I like to think I have pretty good taste when it comes to movies. Occasionally I disagree with intelligent, thoughtful critics such as Ebert and Morgenstern, but it would seem unhealthy to be a yes-man all the time. Yet it appears that neither they, nor the general public, really seem to “get” Tron: Legacy. So I’m going to try to explain.
First, this is a movie for geeks. If you don’t believe me, look at the response on Hacker News to a write-up by a CG effects software designer and Unix hacker. A lot of detail was put into the mechanics of the OS, and those details were not lost on the geek crowd.
However, there were a couple of themes in the movie that a lot of people didn’t seen to pick up on. I’m actually surprised I didn’t notice this the first time I watched the movie, but the movie follows a God/Satan metaphor quite closely: God (Flynn) creates a universe, including Satan, who tries to force it into perfection. Meanwhile, evolution unexpectedly happens in the form of the ISOs, whom Flynn loves but can’t control. Finally, Flynn/CLU (God/Satan) destroy each other, giving way to science and evolution.
Even geekier is the metaphor between closed and open source software. At first, an irresponsible Sam felt that information belonged to the world and should all be free, as demonstrated when he posted his own company’s proprietary software publicly. But if you think of his disc as knowledge, he realizes that in the wrong hands it can be dangerous. A proprietary, draconian overlord structure is harmful to progression (the MCP and CLU), but an open system that allows for experimentation, as well as the ability to keep sensitive information private, can be beneficial to all.
Finally, a greater understanding of the digital world in Tron can be explained by understanding the Unix philosophy, as explained by Doug McIlroy:
This is the Unix philosophy: Write programs that do one thing and do it well. Write programs to work together. Write programs to handle text streams, because that is a universal interface.
Every wonder why there are so many programs on The Grid? Because they all do one little thing, and they’re designed to work with each other. A single Unix command might combine the use of several programs, all on the same line, all communicating with each other. It’s a powerful interface, and it’s one reason why many of the best and brightest programmers prefer a *nix OS, such as Linux, Mac OS X, or BSD.
It’s not as if the original Tron was a masterful screenplay, and the suspension of disbelief is certainly a requirement for many aspects of the plot. It’s no Inception, but it certinaly is more complex and metaphorical than many people give it credit for.
Add in an amazing soundtrack and visual effects, and it’s an above-average movie. And seriously, who doesn’t like The Dude?
