Tron
Movie, 1982, The Grid, Set in ENCOM, 1982
Tron is #1 of 4 in release order and #1 of 4 in chronological order in the Tron.
The story
When brilliant video game maker Flynn hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer, he is beamed inside an astonishing digital world and becomes part of the very game he is designing. In his mission through cyberspace, Flynn matches wits with a maniacal Master Control Program and teams up with Tron, a security measure created to bring balance to the digital environment.
Tron recap
Kevin Flynn, a programmer who now runs an arcade, wrote several video games that his former colleague Ed Dillinger stole and passed off as his own, making Dillinger the senior executive of ENCOM. Flynn keeps hacking ENCOM's system looking for proof, and the Master Control Program, an artificial intelligence that runs the company's network and is absorbing other programs, blocks him. Flynn's friends Alan Bradley and Lora help him break into ENCOM, and the MCP digitises Flynn with an experimental laser and pulls him into the computer world. There, programs who believe in their human Users are forced to fight in deadly games under the MCP's commander, Sark. Flynn escapes a light cycle match with Tron, a security program written by Alan, and the program Ram. Flynn discovers he can bend the rules of this world. With Lora's program Yori, they make for the input/output tower so Tron can contact Alan.
Tron ending explained
Tron receives Alan's code and fights his way to the MCP. Sark is defeated, and while Flynn jumps into the MCP's beam to distract it, Tron throws his disc through its shield and destroys it. The system is freed, and Flynn is sent back to the real world, where the evidence that he wrote the games prints out. Dillinger is exposed, and Flynn becomes the head of ENCOM, greeted by Alan and Lora.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Tron
Tron is streaming on Disney+ in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 61%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Tron: Legacy.
- Chronological order: first, before Tron: Uprising.
What to watch before Tron
Nothing. Tron is the first of the Tron essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn / Clu
- Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley / Tron
- David Warner as Ed Dillinger / Sark
- Cindy Morgan as Lora / Yori
- Barnard Hughes as Dr. Walter Gibbs / Dumont
- Dan Shor as Ram
- Peter Jurasik as Crom
- Tony Stephano as Peter / Sark's Lieutenant
- Craig Chudy as Warrior #1
- Vince Deadrick Jr. as Warrior #2
- Sam Schatz as Expert Disc Warrior
- Jackson Bostwick as Head Guard
Directed by Steven Lisberger.