Green Lantern/Tron Comparison

Hi everyone! So the other day I saw “Tron: Legacy” (finally!) Watching this movie with my Dad, I have to say it struck me just how many similarities there are between this film and another Sci Fi fantasy film that opened last month, perhaps you have heard me talk about it before, “Green Lantern!?”
Lets look at the facts shall we? Each film finds its protagonist in an essentially good yet troubled young man whose issues stem from their father being taken from them at a young age. In Green Lantern, Hal Jordan witnesses his worst fear happen before his eyes when his father’s plane crash landed in a test flight gone horribly wrong. In Tron: Legacy, Sam’s father seemingly vanishes into thin air when in fact he has become a permanent prisoner in the Tron world after his efforts to grow the world result in his own creation turning against him. As a result of being left without a paternal figure to guide them, both Hal and Sam lead precarious lifestyles and instinctively run from greater responsibility. We see this play out in Green Lantern when Hal comes out the winner in a midair dogfight against two prototype drone jets though the ego stroking ultimately comes at the airfield’s expense when he is forced to eject from his plane after losing control, thereby jeopardizing a very important military contract. In Tron: Legacy, Sam commits corporate espionage on a company he technically owns when the men at the top try to enact a policy he does not agree with though he refuses to do little more than strike out from the shadows.
And of course where would we be without the scie fi. Both films see the main character transported to an extraordinary world were, confronted by a seemingly insurmountable challenge, they emerge with a renewed sense of responsibility and are humbled by the experience. In Green Lantern, Hal is given an emerald ring by a dying alien which harnesses his willpower and allows him to create solid objects out of green light. Joining the ranks of a cosmic peacekeeping force comprised of every imaginable alien life form Hal is awakened to a greater sense of purpose and rather than letting his fears get the better of him, fights for and defends his planet when almost everyone else has abandoned him. In Tron: Legacy, Sam is laser beamed into the Tron world and forced to compete in its deadly gladiatorial games were, interestingly enough, vehicles and weapons also appear to be fixtures of light, before he escapes and is reunited with his long absent father. Though initially careing for little more than his own survival, Sam eventually comes to appreciate and defend what his father allowed himself to remain a captive to protect.
This concludes my comparison of Green Lantern and Tron: Legacy. I hope this encourages you to check both of these awesome movies out and see which one you like best.

Ross