We recently posted our latest Podcast and part of the discussion that Jon and Brendon talked about dealt with remakes. The question was posed on whether or not remakes are good for their original versions. It seems that most source material for remakes these days comes from the 80’s. Having grown up during that era, chances are good that I have already watched the original. If the remake interested me, and I hadn’t seen the original, I would definitely watch it before seeing the remake. Now, this is speaking from the point of view from a film enthusiast. I remember watching movies as a kid and having my parents tell me what I was watching was a remake, re-imagining or what have you, of something that they were already familiar with and telling me “Well, you should really watch the original.” I catch myself saying the same thing now.
The same question can be asked of sequels. I know people who saw The Dark Knight without having watched Batman Begins. I come from the school of No-Sequel-Without-Watching-The-Original-First. I will not go into a sequel without being familiar with the source material. I don’t see the point. I suppose with some films it’s possible, but I want to know the whole story. Which brings me to the point of this post. If the preview to a sequel of a film that I haven’t seen, catches my interest, I will watch the original. Even if it’s been 28 years since the original came out.
I recently just watched a film that came out in 1982 for the first time. It was one of those that just got past me. I’m ashamed to admit it, but that film was Tron. I know, I know….believe me I know. I played the arcade game like crazy when I was a kid. I played that more than any other arcade game out there. But for some reason, I just never saw the film.
Since last July’s Comic Con, we’ve seen more and more about the sequel, Tron: Legacy. I watched the blogs as the viral campaigns unfolded, got a look at the new light cycle, saw the pictures from Flynn’s Arcade as well as various other goodies. But what struck me the most was when the actual trailer was released just recently. I watched the trailer and marveled at just how awesome it looked. I knew then, that I really just didn’t need to see Tron, but I NEEDED to see Tron.
This past Sunday morning I sat down with my coffee and fired up the DVR. When my roommate saw what I was watching, I had to explain that I had never seen it. The look of sheer horror that was on his face really said it all. With a hand up all I could muster was a stern “I know!” and I continued on. Everything about the film just reeked of 80’s. The music, the visual effects, the dialogue….but it was all so…..good! I loved it. I loved every minute of it. Strangely it holds up even if you can see it’s age. Tron was right up my alley, so I was even more disgusted that I hadn’t discovered it sooner. That is a movie that I would have loved to have grown up with. But I have now discovered it and am all ready and eager for the sequel. The greatest thing is, I had a 12 year old hit the couch about halfway through it and she was glued to it just as much as I was. After it ended, she looked at me all bright eyed and said “That was really good!” I know that she’ll be going with me to see Tron: Legacy.
It’s been 28 years since Tron was released. But really, it’s never to late to watch a classic. Not only did I finally discover it, but so did a 12 year old girl. Some people may think that almost three decades is a little long to go between films, but by the looks of Tron: Legacy, it’s not only worth the wait, it’s really only going to work in Tron’s favor.
