Every couple of years, a movie will take such a huge, progressive step in special effects technology that it will draw in viewers solely to for a big-screen spectacle.

When it was released in August of 1982, Steven Lisberger’s film “”Tron,”” which sported a dramatic leap in computer animation, was one of these films.

These days, however, the popularity of the film has been relegated to a very small group of fans because of an obvious lack in quality acting and a drawn-out plot, not to mention far too many blatant “”Star Wars”” rip-offs.

Would not then an extravagant, two-disc collectors edition DVD of “”Tron”” be a little much, considering the film’s inherent flaws and small fan contingent?

Fortunately, Disney understood the iffy status of its product and focuses its recently released “”Tron: 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition”” DVD almost exclusively on its special effects.

The DVD is replete with attention-grabbing special features on “”Tron”” special effects, which still remain visually stunning despite their age, ranging from interviews with higher-ups to step-by-step demonstrations of processes. Several of these features were created specifically for the DVD.

The features not related to special effects, however, are not nearly as impressive. The audio commentary drags and the deleted scenes are uninteresting, further convoluting the film’s focus.

The “”Tron 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition”” DVD, unlike many other DVDs of similar name, is exactly what it claims to be: only for “”Tron”” collectors. Fans of the movie “”Tron”” will appreciate the extra footage and special features, but casual movie viewers will want to save their money. The special effects and the subsequent features are not enough to overcome the film’s other flaws.

Tron

***

Starring Kevin Flynn, Jeff Bridges and Alex Bradley

now in stores

rated PG