I still remember seeing the original TRON in the theaters, about the same time I got my drivers license. The movie didn’t have the same impact on me that Star Wars and Raiders of The Lost Ark did, but I was awe-struck with the thought that a movie could be made with nothing but a computer.
It was this nostalgia that sent me on a short and nearly fruitless search for the original theatrical release to show the kids. I remember having the VHS tape at some point, but I never took the opportunity to buy it when it was out on DVD.
My first instinct was to check Amazon. Totally blocked there. The TRON 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition starts at $75 used and $150 for new. The original widescreen DVD was even more expensive. No way is the nostalgia worth that much. Next stop, eBay. Similar deal, higher prices but with free shipping.
Can Google Shopping come to the rescue? I found one for $15, but after clicking through it is out of stock. The next cheapest one was $119.
Then out of curiosity I checked a couple torrent sites. There it was, free for the 1.5GB download. Free of everything but the risk of getting caught, and the hypocrisy. This is a life lesson that I’m not willing to unteach by example. We have explained to the kids that music, and other entertainment and art forms, are the property of their creator. Regardless of how big or small the artist is, we need to respect their wishes about how the content is delivered.
In the end I just added it to my Netflix Queue. The availability date is unknown so we won’t be seeing it anytime soon, if ever.
