk, their only film score to date. As part of the massive promotion push, Disney did produce a high-quality and eye-popping animated series entitled “Tron: Uprising” that aired on the Disney XD channel. Featuring the voice talents of Elijah Wood and Lance Henriksen, the series follows a young “program” recruited by Tron to help him fight the tyranny of CLU. It’s a slick, well-written show that, ironically, was more involving than the feature film it was meant to promote. Fortunately, all 19 episodes are available to stream on Disney +.

IN CONCLUSION:

If you’re a fan of classic Disney programming before it became an industry-dominating powerhouse, then the original “TRON” is worth a re-watch. Yes, the computer graphics are like cave paintings, but there’s a beautiful retro charm that evokes a bygone era of the 80’s arcade experience. This was a rare moment in Disney’s history where they took big chances and were willing to experiment and move away from formulaic storytelling, even if the results were goofy as hell.

The 2010 “TRON: Uprising” is a beautiful but underwhelming follow-up to the 1982 classic. It’s gorgeous to watch, especially in high definition, but you forget the film after the credits roll. To be fair, director Kosinski would radically improve as a filmmaker, helming the underrated sci-fi mystery “Oblivion” and perfecting his legacy sequel bona fides with the 2022 smash “Top Gun: Maverick,” marking Tom Cruise’s return to his signature role.