DVD Review: Disney Tron Legacy and Tron Classic

Disney has released both Tron Classic and (previously reviewed by me) Tron Legacy on DVD and Blu Ray. The 2-disc combo packs include the Blu-Ray and DVD versions together with bonus features.

The bonus features on these two movies are more than the average DVD includes. The Making of is included on both, as well as the cultural influence the original carried, sneak peaks at the next chapter in The Next Day: Flynn Lives, a music video, the animated 3D series Tron: Uprising, cast interviews, interactive features, extensive documentaries, photos and deleted scenes.

These two DVDs/Blu-Ray combo packs are meant not just for the fans of the original, but for the next generation of Tron fans as Disney prepares to continue the saga. Without giving any details away, the sneak peaks alone justify the purchase.

Watching the original movie after so many years brought home the differences between technology then and now. It is less cumbersome and smoother now, as well as more intense. However, the original set the future in motion and beyond other technology in its day. It is needed in your memory bank to clarify and give depth of understanding to the second in the series.

Bottom Line: Disney's Tron Classic and Tron Legacy are must-haves for the avid movie collector and for fans of sci-fi, adventure and action flicks of all ages.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, music, restaurant and performing arts critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC and follow her on Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook.

Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.

Tron: Legacy

Tron Legacy is a whirlwind ride of special effects and a flash back to the eighties via music within an arcade which hides a secret lab take the viewer by storm. A nonstop action flick which whips by you, seemingly in moments.

Some may think it a shallow, topical movie and I say, “So what?” Not every movie needs to be a depressing drama riddled with needed social changes.

Sometimes…we just wanna have fun.

And fun is exactly what this movie promises and delivers. Jeff Bridges stars once again as Kevin Flynn the scientist sucked into cyberspace inside a video game called Tron. Leaving his son behind to wonder what happened, Flynn is unable to leave via the portal through which he came; it only works for a set amount of time and then you are out of luck. 

During his absence, Flynn's company is taken over by money-hungry folks who don't care about quality, truth or the other morals thought of highly by a few individuals like Flynn, his son Sam, played by Garrett Hedlund, and Alan Bradley.

Bradley, reprised by Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5) still believes Flynn is “out there somewhere.” He gets a message on his pager (yeah, he still uses one), tells Sam about it and gives him the keys to the closed-down arcade.

Sam plays a practical joke on the money grubbers, putting the program out for free which they were ready to make a killing with, on the open market. At 27, Sam is the majority shareholder and still dealing with Dad’s disappearance.

He is by nature an adrenalin junkie -- fast motorcycles, jumping off 25 story buildings -- you get the picture. What you don’t know is Hedlund is the new generation’s answer to the arrogant, handsome daredevil we adore on the big screen. Reminiscent of Harrison Ford in Star Wars and Tom Cruise  in Top Gun, Hedlund always has the cheeky answer and the good looks to back up the attitude.

Olivia Wilde, as friend to Flynn Quorra, plays the female love interest for Sam convincingly. I will leave all further details for your viewing.

With motorcycle chases, frontier-breaking technology and music from the '80s, Tron will please most of the movie-going crowd. As far as the critics disliking it, well, this is one critic who recommends you going and having fun with it.

Bottom Line: Tron: Legacy satisfies 100 percent as a fast-paced, 3-D way to introduce the next generation to The Grid. Welcome back to the '80s.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer and theater critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC and follow her on Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook.

Photo credit: Disney.com

Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, West Side Community News, New Palestine Reporter, West Indianapolis Community News, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.