Just before a climactic moment in “Tron: Ares,” one of the protagonists is told to “think ’80s.” This is a reference to the 1980s, specifically 1982, the year the original “Tron” was released. Though ahead of its time for its computer-generated visuals, “Tron” was considered a flop by Disney despite it being the studio’s biggest hit in years. The studio’s projected box office numbers were not met, so the film was written off as a loss. Regardless, the Jeff Bridges-Bruce Boxleitner film became a cult classic and inspired a hit arcade game that was better than the movie.
I wonder how Bridges would have reacted back in 1982 if you had told him that, 43 years later, he’d still be playing Kevin Flynn (or some variation of him) in a “Tron” movie. Or that, in 2010, he’d be digitally de-aged to play 1982’s version of Flynn in the franchise’s first sequel, “Tron: Legacy.” He might have laughed in your face.
