Tron (1982)

In light of the imminent release of the long-awaited sequel, I decided to take a look back at one of the most iconic science fiction movies of the 1980s, Disney's Tron. Despite reputation, only around twenty minutes of this movie are actual computer-generated images, with the rest merely being extremely convincing traditional animation, combined to create the eye-catching and instantly recognisable style of the computer world of flat grey and bright, colourful lines. Every character (with the possible exception of Yori) is interesting to watch, whether it's the stoic Tron, the unlikely hero Flynn, or the surprisingly sympathetic villain Sark, pressed into service of Skynet's wireframe precursor, the M.C.P. The elements of faith are quite clever, with the M.C.P. looking to establish his absolute digital control by asserting the non-existence of the world outside the computer system, and denouncing anyone who still believes in the "users" as a religious zealot. Seeing the trailer for the upcoming Tron: Legacy, I was taken aback at the massive scale and epic locations on display, but going back to the original, the locales are really no less spectacular (considering the time). Hopefully the sequel can surpass the original in more than just special effects. And hopefully the passage of nearly thirty years of social progress can render a greater gender equality for the new film, and have a female character who doesn't just fill the role of "arbitrary female character".


We can only hope...