Summary
IsTron: Arescopying the ideas seen in a terrible Adam Sandler video game comedy?Tron: Aresis finally set to continue the story of 2010’sTron: Legacy. Jared Leto is starring as the program Ares, alongside Gillian Anderson, Evan Peters, Greta Lee, and Jeff Bridges. The movie sees elements fromTron’sdigital world spilling over into the real world, with a program on the hunt for something it doesn’t quite understand.
When the trailer forTron: Aresdebuted, it offered audiences a glimpse of howTron’svideo game world will begin to infect things in the real world while still keeping much of the plot under wraps. While many fans had looming questions thanks to the events ofTron: Legacy, others noted stylistic similarities to another video game-infused film.Numerous shots in theTron: Arestrailer share similarities with Adam Sandler’s 2015 moviePixels.
Tron: AresSees Video Games Invading The Real World
While pastTronfilms featured characters entering the video game world,Areslooks to flip that conceiton its head, with the digital game world finding a way to spill into reality. The trailer sees Lightcycles splitting cop cars in half, and a Recognizer looming ominously over an officer as they run away from the impending doom. Beyond teasing audiences with Jeff Bridges' voice, the conflicting worlds are poised to fuel the film, with humans running in fear from invading video games, offering a distinctly different sequel than the franchise has seen before.
While much of the story inTron: Areswill be dedicated to explaining how the clash of worlds is possible, with the film’s heroes setting things right, much of the imagery was striking.Tronis a game infusedwith 1980s style, reflecting the era of the first movie. While things evolved withTron: Legacy, the vehicles and neon-lit elements that are distinct to the world all began with the arcade-style video game elements that helped inspire it all. Thanks to the plot and video game inspirations at play,Tron: Areslooked to share numerous similarities with the Adam Sandler comedyPixels.
Adam Sandler’sPixelsSaw The World Invaded By Video Game Characters
Pixelsis an ensemble comedy, as aside from Sandler, it stars Peter Dinklage, Michelle Monaghan, Josh Gad, Kevin James, Sean Bean, and Brian Cox. The sci-fi action comedy was directed byHome AloneandHarry Potterdirector Chris Columbus. The plot follows a former arcade gaming champion (Sandler), whose skills are called upon by the U.S. Government when an alien invasion occurs. Through a convoluted chain of events, thealiens are invading in the form of classic video games, seeing the characters battling monstrous-sizedversions of games likeCentipede,Pac-man,Donkey Kong, andGalaga.
What stood out about the film were the classic characters attacking real cities like movie monsters. There were alien ships flying through the skies, characters driving mini-coopers like they were the ghosts inPac-man, and a weird plotline followingQ*bert. Many of the classic games that are utilized by the invading aliens inPixelsare the same games that helped inspireTron.WithTron: Aresspilling intothe real world, much like the games seen inPixels, there are natural similarities between the two.
Despite some ambitious ideas and a few funny jokes,Pixelsmissed the mark, carrying an 18% Rotten Score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience not rating it much better. There were plenty of unique elements that could have worked, but much of it simply felt like another Adam Sandler comedy, with theactor using the gamesto lackluster effect.WithPixelspredatingTron: Aresby a decade, it makes one wonder if theTronsequel may have borrowed a few ideas from the maligned comedy.
Despite Similarities,Tron: LegacyLaid The Sequel’s Groundwork BeforePixels
WhileTron: Aresbares some similarities to the story elements inPixels, these merely stem from the era of video games they both derive inspiration from and the invasion-style storyline they are utilized to accomplish.The plot points fuelingthe story inTron: Aresmay see game elements invading the real world, but it has nothing to do withPixels, asTron: Legacyset the story in motion in 2010.
Tron: Legacysees CLU tasked with creating a perfect system, which leads to the conflict that kept Jeff Bridges' character trapped in the Grid, making him a missing person in the real world. With CLU feeling as though he had conquered the digital world, his plan was to bring the ideals of a perfect system to the real world utilizing a portal. While Flynn and his son ultimately stop the events ofTron: Legacyfrom coming to fruition, Sam Flynn and Quorra, a program, do make it back to the real world.
Thanks to Quorra’s presence in the real world, it has been proven that programs can make the leap to the real world, which is a concept thatTron: Areslooks to capitalize on. WhileTron: Aresstill has many secrets to reveal,the story looks to embrace CLU’s plan fromTron: Legacy, predatingPixelsdespite some fun similarities tothe Adam Sandler comedy.
