Back in the days of Atari and neon leg warmers, Walt Disney Productions made a movie about Computer Programming and video games called Tron. With a $17 million budget, the film earned modest returns at the box office but was widely critically acclaimed. Over the years, it has created a cult like following, which eventually demanded a sequel. Tron Legacy was released in 2018 but without the same level of admiration from critics and fans as the first film got. With the third installment, Tron: Ares, set for theatrical release this October, Disney has decided to offer fans a new 4K SteelBook for purchase.
For those who are unfamiliar with the story, here is a brief synopsis: Hacker/arcade owner Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges; The Big Lebowski) is digitally broken down into a data stream by a villainous software pirate known as Master Control and reconstituted into the internal, 3-D graphical world of computers. It is there, in the ultimate blazingly colorful, geometrically intense landscapes of cyberspace, that Flynn joins forces with Tron (Bruce Boxleitner [who also plays Alan Bradley]; Babylon 5) to outmaneuver the Master Control Program that holds them captive in the equivalent of a gigantic, infinitely challenging computer game.
It is evident from the beginning of the 96-minute film that Bridges is the star of the movie and the one who keeps the plot moving forward. Therefore, in this case, it was a bold and brilliant move to cast him in the lead role as he carries Tron squarely on his capable shoulders. Boxleitner does a great job as well, and Cindy Morgan, fresh from her memorable supporting role in Caddyshack, as well as some television appearances, once again leaves a notable impression here.
Sometimes with older movies, a 4K transfer can be eye-opening, but not always in a good way. Unfortunately, that happens to be the case here. The graphics weren't great when the film was created over 40 years ago, but the latest technology has not been kind to them. Fans had hoped the CGI would be cleaned up and enhanced with this release, but that doesn't seem to be the case, and the graphics may look even worse, if not the same, on the 4K disc.
However, the Dolby Atmos audio is definitely an upgrade and a welcomed one at that. The 4K disc utilizes the surround speakers, offering the viewer a robust and immersive audio experience, and if any movie is deserving of that experience, it is this one. The panning sounds during the light cycle scenes are especially memorable and make those moments more engaging than previous releases.
Besides the fancy new SteelBook case, there are no new extras included in this combo pack, which is surprising and a little disappointing. Perhaps a small featurette with new interviews with the cast or something from the cast/crew of Tron: Ares might have been a welcome addition. All of the extras are housed on the 1080p disc and include: Audio Commentary, The Tron Phenomenon, Photo Tronology, The Making of Tron, Development, Digital Imagery, Music, Publicity, Deleted Scenes, Design, Storyboarding, and Galleries.
Tron is one of those films that was made on a shoestring budget and wasn't expected to become as big a hit as it has over the decades. But not only did it become a big hit, it is about to become a trilogy, which makes the original even more desirable. Smartly, Disney decided to remaster it and make it available for purchase, even if the CGI quality isn't what we would have hoped it would be.
This SteelBook, along with its sequel, would be a great purchase for any fan, and, since the holidays will be coming along before we know it, if you don't purchase it for yourself, you may want to get it for the Tron fan in your life.
Grade: B
