We have all at one point or another in our movie-going lives seen a film that could be defined in some way as "epic". Epics are bigger than life, two hour (give or take) justifications of the creation of such an immersive storytelling medium. Films that are epics are made to be epics; there is simply no other scale they can exist on. The sounds, the visuals, the conflicts draw you into every nuance of the story until, pardon the cliche, it feels like you're "in" it. On subsequent viewings, you can't help but be completely immersed in the details, and your focus suddenly shifts to the story serving the scope and the effects.
"Star Wars" is a key example of this. It is a film that my generation was shown at a young, impressionable age that we fell in love with, and as we grew up and became parents ourselves we found ourselves in the position to pass it down to our children. I personally can't wait until my son is old enough to concentrate on the cool spaceships and funny robots, which hopefully as he matures will lead to a love of the film, and film in general. Who knows, maybe he'll just say "This is stupid!" and go outside and play baseball or something. But I like to think that I can somehow influence that in him.
You may be wondering at this point what any of this has to do with "TRON: Legacy", which is the reason I'm babbling on about all this nonsense to begin with.
"TRON: Legacy" (2010)
A little background first: "TRON: Legacy" is a sequel to a movie released 28 years ago. Some considered the original "TRON" to be everything from the birth of modern special effects, to the ultimate cautionary tale of corporate control over art, to a defining moment of the computer age. Others don't consider it at all, as it was never much of a financial success, seldom gets shown on TV (it is also officially out of print on video), and is looked at as dated and even a bit laughable. Over the years it took on a bit of reverence among computer and film geeks, who hungered for years to see the further adventures of Kevin Flynn but had little reason to believe they ever would.
That day has finally come, and the wait has been well worth it.
"Legacy" is about Kevin's 27-year-old son Sam, still dealing with the disappearance of his father after two decades. When his father's former business partner receives a page he believes to be from Kevin, Sam decides to investigate and gets sucked into the grid himself. I don't want to give away much after this, particularly what happens on the grid (I tried very hard to keep myself blind to as much of the actual story as possible, and was amazed how well I was able to do so.) But I will say that the film succeeded in drawing you in with visuals until you were invested in the story (not particularly original, but still very engaging.) Just like an epic is supposed to do.
When you watch some films, particularly for the first time, you know you're watching something special, something that is going to resonate long after the audience leaves the theater. It will be analyzed by fans and picked apart by critics. It will be discussed, questioned, speculated and even dreamt about. Most importantly, it will be watched again and again, beloved in the future and passed down for new generations to appreciate and enjoy. "TRON: Legacy" has the potential to be this. It is far more technically innovative than its predecessor--in fact, more so than nearly any other film before it--and certainly more resonant. Perhaps it's a bit presumptuous, or even bordering on hyperbolic, to state that this film could belong in the company of films like "The Matrix" or even God forbid "Star Wars" (both of which I was reminded of at times during "Legacy"--in a good way); time will have to tell how that turns out. But if any film released this year can do just that, it's "TRON: Legacy". Don't miss the opportunity to experience it for yourself (preferably in IMAX 3D, it's worth it.)
I got goosebumps reading your post. I can't wait to see this movie!
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