"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084827/ 
Let me start by admiring the pure ingenuity of both the visuals and of the idea. The concept then is an interesting one, the narrative on a wide scale is simple, a group of friends taking down a controlling overlord to clear the name of the protagonist Kevin Flynn. The world in which that narrative takes place is a little more complex, Kevin Flynn gets trapped in the world of the grid, where computer programs live and emulate their "users". It's genius really, not necessarily believable and it doesn't need to be simply because its so insanely new, honestly I think the idea alone is ridiculously innovative and almost enough to make the retelling of one of the oldest kinds of stories interesting. The immense visuals are another reason to watch, in 1982 a successful mix between live action and animation was ridiculously difficult, whilst the black and white visuals are dated for their time its visual effects at their best. Again the visuals are shockingly innovative and apparently came from an obsession with early games like pong.
The acting and characters themselves are yet again a reason to be drawn in, Jeff Bridges, as always, plays one of the coolest characters in history, a geek god, a tech genius and the wronged man. Bruce Boxleitner also plays excellent characters, Tron the newfound defender of the Grid, and out of the grid Alan a kind but careful programmer who "got the girl". These characters interactions are authentic and interesing and we can't forget about Ram. Ram is the programme that welcomes both Flynn and the audience into the world of the Grid.
The smaller ideas in the film, like the bit, the water, the games anf all of the other interesting little facts seem to really make the world seem real and fun. Fun really seems to be the right world, there is a charming amount of comedy and life in the film and in Flynn that translates to the audience giving (me at least) a smile like a cheshire cat and feel all warm inside. Another element that adds to that is the sountrack, its simple but is reminiscent of early arcade games. The really simple motif plays throughout and is instantly recognisable, it links the crescendos of the film perfectly triggering that chesshire grin in me.
Its not profound of deep, but its cool, its one of the coolest films/ franchises. Even though its only 2films for now I rank it with sf masterpieces like Terminator, Alien and The Matrix. I really do love this film to pieces it is special and brilliant. Long Live Programs.
9.5/10
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