50 Things To Do Before I’m 50 – #49

#49 – See a movie in an IMAX cinema

Our Christmas gift to ourselves this year was going to see Tron Legacy. Not content with seeing a film for which we had waited almost 30 years in a regular cinema, we wanted to see it on an IMAX screen. As there is only one IMAX screen in all of Scotland, this meant a trip to the Glasgow Science Centre.

Let me just say, the 3+ hours car trip was well worth it!

Before the film even started, we were blown away by the trailers. There was one for Hubble 3D which was so beautiful I actually cried. At a trailer! Men in space suits floated in star-filled space, hovering so close we thought we could touch them. Cables snaked out from the telescope and we could see the inner workings as they fixed it – it was awesome on a scale I’ve never before experienced. And that was just a trailer!

And then Tron Legacy started.

As I’ve already mentioned, Dale and I (as well as all the other fans of Tron) have waited almost 30 years for the sequel, so to say we were excited at the prospect is a vast understatement. I’ve read reviews of Tron Legacy that say it’s completely lacking in plot and that the flow is disjointed, but I can honestly say that there is no less plot than there was in the original film and I didn’t find the pace disrupted at any point. It’s not a 10/10 film, but it’s pretty close as far as I’m concerned.

Tron Legacy is visually stunning and the 3D IMAX really makes it pop. It’s not entirely shot in 3D, but it makes sense that the digital world be enhanced in this way to fully immerse the viewer in The Grid and it really works to the film’s advantage to have The Grid somehow larger than life.

The CGI version of the young Jeff Bridges was almost flawless. Yes, you could tell it wasn’t a real person, but only just and once inside The Grid, you expect a little unreality, so again, this worked in its favour.

The performances were great too. I had hoped to see more of Michael Sheen, but on reflection, if he had more screen time, his character would have taken over the entire film. He was menacingly camp and wonderful for every second his part allowed. Both versions of Sam Flynn (Kevin Flynn’s son) were very good. They also bore more than a passing resemblance to each other, and both looked like they could conceivably be Jeff Bridges’ son – it always helps if you can get people who actually look a little like the people who are supposed to be their parents!

The plot follows a very natural progression, so you can see what’s coming nine times out of ten, but this doesn’t spoil the film in any way, rather it enhances the viewing experience because it doesn’t feel like the story has suddenly gone off at an odd tangent.

Over all, I can highly recommend seeing this film – preferably after you’ve seen the first one, but even if you haven’t, I think you’d still be able to fully understand what’s happening. Fans of Tron will surely be delighted with this sequel – it’s certainly everything I hoped it would be and more. And if you can make it to an IMAX screening, it’s definitely worth taking a trip to see it there – I promise you won’t be disappointed!