Everybody’s probably seen this by now, but just in case, here’s something that’s had the online fanboys buzzing for a couple days, namely a glimpse of Jeff Bridges in the upcoming sequel to TRON:
As usual, click for the full-size treatment.
Disney released this image Tuesday, possibly hoping to take advantage of Bridges’ Oscar nomination for Crazy Heart to start building some hype for Tron: Legacy. As my Loyal Readers can probably imagine, given my usual feelings about reimaginings, revisitings, and other such tampering with the pop-cultural landmarks of my youth, I am deeply ambivalent about this project. TRON holds a big place in my heart, and I always worry that returning to a much-loved universe will somehow lessen the original. (I’m sure you can think of plenty of high-profile examples of this phenomenon if you just put your minds to it.) Plus there’s also the question of why a sequel to a nicely self-contained story, and why now, after so much time — 28 years — has passed? If it’s just to apply some updated special effects to a familiar landscape, then I’m not interested. I’m probably one of the few Gen-X nerds on the planet who didn’t find himself drooling and making incoherent pleasure-sounds after seeing that teaser trailer that debuted at ComicCon a couple years ago. And the rumored storyline — that Legacy will be a sort of science-fiction Apocalypse Now, with Bridges’ character Kevin Flynn in the Col. Kurtz role, i.e., the macguffin at the end of another character’s quest — doesn’t do much for me, either.
Still…. I have to admit it made me smile to see The Dude wearing that glowing Frisbee on his back again. The fact that Bridges is involved gives me some hope that there might be something worthwhile about this movie, because he’s not the sort who takes on a job just to earn a mortgage payment. Also, I see on IMDB that Bruce Boxleitner, who played the title role in the original film, is on board as well. Granted, both men’s screentime may not amount to anything more than glorified cameos, especially if the Apocalypse Now scenario is for real, but as I said in defense of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it may be enough for me just to see what a couple of my old friends — Flynn and Tron — have been up to since I last encountered them.
Tron: Legacy is set to premiere in December. This pic is popping up all over; for the record, I first saw it here.
The trailer is really cool!
I’m not particularly invested in Tron. I enjoyed it when it came out, and I enjoyed watching the DVD at your house a couple years ago. I don’t know why so many people hate it. It’s eye candy starring The Dude. What’s not to like?
That’s interesting, Robert – I’m not aware of anyone who hates the original film. I know it wasn’t very well reviewed when it debuted — as I recall, it was the usual “style over substance” criticism, with some older critics in particular unable to figure out the plot, presumably because they didn’t understand all the computer stuff — and I don’t think it did terribly well at the box office. But it seems to me that it’s grown in stature in the years since, much like Blade Runner. Certainly, most of my circle consider it a minor classic. Perhaps this says more about the people I run with than the film itself… 🙂
As for my emotional investment in the film, you know I have a personal canon of maybe 20 or 30 flicks, mostly science fiction and fantasy from the ’70s and ’80s (I know, who would’ve guessed?), that grabbed hold of me at an impressionable age and never, ever let go. I can still remember where I first saw them and who with; I remember my excitement when they finally debuted on home video (VHS) so they could at last be mine forever (or so I thought — I never guess that video formats would start obsolescing with such regularity); and of course I can recite dialog and trivia and behind-the-scenes information for all of them. I’m not above admitting that I obsessed over them. TRON ranks pretty highly on that list.
In fact, I think I appreciate it even more now than when I was younger; no other movie from that time, or any other, has looked anything like that one, and I think you can make a good argument that it is the direct ancestor of The Matrix. (Which I don’t particularly care for, but is widely regarded as a significant movie, and is certainly a cinematic landmark for some people.) I feel it deserves respect. And that’s why I worry about the effect of a sequel or a remake… I’ve seen too many instances of one of my personal canon getting re-evaluated in light of a “brand extension,” and found wanting. I don’t want to see it happen again.