After Thoughts: Tron Night

Tonight (really last night now that it's passed midnight) was Tron Night, a world-wide event where Disney was screening 23 minutes of mostly unseen Tron: Legacy footage, for free, in IMAX 3D theaters. I managed to register for tickets on October 12th (one ticket for myself and a guest) at the AMC on Broadway and W68th, in case you were wondering.

Before I get to talking about the footage though, I'm just curious if others at other theaters had the same issue that I did. It seemed like no one at the theater I went to knew what was going on regarding Tron Night, and I had to change the line I was in about four times. So I hope Disney or whoever was supposed to set this thing up did a better job where you were. Now for the part you came for, the footage!

Tron: Legacy is the first 3D film I've seen that really seems to use 3D for a purpose, which may bother some people, I'll explain. What we were shown were five (I think?) scenes, from different moments of the film's first half (or so we were told), and not all of them take place in the TRON world itself, obviously.

The first scene brings us to Sam Flynn's pad, a garage really, where he live's with his French Bulldog, and it's revealed that Alan Bradley has been Sam's surrogate father since Flynn's disappearance, and that the company (Encom presumably) would rather have Sam out of the picture. But Alan gives Sam word that he received a page the previous night (yes, PAGERS), and gives Sam the key to Flynn's Arcade, which has been seemingly shut down since the 80s. Sam enters, sets up the Tron arcade cabinet, and notices weird grooves on the floor, and somehow figures to move the cabinet, reveal a door, and then go down what seemed like endless flights of stares to find his father's secret workplace. Also, 80s pop music all around, it was pretty awesome.

Next we see Sam, in "The Grid," it seems like he's just entered the world, but the scene number was about 5 scene after, so, who knows. He's picked up by a Recognizer, and you see THIS IS 3D. Which is what I meant by Tron: Legacy uses 3D with a purpose, all the real world stuff is 2D, but when you get to the game world it's in spectacular 3D. It's here that we see other programs trapped on the grid, some more willing to fight than others, some with pixelated chunks taken out of their face. The next scene has Sam receiving his Tron-suit (is there an official name for the outfits? I don't remember...) and Data Disc from four emotionless women, and is then brought into the Game Grid, where he must face off in his first match of Disc Wars, which has changed a bit since his father played it in 1982.

The final, and longest scene we got to see was Sam and who is soon reveal to be Quorra, riding in a light-car being chased by 2 light-cycles, and they soon escape and go off-road through digital-blue mountains to a small place in the distance. It's here that we see Kevin Flynn, a much older Kevin Flynn who seems to be doing some sort of meditation and is nothing like the youthful Flynn we saw back in the old TRON, and I hope there's some explanation for that. Sam soon finally gets to speak with his father, and while their expressions and music were telling me the scene was sad, it was hard to get emotional when it was out of context. Finally, after all that, we were treated to a clip reel of both new and old clips and it was awesome.

Overall, I'm happy with what I saw. However, I don't know if I'm convinced on seeing the film in IMAX, because it might be too big, especially for a film like this where I really want to look at every little thing on screen. Also, and I'll blame this on my eyes, but some of the scenes looked out of focus, and when I saw the trailers in 3D at other non-IMAX theaters I didn't seem to have that issue. Some people in the crowd seemed upset when a disclaimer came up on screen before the footage saying the opening scenes would be 2D, but it makes a lot of sense in my mind, that's the effect that makes the game world seem so special and different. If the original Tron made using computer graphics to tell a story an accepted practice, then hopefully Tron: Legacy teaches people that 3D can work too when it's given a purpose. Of course, not everyone will be happy about paying the 3D premium for a film that only uses it 3/4 of the time, but I'd rather see a 3D film that uses it well 3/4 of the time than a film that uses really crappy 3D for all of the film.

Tron: Legacy releases in 3D, IMAX 3D, and 2D on December 17th.

Meet your Enterprise crew

More news from Paramount came into my inbox today. First off, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek will not only release in theaters this May 8, 2008; no, it will be releasing in IMAX theaters as well. But now, instead of releasing four more posters (as I had expected they would), Paramount decided to make one big banner of the new (or should it be old?) Enterprise crew:

So there you go, broody teenage Starfleet. And I don't now why but Karl Urban (playing Dr. Leonard McCoy) and Simon Pegg (playing Montgomery "Scotty" Scott) look kind of wierd in this set. What are your thoughts?

