Tron: Legacy
2010. Directed by Joseph Kosinski
I’ve never seen the original Tron, but Disney’s revamped sequel told me pretty much everything I needed to know. A young computer programmer named Kevin Flynn created both a popular video game and an alternate reality world in which he had many adventures. Somehow he got lost in this world, and in the process left his traumatized son Sam to run his video game empire. Sam has finally found a way into this alternate reality, but since his father became lost in it, it has become a very dark place.
What struck me about this film was not it’s beautifully designed and executed visuals, nor it’s pulse-pounding soundtrack by Daft Punk, nor it’s fine actors, who all deliver good performances (especially Olivia Wilde as the stunningly beautiful and charmingly innocent sentient program Quorra.) What really struck me was the grand state of wonder this film conveyed.
Kevin Flynn, played solidly by Jeff Bridges, is the creator of this computer world, yet he is constantly filled with wonder and adoration for what he has made. There’s a scene in which he repairs one of his digital subjects. As he pulls apart the subject’s code and finds and deletes the corruption in it his eyes shine in joy at the complex beauty he has made. As this scene unfolded I couldn’t help seeing a similarity to what God sees in us, the intricate creation he made to bring him glory, whom he loves and wants to have perfect communion with. Likewise, when we as humans create complex beauty as Flynn has, we are celebrating God’s creation of us, which is a joyous wonder that has no bounds.
Certainly, the worldview here isn’t perfect. Olivia Wilde’s Quorra is a member of a digital tribe that apparently wandered out of nothingness, a tribe that Flynn the creator has no recollection of creating. Flynn seems to believe that the world he has created has developed a creative mind of its own. This is somewhat of a nod towards Evolution, but it doesn’t really diminish the wonder of the film.
Are some of the scenes tacky? Yes. Do some of the action sequences go on for a bit too long? Of course, but this isn’t supposed to be an intellectual thriller or classic science fiction. Tron: Legacy is a simple action movie made to cash in on a beloved and nostalgic film that still somehow captures a wonderful state of wonder.