This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the film that seems destined to become as much of a cult classic as the original film it was a sequel to: Tron Legacy.
The movie provided a visually stunning update to the memorable special effects of the original. The circuit board costumes glow brightly against the polished backgrounds. The update reminds us more now of the Apple Store rather than the early CGI attempts at replicating video games of the original.
The one effect that didn’t work out 100% well —- but remained a pioneering work and proved to be influential —- was the early use of CGI de-aging technology. This was helped a little by the fact that the character of Clu was a computer construct. Perhaps the uncanny valley aspects of his appearance could be attributable to computer code. Less successful was an early scene where Jeff Bridges is in the real world as a younger man. It looked fine in still images, but in motion it was unsettling.
Nowadays it’s far easier — especially in Marvel films —- to show an actor in a scene as a man two decades younger. It’s still sometimes awkward. The Irishman, for example, and de-age Robert De Niro, but cannot mask how he moves around like an old man.
Then you have the strange offshoots, such as when Peter Cushing was resurrected for Rogue One.
It also hasn’t completely replaced the traditional techniques: prosthetics, make-up, and costuming to portray the march of time. Aging up has generally been more convincing than aging down, though.
Still… young Robert Downey Jr. in Captain America: Civil War was pretty great, huh?
Today’s prompt: what is the best attempt to age or de-age an actor?
Next week: musicians as actors.
And don’t forget to vote for The 2020 Pits!
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