Disney's Greatest Science Fiction Movie: Tron

In 1982 a science fiction movie was released to moderate acclaim and achieved only modest box office success. But in the years since its release, it has gone on to achieve a cult-like status and has been a powerful influence in the world of science fiction movies. That movie was Disney's Tron. What is it that makes Tron so memorable? For me there are three things. They are:

The Look. Despite many imaginative science fiction movies to come before it, like Star Wars or Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Tron came out with a look all its own. The movie used computer-generated visuals like no movie before it had ever done. The scenes that take place within the computer (yes, much of the movie is actually set within a computer) are beautifully rendered with crisp blacks and neon hues. Admittedly, many of the CG visuals are out of date by today's standard, but at the time of its release, Tron's look was unlike anything ever seen before.

The Story Line. Without giving too much away for those who have never seen the movie, I will just say that the plot is similar to, but not identical to, the oft-used 'technology that turns evil' motif. Movies that fall into this category are easy to find. The Terminator movies, The Matrix trilogy, and I, Robot are just a few that use this popular story line. In the case of Tron, the evil computer program (known as the MCP) is hacking programs all over the world and appropriating them for its own use. It is up to an independent program named Tron and a user from the real world to stop it.

The Geek Factor. Let's be honest, it is mainly technophiles that love this movie. Being one myself, Tron holds a special place in my heart. Watching computer programs that have been anthropomorphized into people battle each other in virtual game arenas sends my pulse quickening. And remember, this movie was made before people thought computers could do everything. The self-aware computer that had seemingly endless power was not original to this movie, but gets technophiles excited at the main question driving the movie: Can mankind control its own inventions? The movie is slightly Frankenstinian in this sense, but that only adds to its allure. Remember, though, that this is a Disney movie, so an ending like the one in the similarly plotted movie Colossus: The Forbin Project isn't going to happen here.

The popularity of Tron has not been lost on movie makers. A sequel to this movie is being planned for a tentative release date of 2011. Want to get the original before the sequel comes out? There is a two-disc 20th anniversary edition available at Best Buy, on eBay, or on Amazon.com. It retails for around $20.