It's Just Movies

— by CAM SMITH —

It’s funny. I can remember a time when the notion of a “Tron” sequel would have been deemed a laughably ludicrous notion. After all, the original didn’t exactly burn up the box-office charts, making only $33 million in its 1982 run, and the film’s very vocal cult audience always seemed too modest in size to make the prospect of an expensive follow-up seem like anything other than a foolish business decision.

Yet, in just under a year, the light cycles will be roaring to life once again, with the 3D venture “Tron Legacy” being expected by some — rather unrealistically, I say — to rival the massive success of James Cameron’s “Avatar.”

And speaking of light cycles, MTV Movies Blog has just posted an exclusive poster depicting the newly-revamped neon-accented cyber-vehicles in all their metallic-blue and glowing-yellow glory. This version is definitely sleeker-looking and flashier than Syd Mead’s beloved original design from “Tron,” although it also looks even more reminiscent of a standard portable CD player. Whatever, I’m sure it’ll look just dandy racing across the screen in three dimensions.

Judging from a recent interview with Orlando Sentinel’s Roger Moore, star Jeff Bridges seems ultra-excited over the film’s updated tech, noting that it was the promise of getting to play with cool new toys that enticed him to sign up for more pixilated adventures:
“What brought me to the sequel was the same thing that lured me into the original. You know, the kid in me. When somebody says ‘You want to pretend to see what it’s like to be sucked inside a computer? And get to work with all of the latest effects the movies have to offer?’ Well, that gets my attention and it’s what brought me to the first one and then the second one. And the second one makes the first one look like an old black and white TV show, it’s so advanced.”

The enjoyably candid interview also includes an amusingly nostalgic anecdote about the actor’s past obsession with the classic arcade game “Battle Zone,” and is worth reading in full at the link above.

I must admit, even though I’m not a fan of the 1982 film (It literally hurt my eyes to watch it. True story.), I’m really curious to see how Disney goes about selling a sequel to a film which most of its target market has never heard of, much less one with an unknown first-time helmer (Joseph Kosinski) and a cast — including Bridges, John Hurt, Olivia Wilde, Garrett Hedlund and Michael Sheen — that is more respectable than highly marketable.

Either way, we’ll have to wait until Dec. 17 to see if “Tron Legacy” delivers on its towering high-tech promise or glitches out like a dusty old Nintendo cartridge. Considering that it’s the ever-venerable Mouse House we’re dealing with, I’d strongly recommend placing bets on the former.

Follow Cam Smith on Twitter at http://twitter.com/camspcepisodes.