Brilliant video game designer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is trying to prove that ENCOM stole his games from him and he breaks into ENCOM to find the evidence in their computers. The MCP (aka Master Control Program) transports Flynn into the digital world of The Grid after Flynn attempts to hack the mainframe. The MCP intends to have Flynn die into the games where Flynn meets Tron (Bruce Boxleitner)- Tron is the watchdog program created by Alan (Flynn's friend). Flynn and Tron fight to survive and bring down the MCP.

TRON is an uneven film and yet it is fun in many parts. I found the first half to be a little slow where the second half kicks into overdrive. TRON was ahead of its time due to being the first film to use computer generated effects and set the stage for other films that would use CGI like THE LAST STARFIGHTER and inspire a generation of animators and special effects people who would go on to pioneer CGI. Also TRON looked at the world of the internet before it was there. The film does have programs seeing users like Gods. The film is born out of concerns of people wanting free access and freedom from big corporations on the way data is spread.

I rewatched TRON LEGACY after seeing TRON again. TRON LEGACY is a better paced and better written movie where TRON is the little movie that pushed boundaries of filmmaking for the early 1980s.

SPECIAL FETAURES (on the blu-ray):
Audio commentary with Steven Lisberger, Donald Kusher, Harrison Ellenshaw, and Richard Taylor.
THE TRON PHENOMENON- the filmmakers and cast of TRON LEGACY discuss TRON's impact on pop culture

PHOTO TRONOLOGY- Director Stevn Lisberger and his son Carl explore the Disney photo library as they uncover original production photos and Steven shares stories about the making of the film. This featurtte is one of my favorite extras

Various featurttes and interviews on TRON including segments from TV shows when TRON first came out in theaters. Various trailers and promo reels are nice to watch, but the best extra is the 90 minute THE MAKING OF TRON which chronicles the story of Steven Lisberger as an animator to making TRON to ET spelling doom for the theater at the box office (they acknowledge TRON would have been huge if it was released ten years later). The deleted scenes include an interesting intimate scene between Tron and Yori.

FINAL ANALYSIS: TRON is a groundbreaking film. It looks great in 4K, but I wish they remastered the blu-ray from the new master instead of just pressing the old blu-ray.

this review is (c) 12-10-2025 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com