Tron [20th Anniversary Collector's Edition] [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

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, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Audio: 5.1, THX
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: French, Spanish, English
• Features:
  • "The Making of Tron" all-new, extensive documentary, including new interviews
  • Deleted scenes with all-new introductions by Bruce Boxleitner
  • Production photo gallery, including never-before-seen photos
  • Audio commentary with Steven Lisberger, Donald Kushner, Harrison Ellenshaw, and Richard Taylor
  • 3-D animated menus
  • Storyboards showcasing early work on Light Cycles
  • Storyboard-to-film comparisons
  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
  • THX-certified includes THX optimizer
  • Widescreen [2.2.:1] enhanced for 16x9 televisions
  • Spanish and French subtitles

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 1982 (Elois Jenssen, Rosanna Norton)
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1982 (Lee Minkler, Bob Minkler, James LaRue, Michael Minkler)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Jeff Bridges - Kevin Flynn/Clu
       Bruce Boxleitner - Alan Bradley/Tron
       David Warner - Ed Dillinger/Sark
       Cindy Morgan - Lora/Yori
       Barnard Hughes - Dr. Walter Gibbs/Dumont

• Director:

  Steven Lisberger

• Producer:

  Donald Kushner

• Screen Story:

  Bonnie MacBird

• Screenwriter:

  Charles Haas, Steven Lisberger

• Cinematographer:

  Bruce Logan

• Composer (Music Score):

  Wendy Carlos

• Songwriter:

  Journey

• Editor:

  Jeff Gourson

• Production Designer:

  Louis Mann, Syd Mead, Dean Edward Mitzner

• Art Director:

  John Mansbridge, Al Y. Roelofs

• Associate Producer:

  Harrison Ellenshaw

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, All Movie Guide

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