This straight-to-DVD sequel to 2008's Death Race, starring Jason Statham is actually a prequel. It tells the origin of the champion racer Frankenstein, who died in the beginning of the first film.
Luke Goss (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Blade II, Tekken) takes the lead here as Carl "Luke" Lucas, a getaway driver for mob boss Markus Kane (Sean Bean). When a bank robbery goes bad, Lucas is sent to Terminal Island Correctional Facility, which is ran by media giant, The Weyland Corporation. In order to bring in revenue, the prison televises "Death Match", hosted by former Miss Universe, and blood-thirtsty, September Jones (Lauren Cohan).
When ratings begin to bottom out, Jones persuades her boss, Weyland (Ving Rhames) to upgrade "Death Match" to "Death Race", and use the existing prison perimeter as the track. To add tot he excitement, Weyland decides that he will grant freedom to the driver who wins 5 races.
This isn't a bad straight-to-DVD title. I've definitely seen worse. It actually has some entertainment value, although not as much as the Jason Statham film. Luke Goss does a adequate job in the lead, and has help from Bean, Rhames, Cohan, and Danny Trejo (as "The Last Mexican Jew" Goldberg). It's a good, mindless, action flick, that plays very much like the original film.
Check it out, when it hits DVD on January 18.
Rated R
TRON
I remember watching Tron as a kid, and being confused by the computer themes, and storyline. It was 1982, and computers weren't something found in everyone's home, or workplace. Tron truly was ahead of it's time, and pioneered the use of computer generated imagery.
The movie focuses on Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), who is trying to hack into his former employer, ENCOM, to find the evidence he needs to prove that Dillinger (David Warner) stole video games he created, and profited from them. With the help of former co-workers Alan (Bruce Boxleitner), and Lora (Cindy Morgan), he is able to get inside the facility, and access the system via a terminal in Lora's lab.
When the Master Control Program (MCP) detects Flynn, it uses a laser system Lora has been developing to digitally transport him into the ENCOM mainframe. Sound crazy? It is.
Once there, Flynn is captured by the MCP's commander, Sark, and force to compete in arena style sports. He meets a program named Tron (also played by Boxleitner) , and the agree to work together to take down the MCP.
Of course, they succeed, and Flynn is returned to normal, along with the evidence he needs. The movie ends with Flynn taking over ENCOM.
It's a fun movie, with great concepts. Having the programs look like their users was a neat idea, and a great way to have the actors play dual roles. Along with Alan/Tron, we see Flynn/Clu, and Lora/Yori, and Dillinger/Sark/MCP. It's unfortunately VERY dated. If you haven't seen it in a long time, you may be disappointed at how bad it has held up. The only saving grace here is the sequel.
Tron
Rated PG, Runtime 96mns
TRON LEGACY
The sequel picks up in 1989, just seven years after the events of Tron. Flynn has been working on what he calls The Grid, and promises to show it to his young son, named Sam. He tells Sam of the programs helping him: Tron, and Clu.
One night, Flynn vanishes, leaving behind his young son, and a large empire.
20 years later, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is visited by ENCOM executive, and friend Alan (Boxleitner) who tells him he received a page from his father's old arcade that has been closed for 20 years. Sam goes to investigate, and finds his father's secret office behind a video game. When he tries to access a terminal, he is hit with a laser, and sent to The Grid, just like his father many years ago.
There's really not a quick way to explain the plot here, so I'll just leave it to the basics.
Sam meets Clu, who looks like his father, only 20 years younger. Clu rules The Grid, with the help of his enforcer, Tron. He forces Sam to compete in deadly games, just like the events from the first film. Sam is rescued by Quorra (Olivia Wilde) and taken to see his father, who has been trapped inside The Grid for the past 20 years. The rest of the film is basically about Sam trying to stay alive, save his father, and return home.
I have to give credit on the acting. Everyone was great here, especially Michael Sheen as the flamboyant Castor/Zuse. He makes the most of his short time on the screen, and gives the most memorable performance.
While sometimes confusing, Tron Legacy is a fantastic movie to see. Visually, we've never really seen anything quite like it. It one of those rare sequels that improves upon the ideas from the original film so much, that it feels necessary. While the first Tron was noted for being ground-breaking for the computer animation used, Tron Legacy will be remembered for making Jeff Bridges look 20 years younger in order in flashback scenes, and as Clu.
The one thing that bothers me about both movies, is the fact they used Tron in the title. Clearly Flynn was the main focus of both movies. Tron is just a program that helps Flynn in the first film. In the sequel, he has an even smaller role. Regardless, they are great movies to watch back to back, which is how I viewed them, in order to write this review.
Tron Legacy
Rated PG, Runtime 127mns
