Before returning to the Grid in the next installment, Jeff Bridges has some candid thoughts on the decline of CGI. Tron: Legacy. The actor reprized his roles as both programmer Kevin Flynn and programmer Clu for the 2010 sequel to the 1982 sci-fi adventure, as the elderly Flynn is trapped in the Grid by the now-tyrant Clu, who asserts his dominance over the virtual world. Director Top Gun: MaverickJoseph Kosinski, Tron: Legacy It also starred Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, and Michael Sheen, and while it wasn't a critical hit, it has since garnered a cult following.
With the bridges back online Tron: Aresopened up to actor Josh Horowitz Happy Sad Mixture In 2010, he podcasted about his dual role in the franchise's entry, commenting on the then-unusual practice of digital aging and dubbing. Bridges described how his likeness was drawn for the feature and how the technology differed at the time:
It's a new thing… When we were doing Tron 2, I was computer-scanned — What was it called? – Heritage.
Despite the ambitious nature of the technology, Bridges admitted he wasn't entirely happy with the outcome. The actor even admitted that he felt like Clu looked like controversial TV host Bill Maher, not from the 1980s:
I did not particularly like this recreation of myself. I thought I looked more like Bill Maher than I did.
Clu was a challenging task for VFX artists in the late 2000s
Like very original Tron It pushed the boundaries of what digital effects could achieve in its day, Tron: Legacy tried to stand out from other features that came as digital VFX technologies advanced. Taking advantage of technologies Avatar The digital effects team used to bring his Na'vi to life looks like Bridges from 1984. Against All Odds As the basis for Clu's appearance, it took almost two years to bring Bridge's performance to life, replacing the head of actor double John Reardon on set.
According to his time, Tron: Legacy would gain acclaim for its daring special effects work and become a point of praise among critics who were generally divided on the film. While its narrative and character stories weren't to every critic's heart, the sequel managed to follow in the original's footsteps by pushing what digital effects can do.
Our Take on Digital Deaging by Jeff Bridges
Time Hasn't Been Kind to Clu's Likeness
Looking back in 2024, it might be easier to see where Bridges' criticism of Clu's execution came from. While the effort is impressive for its time, there is also a stillness to Clu's execution that makes the character seem almost plastic and fails to fully capture the character's emotion. So Clu falls into the Uncanny Valley trap due to the lack of live performance.
However, in Clu's case, it could be argued that this effect is potentially an advantage, especially in a story that defines sentience and presence, where his digital presence is distinct from any other presence on the Grid. Despite this more optimistic reading and additional innovations in digital aging and dubbing, it appears that Bridges will not have to reprise his role as Clu in the upcoming films. Tron: Ares. However, as Tron and Tron: Legacy many may hope that the upcoming third film will surprise people and find its way to innovate the VFX experience.
Source: Happy Sad Mix