04/05/11 Recommended New Releases

It's quality over quantity today with the release of the original classic, Tron, on Blu-ray and the release of the recent sequel, Tron: Legacy.

 Tron: The Original Classic (Steven Lisberger, 1982) - Disney created quite the stir as the theatrical release of Tron: Legacy drew near, for those who had not seen the original film were now curious, and those who had were in need of refreshing, but the film was almost completely unavailable. The DVD was out of print, Netflix was not offering the film for streaming, and other would-be sources such as iTunes and Amazon did not have the film available for rent digitally. Basically, unless you already owned the film, happened by a local rental store that had a copy, could luckily secure a used copy somewhere, or resorted to pirating, you were out of luck. Many (such as myself and a group of friends) wound up watching the film (divided into multiple parts and lacking in quality) on YouTube. The reason the film was unavailable, however, was quite obvious: Disney was prepping the classic for a Blu-ray release. Personally, I thought releasing the film prior to the theatrical release would have been a smarter move, but alas Disney opted to hold out until the sequel hit store shelves as well.

The film is about a hacker and arcade owner named Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who is warped into the digital world while attempting to hack the mainframe of a company called ENCOM in order to prove that a senior executive, Ed Dillenger (David Warner), stole code that Flynn created and claimed he wrote it. Within the digital world, Flynn gets caught up in a struggle to destroy the Master Control Program responsible for bringing him there and enslaving the programs that inhabit it.

Format: Blu-ray (2-disc) - The 2-disc Blu-ray is the most sensible choice; it contains a copy of the DVD version, and the Blu-ray contains all the features of the DVD release plus an exclusive featurette.

Tron: Legacy (Joseph Kosinski, 2010) - In the sequel, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) - the son of Kevin Flynn - winds up in the digital world while investigating a lead on the whereabouts of his father, who has been missing for years. Once there, he is reunited with his father (once again played by Jeff Bridges) and must help him, along with Quorra (Olivia Wilde), save the digital realm from Clu (Jeff Bridges, in a dual role) - a digital copy of Flynn gone rogue. The film received a single Oscar nomination for Best Sound Editing, creating a bit of angst among fans (myself included) who thought it should have received nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score. Personally, I also thought Michael Sheen's quirky, entertaining performance as Zuse was deserving of a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.


Format: Blu-ray (2D 2-disc) - In addition to a copy of the DVD version, the Blu-ray is loaded with exclusive features. Unless you have a 3D TV, there is no point in forking out the extra dollars for the 4-disc Blu-ray, as the only bonus you get besides the 3D version of the film is a Digital Copy.


This week, you will find the 2-disc Blu-rays for the original film and the sequel on sale for $19.99 at most retailers. To make it more enticing, Target is offering an additional savings of $8.00 when the two films are purchased together, while Best Buy is offering a likewise savings of $5.00. Furthermore, Disney has a rewards coupon that allows you to save another $5.00. Though the coupon states that it is for the 4-disc Tron Legacy Blu-ray or the 5-disc combo of the two films, you should have no problem using it on other versions. Also, even though the weekly ad for Target explicitly states that the $8.00 savings cannot be combined with the Disney coupon, you will likely find success anyways, as the latter is a manufacturer's coupon, meaning that the store will be reimbursed its value.

In sum, it is possible to obtain both 2-disc Blu-rays for approximately $31.00-$34.00, which is much cheaper than the 5-disc set (includes the 4-disc of Tron: Legacy and the Blu-ray disc of Tron: The Original Classic). There is also a collector's edition of the 5-disc set packaged in a replica identity disc, but unless the identity disc is worth an extra $30.00 to you, you are better off skipping it.