One of the earliest feature films to reflect the video-game craze of the 1980s, Disney's Tron stars Jeff Bridges as computer programmer Kevin Flynn, who becomes part of the very game that he's programming. Flynn's principal antagonist is his glory-grabbing boss, Ed Dillinger (David Warner), who likewise metamorphoses into a video-game character. The title character, a computer-generated superhero, is played by Bruce Boxleitner. Though antiquated by 1990s standards, Tron represented the last word in special effects back in 1982. Surprisingly, despite its long-range influence on the movie industry, the film was a box-office disappointment when first released. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Review
Years before The Matrix contemplated life inside an all-encompassing computer, Tron realized a similar concept in glorious fashion, with visuals that were equally cutting edge at the time. Although it did not strike a chord with all audiences, those who allowed themselves to be swept away into that alternate world of pixels and grids claimed fanatical devotion to the influential film. The central struggle between good and evil is pure hokum, but the plot is not Tron's major contribution to imaginative cinema. Its neon-colored world of geometric shapes and angles is the true star, as well as the only necessary justification for making the film. The stark, foreboding computer environment is a world more intensely foreign than a sunless planet at the distant edges of the universe. Enhancing the atmosphere is the merciless villain played by David Warner, who, along with his evil incarnate character from Time Bandits (1981), portrayed two of the more delicious sources of pure malice of the early '80s. Key to its enduring presence in both gaming and science fiction communities is its two innovative competition sequences: one involves a deadly race in which curved racing pods try to outdistance each other, while avoiding colliding with the lethal wall of exhaust left in the other's wake; the second features players hurling discs at each other, with dire consequences for being knocked off balance or failing to complete the catch. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi
Dan Shor - Ram; Peter Jurasik - Crom; Jackson Bostwick - Head Guard; Tony Brubaker - Guard; Loyd Catlett - Video Game Cowboy; Craig Chudy - Warrior; Erik Cord - Tank Gunner; Vince Deadrick, Jr. - Warrior; Michael Dudikoff - Conscript; Bob Neill - Guard #2; Sam Schatz - Expert Disc Warrior; Tony Stephano - Peter/Sark's Lieutenant; Jack Manning - Bit; Ted White - Guard #3; Gerald Berns - Guard #1; Mark Stewart - Guard #4; Charlie Picerni - Tank Commander; Dave Cass - Factory Guard
Credit
John Mansbridge - Art Director, Al Y. Roelofs - Art Director, Harrison Ellenshaw - Associate Producer, Rosanna Norton - Costume Designer, Elois Jenssen - Costume Designer, Steven Lisberger - Director, Jeff Gourson - Editor, Ron Miller - Executive Producer, Wendy Carlos - Composer (Music Score), Journey - Songwriter, Gary D. Liddiard - Makeup, Rexford Metz - Camera Operator, Louis Mann - Production Designer, Syd Mead - Production Designer, Dean Edward Mitzner - Production Designer, Bruce Logan - Cinematographer, Ralph Sariego - Production Manager, Donald Kushner - Producer, Roger M. Shook - Set Designer, Harrison Ellenshaw - Special Effects, Richard Taylor - Special Effects, Bob Hathaway - Sound/Sound Designer, James LaRue - Sound/Sound Designer, Lee Minkler - Sound/Sound Designer, Billy Burton - Stunts, James Deeth - Stunts, Donna Garrett - Stunts, Bennie E. Dobbins - Stunts, Gary Epper - Stunts, Hank Hooker - Stunts, Gary Jensen - Stunts, Fred Lerner - Stunts, James Winburn - Stunts, Glenn Wilder - Stunts, Larry Holt - Stunts, Walter Scott - Stunts, Steven Lisberger - Screen Story, Bonnie MacBird - Screen Story, Charles Haas - Screenwriter, Steven Lisberger - Screenwriter
