TRON (1982)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Steven Lisberger

Writers:

Steven Lisberger (story) and
Bonnie MacBird (story)

Release Date:

9 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The Electronic Gladiator

Plot:

A hacker is literally abducted into the world of a computer and forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program.

Plot Keywords:

Computer | Cyberspace | Computer Programmer | Alter Ego | Video Game

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Kevin Flynn / Clu
Bruce Boxleitner	...	Alan Bradley / Tron
David Warner	...	Ed Dillinger / Sark / Master Control Program
Cindy Morgan	...	Lora / Yori
Barnard Hughes	...	Dr. Walter Gibbs / Dumont
Dan Shor	...	Ram / Popcorn Co-Worker
Peter Jurasik	...	Crom
Tony Stephano	...	Peter / Sark's Lieutenant
Craig Chudy	...	Warrior #1
Vince Deadrick Jr.	...	Warrior #2 (as Vince Deadrick)
Sam Schatz	...	Expert Disc Warrior
Jackson Bostwick	...	Head Guard
David S. Cass Sr.	...	Factory Guard (as Dave Cass)
Gerald Berns	...	Guard #1
Bob Neill	...	Guard #2

Also Known As:

Tron (UK)
Tron: The Electronic Gladiator (Australia)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA | Taiwan

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 (20th anniversary collector's edition) | Iceland:L | Peru:PT | South Korea:15 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California, USA

Company:

Lisberger/Kushner

Trivia:

Although the film was an initial failure, the arcade videogame based on it proved to be a tremendous hit and actually out-grossed the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sark has his power cycles slowed down by the MCP the first time (0h:33m), the shot from behind Sark has his arms flailing about, but the front shot of Sark shows his arms holding on to the panels.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Boy in Video Game Arcade: All right, give me room. Here we go.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Only Solutions

Put "Tron" Back In Theaters!!!

I hope some smart person from Disney is reading this: if ever there was a movie crying out to be re-released into movie-theaters, it's "Tron," the dazzling sci-fi film from Walt Disney Productions. If it were released into theaters today, "Tron" would be a smash hit, 'cause the movie-audiences of today would understand it a heckuva lot better than the movie-audiences of 1982.

"Tron" tells the story of a young computer programmer named Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who gets sucked INTO a computer, and must fight for his life playing life-or-death video games, run by the evil Master Control Program. With the aid of a good warrior program named Tron (Bruce Boxleitner), and Tron's significant-other Yori (Cindy Morgan), Flynn must put a stop to the MCP and set things right in the computer world once again before returning to his own world.

With breathtakingly beautiful computer-animation (and the very first film to use computer-animation extensively), and presenting an original, dazzling world where energy lives and breathes inside a computer, "Tron" was way ahead of it's time. This may explain why the film was greeted with incomprehension from critics and audience members alike back in 1982.

The problem was, back in 1982, there was no such thing as the Internet, and, apart from business types, most people didn't really know diddlysquat about computers yet. As a result, the computer jargon heard throughout "Tron" went sailing over most audience members' heads, and for many, the story was difficult to follow. Critics complained that "Tron" was all special effects and no story. And, for the final insult, "Tron" wasn't even NOMINATED for Best Visual Effects at Oscar time, presumably because the Academy in 1982 didn't recognize computer-animation as "genuine" visual effects, i.e. "it's animation, not visual effects," they thought to themselves. "The Abyss" changed all that in 1989, but that was a big seven years after "Tron." Obviously, everyone in 1982 had missed the film's point.

But the passing of time has been very kind to "Tron." Today, the film has a major cult following, and is recognized by many as the landmark sci-fi film that it truly is. Looking at "Tron" today, the movie has aged very well indeed, like a fine wine. Now that time--and people's knowledge of computers--has finally caught up with "Tron," now would be the PERFECT time for the world in general to take another look at this amazing film.

Message to Disney: put "Tron" back in theaters! Clean it up with a new remastered print & remastered sound, and let the world rediscover this sci-fi classic. It WILL be a smash hit! In 1982, people just didn't understand "Tron." Today, they will. Trust me. :-)