TRON Night - a 23min sneak peek at TRON Legacy

Two days ago I had the chance to see some scenes from the first half of TRON Legacy. Disney was calling for “TRON Night” and seven cities throughout Germany, and even more around the globe, got 23 minutes of footage. For free. This publicity event mimics last years’ “Avatar Day”.

After the introduction by an annoying radio film critic the more than half-empty cinema went silent and this totally nerdy event began.

The course of events of the film seem to be very similar to the 1982 original. Without revealing too much, Flynn’s son Sam is being dragged into the digital world of The Grid, gets captured, is taken for a rogue (disc-less) program and has to compete in the games, namely Disc Wars and Lightcycle Races. Four tantalizing programs, the so called Sirens (one of them is Jem, played by Beau Garrett), cut his clothes off his body and he’s treated with the black light armor (was white in the original) with those neat blue glowing, vertical running lines. As well as an own Disc, which is not only a weapon, but a memory, that gathers and stores all the experience a program, and now Sam, gathers while on The Grid. They are now modern frisbee discs, with a hole in the middle.

After the games, respectively the lightcycle race, he is saved by Quorra (Olivia Wilde), who is the apprentice of Flynn, and brought into the wasteland. Here, within the walls of Flynns’ refuge (“The Safehouse”), father and son reconnect.

The following is a more detailed description of the scenes, shown to us. Don’t go further, if you don’t want to be spoiled.

SAMS APARTMENT

This is where Sam lives, goes to after some risky bike stunts. This is hardly an apartment. It’s a storage container or warehouse compartment next to a bridge into the city, but it’s got a nice view. In this setting we meet Alan (Bruce Boxleitner) speaking of a page he got from the old arcade “Flynn’s”, which should not be possible, since that number is disconnected for several years. Furthermore we get a little insight into ENCOM, which is supposed to be Flynn’s company now and Sam shows no interest in it, which is why “they” (the board) can do whatever they want. Whatever that means. Sam also show no interest regarding the possibility of meeting his father again, but still, he drives off to …

THE ARCADE

After switching on a fuse, the lights go up and all the  games and 80s music start playing. As he discovers the ENCOM Tron Lightcycle game at the far end of the hall, Sam grabs for a coin. The coin falls through and onto the floor, which shows scratch marks from moving the machine. So he moves the machine and finds a door behind it, leading into the cellar. Of course he goes down, finds the laser and the good old touch terminal activates both and gets sucked onto …

THE GRID (ARRIVAL)

We didn’t get to see the transition from the real to the digital world. Sam stands now under the light of a Recognizer (those floating things with he two legs), is being arrested by two guard programs and secured on board the flying machine. There he stands next to other rogue or damaged programs, being flown towards the center of The Grid, a huge arena. Upon exiting the vehicle all programs are scanned and either being incarcerated or deemed fit for “games” (“The Life of Brian” came to mind ^^). One program clearly did not want to partake in those games and jumped off a cliff, shattering into a million pieces hitting the ground. Sam is placed on a platform, which descends into the ground, beneath the arena. There he is held in some kind of preparation room, where four programs (the Sirens), redress him with the fighting suit and disc, so he can fight the …

DISC WARS

We got a nice opening shot over the arena and the rotating capsules in its center, which hold the fighters. Two programs are to fight each other, until one of them is terminated, either directly by disc or falling through a hole, which a disc created. Sam wins his first round rather by chance. Cut to the …

LIGHTCYCLE RACE

We only get to see the last bit of what obviously takes more time in the finished film. Sam and Quorra, who saved Sam from some situation, are sitting in the new Light Runner – a two seat, four wheeler – fleeing The Grid. After they left the arena behind, they’re driving through a dark and gritty wasteland, off to Flynn’s …

SAFEHOUSE

There he sits. Aged and cut off from The Grid, within some kind of light shower or data stream tinsel. Quorra talks to him about their guest and father and son finally hug. In one corner stands one white and rather special lightcycle.

This concludes the new footage. It was followed by a new cut of the trailers.

There was another rather interesting element, but I’m not able to say, if this will be – by choice - the same in the final cut or if they just were not finished converting the material. All scenes in the real world were shot in 2D and presented in 2D as well. This will make the transition into the digital world (the 2D-3D-transition effect when the laser is in use should be nice) even more cunning.

Go to YouTube and look out for “Derezzed”. A nice music video for Daft Punk that doubles as trailer for TRON Legacy. This video mirrors the described chain of scenes  best.

