A film review of Tron: Legacy raises interesting points about Buddhism within the film that tie in nicely to this class. In the movie, little attention is paid to religious ideology. However, direct religious themes are apparent in the film, according to the reviewer Joseph Laycock.
He states, “The most pleasant surprise in Tron: Legacy is its proficient use of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy.” He compares it to The Matrix and parallels its incorporation of Buddhist ideals throughout the film. Laycock says such movies can be labeled under the genre “cyber-zen” and also notes that Jeff Bridges, who stars in Tron, is a practicing Buddhist.
There is a scene in which Kevin is meditating on traditional Buddhist cushions, and another one in which he tries to teach his apprentice how to “remove the self from the equation.” In addition, Laycock mentions the symbol of the flame throughout the movie. He says, “Flame is frequently used in Buddhism as an allegory for the ephemeral nature of reality.” Laycock goes on to say that this view of reality is consistent with the Buddhist notion of “non-duality” in which everything is subjective. He closes his argument by saying that the film ends with the realization “that ordinary reality (samsara) is no different from nirvana and that suffering arises from our own ignorance and striving.”
These instances are representative of Buddhist ideology, though the film is about something entirely different. Because I do not know a lot about Buddhism, picking up on these themes was harder for me. After reading Laycock’s argument, however, I see that the film was actually riddled with religious symbols and Buddhist ideology.
Laycock, Joseph. “Film Review: Tron: Legacy.” The Journal of Religion and Film. Vol. 15, No. 1, April 2011.
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