Tron Legacy Movie Review



I want one

     Tron Legacy stars Sam Flynn, the son of the legendary Kevin Flynn who disappeared twenty odd years ago working on the revolutionary computer system called the Grid.  Following a friend's advice Sam visits his father's old arcade shop and accidently enters his father's world.  However, instead of finding the technological utopia that his father promised, Sam discovers a world in the tyrannical grip of Clu, a digital copy of his father working towards the perfection of the system.  Thus begins Sam's journey to find his father and escape the Grid.

     This movie is a sequel to a 1982 film called Tron.  Fortunately for those who haven't seen it (myself included), Legacy does a pretty good job at introducing you to the world and filling in the back story.  It's also good that the protagonist is just as new to the world of Tron as the audience is, as it keeps the feeling that your missing out on something down to a minimum.

     While Legacy has some interesting characters and plot points, obviously the biggest draw will be it's spectacular special effects that compliment awesome action scenes.  The entire world of the Grid is composed of neon lights the line everything from the streets to the suits that the people wear, which includes the futuristic weapons called "Light Discs."  Said light discs are used in combat frequently, and they look awesome, shooting around the room and causing satisfying shatter effects when making contact with their target.  Also cool are the Light Cycles, sleek motorcycles that emit streams of energy behind them that can shatter any enemies that drive into to.  All of this cybernetic awesomeness is complimented by a sweet techno track that subtly adds to the atmosphere.  And I'm not even a fan of techno.

     With all of the shiny spectacles happening on screen it's important not to forget the story, which fortunately proves to be just as strong as the visual effects.  The world of the Grid has a pretty interesting backstory, and it's pretty rewarding to see it connect with the main plotline.  I also liked how Kevin Flynn had created the Grid in the pursuit of perfection, and how that drive for prefection resulting in the tyranny of Clu, a nice moral conflict that gives some dimension to the villain.  Unfortunately, there are a few places where the story falls short.  First of all, the dialougue can be a bit cheesey, which I guess is a rule by now for all Disney movies that don't involve Jack Sparrow.  Second, the movie's namesake, Tron, proves to be nothing more than a secondary character.  The film tries to give him some depth with his story of fall and redemption, but it just feels detached from the main storyline.  Maybe if I watched the first movie his character would have a bit more emotional depth for more, but as it is, he feels almost tacked on, which is a shame considering that it's "his" movie.

Conclusion:  Despite not having seen the original I still enjoyed Tron Legacy very much.  It was a fun rollercoaster of special effects that was complimented by a solid story and cool characters.  The ending left room for a sequel, and considering how good this one was, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Rating:  8/10 "Great"

Favorite Moment:  The Light Cycle battle was awesome.  Like, really really awesome.  Pixalated explosions and sweet action.  What more could you want?

Star Wars the Clone Wars "Citadel Rescue" T.V. Review



Droid Surfing

Want to watch this episode?  Head over to Starwars.com or follow this link. http://starwars.com/video/view/001238.html.  Episodes are put on the website the Monday after they air on TV, and are taken down two weeks later.

     While the Clone Wars series has quite the treasure trove of great stories, one thing that the series has struggled with is giving those stories a strong ending.  Half of the time the ending either comes too quickly, is anticlimactic, or a combination of the two.  However, the Citadel manages to hit it big with it's conclusion, "Citadel Rescue," which not only did continue the trend of raising the stakes as seen in "Counterattack," but also set the stage for further Anakin/Tarkin team ups.

     The story continues with the team making their way to a landing site where Republic ships and evacuate them safely.  The final push was done remarkably well with the sense of impending doom as the droids closed in.  I was also surprised to be a bit sad to see the reprogrammed battle droids destroyed, making a final stand against the Separatists in defense of our heroes.  Sure, they're goofy, with their cries of "all for one and one for all!", but it still would have been cool for them to survive the trip and continue serving as R2's personal army.  Just imagine all of the pranks on C-3PO that now will never be...