The Dark Knight review

I just arrived back from the midnight IMAX premiere of The Dark Knight, it's about 3:15 A.M. To be honest with you, I'm really at a loss for words; I left the theater speechless, staring down the full moon as I was driven back home. I really wasn't sure what to think, I'm honestly fumbling in my thoughts right now, especially from the lack of sleep, but I will prevail.

The Dark Knight (TDK) takes place after the events of Batman Begins. Bruce Wayne is without his mansion, Lucius Fox is in charge of Wayne Enterprises, the Mob is still running the streets, and crime is still ramped; it's all carried over. As hinted at the end of Begins, the main villain this time around is The Joker, and what a villain he is. Portrayed by the late Heath Ledger, The Joker becomes more the focus of the movie than Batman himself. But that is not a bad thing, Ledgers performance is phenomenal to say the least. TDK's twisted, disheveled, and ruthless representation of The Joker probably could not have been done without the talented Ledger, and it's truly a shame to know he has passed. He has brought us, quite possibly, one of the most memorable character portrayals in movie history, it's simply brilliant.

But TDK's greatness is not just because of Ledger. The introduction of Gotham's new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, is also a site to be seen. Eckhart, much like his character in Thank You For Smoking, uses his charismatic charm to win the heart of Gotham City. But with this charm he also brings with him a very serious tone, a tone heightened later in the film, which I won't delve into due to spoilers. And what would a Batman film be without The Dark Knight himself? Christian Bale once again out performs himself, and everyone else to ever don the Batsuit. He provides the character with a moral complexity, and really makes Bruce Wayne's struggle for love and justice believable. Where Begins portrayed Bruce as a wreckless playboy, TDK shows that he does have the ability to mature, and take risks that he himself may not truly believe in.

Other cast members are not left without mention; Maggie Gyllenhaal does a much better job of making the Rachel Dawes character interesting than Katie Holmes did in Begins. She no longer acts like Bruce's forgotten childhood friend, and becomes a thought provoking character of her own, creating a love triangle between herself, Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent. Alfred, portrayed by Michael Caine, doesn't get that much screen time this time around; but his wit and guiding words still make him an important part of the film. Morgan Freeman, playing Lucius Fox, is much more of an asset to this film than he was in Begins, with a certain serious charm that only he can pull off. And lastly I'd like to mention Gary Oldman, who returns as Lt. Gordon, much like Freeman, his character becomes more central to the story than in Begins; in fact, Gordon will seem more of a hero than Batman at some points.

As good as the cast was, they would be nothing without fabulous cinematography; and for that you can thank Christopher Nolan. Nolan once again reinvents his style, bringing to life what is probably, The Greatest Comic Book Film Ever Made. It's no lie, forget all the praise around Iron Man, or even Batman Begins; The Dark Knight may be the first comic book film truly worthy of an Oscar nomination. What's most notable is Nolan's direction of the film. Begins was created to reboot the Batman film franchise, leaving it open for sequels. However, with The Dark Knight, Nolan wanted to create a film that could be viewed and appreciated in its own right, hence why the title lacks the Batman name, opting for a relative title instead. This direction is noticeable, and really makes the film that much more special.

And lastly, this is really outside the film itself, and more about presentation. The IMAX experience is truly a magnificent way to see the film, especially when IMAX technology was used to film it. Sure not all the scenes are filmed using IMAX, and you can tell when it is and isn't used, but when it is in use, the film is truly captivating. The engagement of motion, the incredible sound, it truly is the best way to see this film. I'd also like to note about the marketing of this film. The viral websites leading up to the films release gave the movie a very real world feel long before release. Whether it be the Why So Serious? campaign, or getting fans to "vote" for Harvey Dent, Wanrer did a fabulous job of getting word out there. And I'm also quite thankful for the lack of media tie-ins like cereals and video games, it gives the film the direct attention of what it's worth, and a crappy video doesn't ruin the experience.

All in all, this movie is the pinnacle of what comic book movies should be. The acting and cinematography is just breathtaking, and will keep you in suspense the entire time. It should be noted that like Batman Begins, this Batman is not the kid friendly image portrayed in the Joel Schumacher films. In fact, The Dark Knight raises the bar over Begins, just clearing an R rating. The real special part of the film though is indeed Heath Legder performance as The Joker, which will make you laugh, and will also frighten you. In what is basically his final film, Ledger has given us a masterpiece, and he will surely be missed. I will honestly be truly surprised if this doesn't win some sort of Oscar, Ledger's performance alone grants it so. If you were a fan of Begins, then chances are you already plan or have seen The Dark Knight. If you're new to this whole comic book movie thing, see it anyways. If you've never even seen a movie in your life, see this film!

Overall Score: 10/10