The term "ahead of its time" is thrown around way too much. It's used so much, one would think that none of us are ever ready for anything. But, every once in a while something comes along which is rather advanced and isn't appreciated until years later. Tron definitely falls into this category. The movie's references to computers and video games came several years too early to be considered general knowledge, thus making the movie inaccessible to many. But, it's found its audience over the years and has now made its way to Blu-ray Disc.

Tron focuses on a computer software (?) company called Encom. Dillinger (David Warner) runs the place with an iron fist and the Master Control Program, a computer program, helps him by seeking out and conquering other programs. Due to recent attempts to enter the company's computers, Dillinger has cut off access to all employees, which angers programmer Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), who wants to continue working on his security program, named Tron. Alan's girlfriend, Lora (Cindy Morgan), is assisting, Dr. Gibbs (Barnard Hughes) on a project to digitize objects and send them into cyberspace. Knowing that former Encom employee has tried to hack into the company's computers, Alan and Lora visit him as his arcade to warn him that Dillinger is increasing security. Flynn states that he wants to prove once and for all that Dillinger stole his video game ideas. So, the trio breaks into Encom. Sensing the intrusion, the Master Control Program digitizes Flynn and sends him inside the computer. Once there, Flynn discovers that programs are sent to battle on the game grid, thus making the basis for video games. Flynn meets Tron (Boxleitner) and Ram (Dan Shor), and together they decide to fight back and overthrow the Master Control Program.

The two things which immediately jump out about Tron are the two things which both hurt the film and created its legacy -- the look and the story. Keep in mind that while video games were very popular in 1982, both in arcades and with home systems such as Atari, they were still very primitive compared to what we have today. So, the idea that video game characters are sentient beings who actually perish when you lose a game was a fairly esoteric one for that time (and even seems pretty heady today). I don't know if the term "cyberspace" existed in 1982 (I guess I could look that up), but let's face it, when computers were still huge machines which took up entire rooms, there weren't many members of the viewing public who were hip to the idea of a world inside of a computer, much less the concept of a man being digitized and being transported to that world. Things like Reboot and The Matrix would eventually come along and expand on this idea, but for its time, Tron was way out there -- especially for something coming from Disney.

Looking at the story today, the concepts don't seem as foreign, but the story still lacks in some ways. It's still sort of vague while the Master Control Program wants to enslave other programs and make them compete on the game grid. Also, other than "programs" and a bit (which is very clever), not many things are defined here. For example, are the holding cells where Flynn and Tron are kept file folders? Is that an odd idea?

Then we have the look of the movie. Just as computers were still evolving in 1982, the use of computer graphics in a movie was unheard of at that time. Tron incorporate graphics to depict most of the vehicles in the film, such as the light-cycles and the tanks. (It's obvious that during the light-cycle scene some traditional animation is used as well.) These graphics still look pretty good today, given that they fit everything going on around them. As for the game grid scenes which involve actors, they were shot in black-and-white and then colored by hand. These scene look OK, but the costumes are simply ridiculous. Is that a leotard, a toga, and a hockey helmet. Really?

So, here's the bottom-line; Is Tron a good movie? The answer is, sort of. When you get beyond the creative idea about a man going inside of a computer, the story is very similar to any other prison-break/overthrow a tyrant movie. The action scenes are pretty good, and there's some nice comic-relief, but most of the movie is average at best. Still, the movie must be commended for trying something different and influencing a generation of filmmakers.

Tron teaches us that arcade owners can be treated like rock stars on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 30 Mbps. As the film is set in two worlds, we get two looks here. The real-life scenes look pretty good, as they are sharp and clear, showing little grain and no defects from the source material. The colors look good, but the image is a bit dark. The computer-world scenes look better than previous home video versions of the movie, but they are still very soft and grainy. The colors bleed everywhere, making some shots look blurry. The Disc contains a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 3.8 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The first thing that you'll notice about this track is that the subwoofer is overbearing and often intrusive. Bass can really add something to a movie, but it's simply obnoxious here. If you can ignore the sub, the surround sound and stereo effects are pretty good. We get some nicely placed sounds during the action scenes which help to add to the effect that sounds are happening all around our characters.

The Tron Blu-ray Disc contains many GBs of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Steven Lisberger, Producer Donald Kushner, Associate Producer/Visual Effects Supervisor Harrison Ellenshaw and Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Taylor. "The Tron Phenomenon" (10 minutes) has the cast and crew of Tron: Legacy discussing their memories and the impact of Tron. There is a discussion of the challenges on the film and how it has influenced a new generation of filmmakers. "Photo Tronology" (17 minutes) has Lisberger and his son, Carl, visit the Disney archives in order to go through the Tron memorabilia and have Lisberger reminisce about the production. "The Making of Tron" (88 minutes) is a feature-length look at the film's production. Starting with the beginning of Lisberger's animation career (including Animalympics -- when is that going to be available on home video?), the piece explores where the idea of Tron came from and how the film came about. A good deal of the piece examines the look of the film, including the live action stuff and the computer graphics. There are interviews with the Tron filmmakers and a nice amount of concept art and test graphics. The remainder of the extras, all of which were on the 20th Anniversary DVD release, make an in-depth exploration of the film's computer imagery, the creation of the effects, the music, and the design. There are trailers and visual galleries. The most interesting aspect of these extras is a DELETED SCENE which shows a brief love scene.