Spoilers Being Here: 

     One scene that I really liked is when Osi Sobeck prepares to throw Tarkin in the lava, only to by stabbed in the back by Ahsoka.  It was a doubly dark move, both for killing a guy and saving the future destroyer of Alderaan.  It was also a nice touch when Tarkin remarks that Anakin trained her well, bringing to light the fact that he was the one who taught her such impulsive behavior.

Spoilers End Here...ish

    Like I said, the ending was done almost perfectly.  Anakin's handshake with Tarkin seemed to seal their fates, with the lightest hint of "Imperial March" decorating the scene.  Hopefully we'll see them work together again soon.  My only nitpick about their relationship is that the episode never took the opportunity to confirm Tarkin's suspicions that the Jedi's moral code was hampering the war effort.  It would have been nice to see the Jedi stumble here, and watch how both Anakin and Tarkin react.

Conclusion:  When this story arc first started I assumed that it would be nothing more than fun but mindless action sequences.  Fortunately this episode, and in part the previous, gave this story line relevence both in the Clone Wars series and Star Wars as a whole.

Rating: 9/10

Favorite Moment (Spoilers):  I always assumed that Even Piell would survive to the end, so it was kind of a shock to watch him die.  While we didn't really know him before hand, there was still some emotion in the scene in which he gives Ahsoka the information that he's been keeping, followed by a visually striking scene in which his body is ceremoniously lower into the lava.

Star Wars the Clone Wars "Counterattack" TV Review

Somebody's in trouble...

Want to watch this episode?  Head over to Starwars.com or follow this link. http://starwars.com/video/view/001234.html.  Episodes are put on the website the Monday after they air on TV, and are taken down two weeks later.
     As a follow up to "The Citadel," "Counterattack" doesn't do much special.  All of the things that were great about the first episode are pretty much true with it's sequel, with only a few differences.  Just like last time, the plot is pretty straightforward; having rescued Master Even Piell, Obi-Wan and Anakin split up with their respective squads as they try to escape the surface of the planet.
     Just like the previous episode, "Counterattack" has several fun nods to the original Star Wars films.  The biggest one is, of course, the addition of Captain Tarkin to the escape team.  It was great to see the future Grand Moff of the Death Star join Anakin's group, leading to some interesting character development between the two, perfectly setting the stage for their alliance in A New Hope.  I liked how Tarkin got Anakin agreeing with him that the Jedi's peace-keeping methods were slowing the war effort, and how that mutual agreement managed to spawn their respect for one another.  It was also funny to watch Tarkin snub Ahsoka just because she was young.
     In terms of action scenes, this episode managed to deliver, although the majority of them weren't up to par with the shootouts in "The Citadel."  That said, one thing this episode did better than "The Citadel" was ratch up both the tension and the sense of peril.  To this end were three deaths, each bringing something new to raise the stakes.  For those sensitive to spoilers, I recommend that you skip to the end of my review.  The first death involved a clone trooper getting sliced in half - it was cleverly played, and managed to be grisly without actually showing it happen.  The second was carried out by Osi Sobeck, the warden of the Citadel, as he mercilessly executes one of the clones.  While his character was a bit annoying at times, this scene fortunately made up for that.  The final death is the one that I want to talk the most about.  You know how I complained about the lack of tension in the previous episode do to the overuse of "redshirts?"  This episode managed to break that crutch by killing off Echo, a clone trooper that we've gotten to know over the series, most notably from one of the best Season One episodes, "Rookies."  His death did seem a bit contrived, but in the end the effect was the same.  Everbody is vulnerable.
Conclusion:  In many ways "Counterattack" could be dismissed as just more of the same, but it managed to stand out for it's increase in tension, and the awesome inclusion of the soon to be Grand Moff Tarkin.
Rating: 8/10 "Great"
Favorite Moment (Spoilers):  With some reservations, I'm going to have to choose Echo's death.  There was a good sense of tragedy with his charred helmet lying on the ground and the background music, but it did feel a bit cheap, considering how he blindly ran for the ship even as he saw the turret fire coming towards him.  It's also a bit sad that Fives is now the sole survivor of the Domino Squad.  My heart's out for ya, buddy.