I've been crunching this film in my head for 24hrs now, and it's hard to not reference the first Tron for making explanations about how I see this one. Also an interesting item from all the reviews I've read is that it also seems important to state how much of a fan you were or were not of the original. I don't usually pick up on that in other remakes or 20+ year number 2 installments.
The bottom line though is that Tron is eye candy and not much else. Which is good enough for some, but disappointing too, because the writers had a lot of cool ideas that never went anywhere. When I think back on the parts that I liked, it becomes obvious that Disney didn't give me nearly enough of those 'cool' things. Even with that said, spending 40 bucks on imax 3d for 2 tickets, I can still say, "yah I had a good time."
So here we go, in 1982 I read the Tron novelization before I saw the movie. I scraped my pennies, walked 3 miles to the theater in the hot sun to see it by myself, and I was blown away as a kid. But it wasn't because the films ideas were intellectual. It was simply the coolest thing I'd ever seen. That's a feeling that only comes maybe just once in it's purest form, and in little shadows here and there from time to time. So really it's no surprise that Tron Legacy's chance of wowing me like that was almost nil. That is an expectation that I think a lot Tron Legacy viewers might wish for and find only disappointment.
The beginning of the film should've spent more time on developing Sam's relationship to his father, showing the pain of his Dad vanishing in a more convincing way. Running out the door upset and jumping on your PK Ripper is lame. Though seeing a PK Ripper was very cool! Show me something like Sam getting seriously beat up and having no father to turn to. Show me Sam having to watch his grandfather die and tell him something about his father he never knew. Memories of being on the beach with dad are weak. Too much time was spent showing us that Sam was an anti-corporate adrenaline junky hacker. The board meeting scene of Encom was a waste. I think it was really there just to plant Cillian Murphy as Dillinger's son for the next movie.
The entry into the computer world or grid was cool for me. I liked how the Recognizer rumbled the whole theater. The detail of the Recognizer flooring, the way it worked, and the guard programs were cool. Maybe not make the Recognizers engine based though. Seeing exhaust was kinda odd.
The Sirens, or hot women in latex that strip you and put on your battle gear just made me giggle, but come on, I'm a guy , who in watching that scene knows that scene is just for the boys.
Initial disc war battle was kinda lame for me. However, watching the old disc battles from Tron is just comical, so in truth I don't think much more could've been done without going into a lot of extra detail. It was pretty simple in terms of physics in the first Tron, like little guys playing pong. So being in a 20 sided almost transparent shaped cage that turns upside down when someone runs up a wall, is a lot for the brain to simply process. It's a barrage for the brain and can detach you from the idea that battle is going on. Also, if you compare the derezzing of the old and new, imo there's something more unsettling about the original. Shattering into glass is cool, but isn't that just like knocking some jar off a table? Also, the first guy we see fighting Sam, is like some hardened looking Hawaiian warrior, not Bob the I'm scared out of my mind, so I'm going to talk shit accountant program who yelps when he dies. It's just hard to feel bad for anyone. Lastly, I can't quite figure out how CLU's perfect society has a violence loving crowd of programs in it. That's a topic worthy of discussion though eh Ceasar?
I like James Frain from True Blood, but seeing him bald with a plastic mask that fell off the set of Back to The Future 2 just made me want him to die way sooner.
The light cycle scene was pretty awesome for me. I think interestingly what makes the light cycle scene cool in both old and new movies is the sound effects for the bikes. In fact, the sound fx are a huge factor for the first movie that I think are often overlooked. The techno roar of the bikes and the new fluid walls were great. When they do their slow mo run and transform onto the bikes, it's really kinda Chuck Norris meets The Matrix cheesy, but damn if it don't work every time.
When you first meet Quorra, she seems very giddy. Maybe too much? But that's ok, because she's an innocent. Her character is certainly the most interesting in the film. She's a new lifeform and her story was imo waaaaayy underdeveloped. They had something huge there and let it go. Remember Leeloo. Who doesn't love Leeloo!?!! Bada Boom! Quorra's equivalent of that was her asking what Jules Verne was like. Quorra totally should've kicked more ass in the film too.
Worst scene in the movie was them eating in Flynn's 2001 hippie zen pad. A roasted pig? WTF!
Sexiest thing in the whole movie was the old light cycle that Flynn built. Quorra says nothing is faster than it. All we get to see is it going down a lonely street before being pawned off to a drunky street program? Did you see the instrumentation cluster on that thing? Wow! Shame on Kosinski for not letting that light cycle roar at least a little bit. How amazing would that have been to have gone back on the grid only to destroy loads of other cycles, and some tanks even...and then be pawned off to Phantom of The Opera drunkie program.
Man this review is getting too long. Flynn was ok, but one reviewer called him Obi Wan Lebowski. I have to agree, either stay with the Zen genetic new lifeform feel or not. Maybe just once you could say 'dude'. Maybe not. Another wasted moment was when Flynn came into Castor's bar. I didn't expect him to get all Bruce Lee on anyone, but I seriously thought he was going to do a Neo floor punch ripple. Again Kosinski had a chance to make him into this bad ass air bending techno budda but missed out. Flynn does get his neo powers on at the end, but then I have to watch CLU look goofy in the process. Finally, the story of how Flynn and CLU were bound and how CLU felt betrayed had sooo much potential but it was like house with no roof.
CLU was annoying plain and simple. I get it, you're pissed, please shut up and do something really mean to make me dislike you or blow something up.
Finally, Tron himself. Tron gets taken out by CLU and some guys he built? In a battle that lasts all of 10 seconds? then later we find out Rinzler is really Tron reprogrammed and in some odd moment Tron comes back sacrificing himself in the end. I mean at least you could've somehow scraped Flynn's disc or some particle flew out of it to bring you back, but nope. Then they let Tron float in a cyber ocean obviously for a sequel. Who would think that was cool? Liz and I thought it was...lame!!
Lightjets fight scene was pretty cool even if it did remind me of the Star Wars Tie Fighter scene a bit. I will definitely want to watch that scene again.
Daft Punk. I'm not their biggest fan ( boy do they have some hard core fans ), but I enjoyed their soundtrack for the movie. There's a certain 'otherworldly-ness' that the original had with Wendy Carlos's music, but I don't think you could do such progressive electronica without going against the visual style. I'll have to listen to the soundtrack again, but it didn't jump out at me with an overall theme music that is so prominent from the first one.
Anyway, that's about it for my Tron Legacy thoughts. I didn't have high expectations for the movie and just went in and let it wash over me. I was pleased. I can definitely see how some fans would be really upset that the movie wasn't what it could've been.
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