Twenty years ago, Sam Flynn’s father, the legendary electronics wizz and video games pioneer, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) disappeared. Sam (Garrett Hedlund) grows up angry and rebellious, and (this will prove fortuitous) very good on a motorcycle, until one day, a mysterious message sends him looking for his father. Sure enough, dad has been trapped in “the grid” all this time, and now father and son have to work together to escape and prevent an army of surprisingly life-like “programs” from crossing over into the real world and taking it over. Along the way, there is a lot of 3D and special effects, only one real equivalent to the electronic racing game that was the centerpiece of the original, but an awful lot of nifty chase scenes. It is all leavened with some unconvincing philosophical discussion of Kevin Flynn’s search for perfection, of the new beings, able to exist in both worlds, that he helped bring into being, and the kind of awkward conversation which passes for father and son bonding.
What can I say? I had pretty low expectations, and I never thought that the original was that special to begin with. So I basically enjoyed the movie for what it was. Which is mainly a pastiche of other movies. It begins with allusions to Gotham City and Batman, and then settles into a steady diet of Star Wars references. We get double-sided light sabers, clever references to paternity, an X-wing, a clone army, etc., etc. Kevin Flynn is hiding out in this digital realm, while his younger, digital likeness runs it, eliminating imperfection and plotting earth invasion. This permits some sort of digital rendering of Jeff Bridges as twenty years younger than he is, and near the end, his real, aged self (grizzled and ready for True Grit) confronts this younger, smoother digital self. I’m hoping that they can sell this technology to the general public; I could certainly use it.
Oh, and Michael Sheen, as neither Blair, Frost, nor werewolf, has a bizarre turn as a sort of David Bowie program. Lots of fun but not entirely coherent. Really, this is perfectly enjoyable.
Bio-digital jazz, man. I think I will download all of Jeff Bridges’ dialogue and use it as a ringtone.
Jesus that was weird. It got stranger and dizzier as it crammed in more bits from other films, until Sheen struts in, en haute jambon, from a dinner-theater family-friendly version of A Clockwork Orange. I did like the music, and it pleased the kids with me, even if I think about 64% of the time they had no fucking clue what was happening. (I was probably batting closer to 43, 44% having a fucking clue.)
You know, I saw this the weekend it came out, and was thrilled I wasn’t totally disappointed in it. I have meant since then to at least give it some love here and haven’t. I’m sorry Bruce Boxleitner; I’ve let you down. Again.