Two days ago I had the chance to see some scenes from the first half of TRON Legacy. Disney was calling for “TRON Night” and seven cities throughout Germany, and even more around the globe, got 23 minutes of footage. For free. This publicity event mimics last years’ “Avatar Day”.

After the introduction by an annoying radio film critic the more than half-empty cinema went silent and this totally nerdy event began.

The course of events of the film seem to be very similar to the 1982 original. Without revealing too much, Flynn’s son Sam is being dragged into the digital world of The Grid, gets captured, is taken for a rogue (disc-less) program and has to compete in the games, namely Disc Wars and Lightcycle Races. Four tantalizing programs, the so called Sirens (one of them is Jem, played by Beau Garrett), cut his clothes off his body and he’s treated with the black light armor (was white in the original) with those neat blue glowing, vertical running lines. As well as an own Disc, which is not only a weapon, but a memory, that gathers and stores all the experience a program, and now Sam, gathers while on The Grid. They are now modern frisbee discs, with a hole in the middle.

After the games, respectively the lightcycle race, he is saved by Quorra (Olivia Wilde), who is the apprentice of Flynn, and brought into the wasteland. Here, within the walls of Flynns’ refuge (“The Safehouse”), father and son reconnect.

The following is a more detailed description of the scenes, shown to us. Don’t go further, if you don’t want to be spoiled.

SAMS APARTMENT

This is where Sam lives, goes to after some risky bike stunts. This is hardly an apartment. It’s a storage container or warehouse compartment next to a bridge into the city, but it’s got a nice view. In this setting we meet Alan (Bruce Boxleitner) speaking of a page he got from the old arcade “Flynn’s”, which should not be possible, since that number is disconnected for several years. Furthermore we get a little insight into ENCOM, which is supposed to be Flynn’s company now and Sam shows no interest in it, which is why “they” (the board) can do whatever they want. Whatever that means. Sam also show no interest regarding the possibility of meeting his father again, but still, he drives off to …

THE ARCADE

After switching on a fuse, the lights go up and all the  games and 80s music start playing. As he discovers the ENCOM Tron Lightcycle game at the far end of the hall, Sam grabs for a coin. The coin falls through and onto the floor, which shows scratch marks from moving the machine. So he moves the machine and finds a door behind it, leading into the cellar. Of course he goes down, finds the laser and the good old touch terminal activates both and gets sucked onto …

THE GRID (ARRIVAL)

We didn’t get to see the transition from the real to the digital world. Sam stands now under the light of a Recognizer (those floating things with he two legs), is being arrested by two guard programs and secured on board the flying machine. There he stands next to other rogue or damaged programs, being flown towards the center of The Grid, a huge arena. Upon exiting the vehicle all programs are scanned and either being incarcerated or deemed fit for “games” (“The Life of Brian” came to mind ^^). One program clearly did not want to partake in those games and jumped off a cliff, shattering into a million pieces hitting the ground. Sam is placed on a platform, which descends into the ground, beneath the arena. There he is held in some kind of preparation room, where four programs (the Sirens), redress him with the fighting suit and disc, so he can fight the …

DISC WARS

We got a nice opening shot over the arena and the rotating capsules in its center, which hold the fighters. Two programs are to fight each other, until one of them is terminated, either directly by disc or falling through a hole, which a disc created. Sam wins his first round rather by chance. Cut to the …

LIGHTCYCLE RACE

We only get to see the last bit of what obviously takes more time in the finished film. Sam and Quorra, who saved Sam from some situation, are sitting in the new Light Runner – a two seat, four wheeler – fleeing The Grid. After they left the arena behind, they’re driving through a dark and gritty wasteland, off to Flynn’s …

SAFEHOUSE

There he sits. Aged and cut off from The Grid, within some kind of light shower or data stream tinsel. Quorra talks to him about their guest and father and son finally hug. In one corner stands one white and rather special lightcycle.

This concludes the new footage. It was followed by a new cut of the trailers.

There was another rather interesting element, but I’m not able to say, if this will be – by choice - the same in the final cut or if they just were not finished converting the material. All scenes in the real world were shot in 2D and presented in 2D as well. This will make the transition into the digital world (the 2D-3D-transition effect when the laser is in use should be nice) even more cunning.

Go to YouTube and look out for “Derezzed”. A nice music video for Daft Punk that doubles as trailer for TRON Legacy. This video mirrors the described chain of scenes  best.

TRON Night - a 23min sneak peek at TRON Legacy