Late in the game sequel is probably one of the most under rated film of the year. Blame it on the over whelming spectacle which swamps the wonderfully layered story.
The plot of the film has Flynn (Jeff Bridges) long missing from the real world. His son is tricked into going back to father's arcade where he is sucked into The Grid. There he meets CLU, the program his father created to run the Grid who wants cross over into the real world.
A couple of things off the bat: First Daft Punk's score is probably the best of the year. Its an organic part of the film which is as vital as everything else. The film works as well as it does because of the music. Had it not been a worthy successor to Wendy Carlos' original score the film would have collapsed completely.
Secondly you have to get past the opening bit which, while good, is typical corporate nonsense. However once the film gets into the Grid it goes like gangbusters.
Actually the film is two films. Its the big spectacle with the disc fights, speeders and other sights from the first film. The visuals are amazing, actually to the point where they overwhelm the story. The film feels it has to have a disc fight and speeder chase and all of the required bits which effective stop the film while they play on the updated nostalgia card.
The second film is the one at the heart of the film. Its the film that deals with father son relationships, with the notions of god and the universe,what it means to be alive, the question of Zen in action vs Action and a few other things you'll have to find for yourself. Its a deeply philosophical film, especially when you consider the state of most Hollywood spectacles.
Frankly I love the film a great deal.
However I have to admit that I saw the film on a small screen, the smallest screen possible in my area, with out IMAX or 3D. With out the scope of the truly big screen I was forced to focus on the story and I think I was better for it.
WHile not quite one of the best films of the year, it is one of the more special ones, especially if you can look past the visuals
The plot of the film has Flynn (Jeff Bridges) long missing from the real world. His son is tricked into going back to father's arcade where he is sucked into The Grid. There he meets CLU, the program his father created to run the Grid who wants cross over into the real world.
A couple of things off the bat: First Daft Punk's score is probably the best of the year. Its an organic part of the film which is as vital as everything else. The film works as well as it does because of the music. Had it not been a worthy successor to Wendy Carlos' original score the film would have collapsed completely.
Secondly you have to get past the opening bit which, while good, is typical corporate nonsense. However once the film gets into the Grid it goes like gangbusters.
Actually the film is two films. Its the big spectacle with the disc fights, speeders and other sights from the first film. The visuals are amazing, actually to the point where they overwhelm the story. The film feels it has to have a disc fight and speeder chase and all of the required bits which effective stop the film while they play on the updated nostalgia card.
The second film is the one at the heart of the film. Its the film that deals with father son relationships, with the notions of god and the universe,what it means to be alive, the question of Zen in action vs Action and a few other things you'll have to find for yourself. Its a deeply philosophical film, especially when you consider the state of most Hollywood spectacles.
Frankly I love the film a great deal.
However I have to admit that I saw the film on a small screen, the smallest screen possible in my area, with out IMAX or 3D. With out the scope of the truly big screen I was forced to focus on the story and I think I was better for it.
WHile not quite one of the best films of the year, it is one of the more special ones, especially if you can look past the visuals