NMR: Tron: Legacy

I had hoped that I could watch the original Tron before seeing this sequel, but of course Netflix sent me this one first instead. As it turns out, it didn't really matter since story doesn't really play a large role in this film. It doesn't take much to get caught up with what had happened in the first one here. And then as far as the actual plot for this film goes, it's flimsy and pedestrian. Clearly, the filmmakers hoped that the film's visuals would serve as enough of a distraction to make people ignore the lackluster story. And for a lot of the film, it does work. The video game world offers up unique visuals and scenes like the ones on the bikes are really enthralling. Unfortunately, there's not enough of those action scenes and eventually this video game world becomes boring and redundant. It's just the black, white, orange scheme everywhere. Credit goes to Jeff Bridges for not only coming back for this sequel but doing everything in his power to lend it some gravitas. Garrett Hedlund, who plays Bridges' son in the film, is devoid of any charisma and it's even more apparent whenever he's in scenes with the infinitely more talented Bridges. Whether you watch this film or not depends on what you value more - your eyes or your brain. There's nothing intellectually stimulating about this film, but for the most part it does offer some decent eye candy that will no doubt look great on HD TVs. As for me, I just wish technology could help improve the story as much as it did the visual effects. Rating: ***