Oct 28, 2010 19:39 GMT  ·  By

Just minutes ago, I walked out of what has been mediated as Tron Night 2010, a one-of-a-kind event taking place in theatres all over the world and meant to showcase 20 minutes from the highly anticipated film.

“Tron: Legacy” doesn’t arrive in theatres until mid-December but, suffice it to say, Disney is not wasting any time in promoting it. The footage shown at Tron Night does the job in enticing audiences without actually reveal all that much.

Not that a movie like “Tron” would need that much promoting to get people interested, but, understandably, the “Night” was conceived to attract even segments of the audience who wouldn’t even dream of seeing such a film.

The footage premiered during Tron Night clocks in at 20 minutes and is comprised of 5 different scenes. All of them are from the first half of the film, as a message says right before it starts.

Two of the scenes are in the real world; the rest are set in the Grid and show what Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) finds there, including his father Kevin (Jeff Bridges) and his sidekick Quorra (Olivia Wilde), who will become Sam’s ally.

While the first scenes were shown in 2D, they could be watched with 3D glasses. No word yet on whether the film will maintain this strict separation between the real world and the Grid by showing one in 2D and the other in 3D.

Sam, from what one can see, is just the regular type of guy from standard action movies: he’s rich, leads a careless life, will not hear about the family business but has a very gentle heart, which he more than shows by doing lots of charity.

At first, in the first scene, titled “Sam’s Apartment,” he bears a striking resemblance to Chris Pine in the rebooted “Star Trek;” he’s just as young and obstinate that he wouldn’t listen to anybody else.

Once Sam steps inside the Grid, which is very much like the Matrix from what one sees on screen, the real journey begins. This was also the moment when I noticed people in the theater stopped talking.

The Grid is unlike anything other ever shown on film but, since I have no intention of spoiling the plot for those who still want to be surprised come December 17, suffice it to say that it is a genuine exercise of the imagination.

The 3D does not make things pop out of the screen at you, but it does offer depth and texture to the amazing environment. Its use is similar to that in James Cameron’s “Avatar,” the only difference being that “Avatar” had more color.

Speaking of which, another thing “Tron” has in common with it is the fact that both make it painfully obvious that the minds behind it were true geniuses. This is what unbridled imagination can create if left to its own device.

The script by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and Joseph Kosinki’s direction make possible a world that takes a lot of openness and imagination just to take it all in. Its very existence defies all logic, as also does everything in it – yet it exists and it’s there for us to look at it in wonder.

In other words, even if it didn’t show too many action scenes or include over the top special effects, the footage shown as part of the official Tron Night does more than just wet one’s appetite: it leaves one literally begging for more.

Aside from the 5 scenes, the footage also included a few scenes shown partially in the trailers released until now: but only as if to show that that’s where the real action begins. Because of it, Tron Night would best be described as a major tease.

“Tron: Legacy” opens in US theaters on December 17. It’s still a long while to go until then, so keep an eye on this space for more details.