Kevin C. Wong

Movie - Tron (1982) [+]

Tron is a classic Disney live-action movie set in the 1980's. Computer programmer and hacker Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has been trying to hack his way into his former company ENCOM to discover the hidden files that would prove ENCOM Senior VP Ed Dillinger (David Warner) stole Flynn's code and used it to get his first big promotion. Kevin receives unlikely allies in former girlfriend Dr Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan) and her current beau Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) who is a programmer at ENCOM who has developed a security program, Tron, and now Alan is shut out by the Master Control Program which practically runs ENCOM.

The three break into ENCOM and while Kevin borrows a lab computer he is shot by an experimental matter transforming laser which sends him into the electronic world of the ENCOM computer system. In the computer world programs are like people and Master Control Program (MCP) has taken over most of the digital world. Programs can either join MCP's army or be sent to the games where they fight until they die. Kevin is put in the games but quickly breaks out with his new friends Tron (Boxleitner) and Ram (Dan Shor).

During the various escape adventures Kevin and Ram are killed and Tron gamely goes it alone, enlisting his friend Yori (Morgan) to help him contact his user who has new instructions for him. Meanwhile Kevin did make it out and uses his user powers to bring back an old ship to life and head for where Tron was heading. Ram also made it out but dies soon after and Kevin gets a new friend, Bit, who is more like a pet and really does very little in the movie.

Kevin rejoins Tron and Yori and reveals he's a user. Tron has an upgraded disc and the three head to the center to put a stop to MCP once and for all...

The movie moves a lot faster than I remember and is also a lot less musical than I remember. Although it's fairly dated the computer world still has a certain cool look to it even though it has a lot of practical costumes and sets. There is a lot of computer animation and a lot of cgi stuff in the live action I don't think they were shooting in green screen.

It's a fairly nostalgic movie and nice to see it again.