TRON: Legacy

When they announced a sequel to the now-classic 1982 movie TRON, I inwardly cringed. Reviving fads from the 80's is a Hollywood pastime nowadays, but really? TRON? That movie really is only remembered for its pioneering computer generated graphics, which are now comically out of date. And did it even have a plot? I can't remember much of one. So I didn't expect much. And then I saw the trailer. This new world of TRON was dark, sleek, and beautiful, and yet somehow managed to keep the same look and feel. And I decided right then that I had to see it, if only for the visuals.

At its heart, this is nothing more than a fancy 3D eye candy movie, so I almost feel foolish admitting that I liked TRON: Legacy as much as I did. But sometimes it's fun to watch pretty things on the screen, and TRON: Legacy is undeniably pretty. I rather liked the updated design of the computer world, and new disc battles and light cycle matches are exciting and suitably three-dimensional. The 3D effects are particularly suited to the computer world environment, and they subtly enhanced the movie throughout. The acting is not Oscar material, but it wasn't meant to be. It certainly helps that Jeff Bridges has become something of an icon in the past 28 years. And thanks to the minimal storyline in the original, the sequel's plot is probably more complex. Perhaps my relatively low expectations enhanced the experience.

The bottom line is that TRON: Legacy is a great movie to see in 3D, and a fitting homage to the previous generation's TRON.
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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

I can't quite imagine who thought this movie was a good idea. Logically, some movie executive must have okayed the project, and presumably someone actually looked at the script. I just don't know what they were thinking when they gave it the green light. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is nominally connected with the extremely successful Final Fantasy role-playing video game franchise. However, despite the video games' reputation for complex characters and intricate plots, we have none of that here.

The movie follows the quest of Dr. Aki Ross, the attractive young female scientist (you know the plot is going to be bad just from that phrase) who is searching for the seven "spirits" that will rid the earth of an alien infestation. The usual compliment of stock characters is along for the ride, including the wise old mentor, the attractive male lead, the arrogant and foolish military leader, and a few wise-cracking sidekicks.

The Spirits Within really only has one thing going for it: special effects. At the time it was released, the movie represented an advancement in realistic computer animated characters. For the most part, the people are fairly realistic. You know they aren't real people, but they look and act enough like real people so that it isn't distracting. As is always the case, the effects don't look as good now as they did when the movie came out, but it's still not too bad. However, a little eye candy was never enough to sell a movie with a plot this bad.
∗1/2