Changing Lanes

A wafer thin storyline with glitzy special effects constructed over a brilliant concept. It was Avatar all over again without the love story.

Kevin Flynn's (played by Jeff Bridges) mysterious disappearance leaves his son Sam Flynn (played by Garret Hedlund) a little lost in life. For 20 years, he lives in the shadow of a question; why did his father not come back. After a pager from his dads old arcade, he stumbles onto a secret room and manages to get himself into the digital world of ‘The Grid’ where he finds his trapped father. Throw in an evil clone nemesis with a killer instinct(rogue) side kick, a beautiful but deadly ally (Played by Olivia Wilde), visually stunning action scenes and an army of reprogrammed programs to destroy the real world and we have all the ingredients for a cliché plot with plenty of cliché subplots.

This may seem to be yet another 3D movie but this is the one that does it right. A perfect blend of 2D and 3D worlds created nicely by Joseph Kosinski. It’s a visual feast and an acoustic delight keeping you absorbed throughout the movie that you even ignore the rather weak storyline.

Garret Hedlund and Jeff Bridges as the main characters were always riding in the back seat with these visuals to boot. Jeff Bridges manages to hold his own though some dialogues like 'Radical, man' coming out of an old man were a little odd while the younger graphical him seemed too cartoonish sometimes, bit of a distraction. Garret Hedlund does a decent job to play a convincing Sam Flynn while Olivia Wilde’s puzzled/innocent curiosity was engaging. Michael Sheen as Castor/Zuse was wacky in a good way while James Frain as Jarvis had a meager role.

This is not an all out action movie nor an in your face 3D effects bonanza. It’s just a brilliant doorway to a world many of us haven’t seen before. I’m looking forward to a third movie (if it ever happens) with a better storyline and an extraordinary visual ride.