TRON: Legacy Reviews

I actually wasn't expecting to enjoy TRON:Legacy, but coming from someone who is fond of the original 1982 film, I did. TRON:Legacy isn't a perfect movie though, then again neither was the original movie. The film thematically is deeper than the original, but there are some parts where it comes across as rather formulaic for my tastes. Also while the characters are likable, they aren't given that much depth, and again while the dialogue is intriguing at most some of it is weak and dare I say stilted.

That said, TRON:Legacy has a lot to redeem it. Jeff Bridges is great and Garett Hedlund is likable, but when it comes to the acting the film is stolen by a gleefully enjoyable Michael Sheen and a wonderfully edgy Olivia Wilde. The action sequences and chases are very exciting, and help keep the momentum of the pace and story going, and the soundtrack is just fantastic. But the real revelation is in the film's look. The film looks amazing and one of the most visually stylish films of the year- I just loved the cinematography and editing and the special effects and use of neons are outstanding.

In conclusion, a surprisingly enjoyable film that I wasn't expecting to like. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This movie has a lot going for it and it is worth watching a few times. It has impressive action, cool special effects, a killer soundtrack, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, and Garrett Hedlund...but it is also flawed. In the original TRON, Bridges was a mischief maker who fell down a rabbit hole into the computer world and it was fun to see what the actor did when confronted with the strange games and gadgets. And with Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan, he had people to react to him as well. Garrett Hedlund (who plays Flynn's son in this sequel) just isn't as interesting, mainly because the script lets him down. He's just a lost soul who doesn't want to have anything to do with his father's company and for half the movie he doesn't seem very motivated to do anything other than survive. When he finally catches up with his father and teams up with the beguiling Quora, the story gets better but then it sinks into a lackluster father / son story where they confront the bad guy on a bridge.
Despite this, I think TRON Legacy is a pretty good film. It's more original than the superhero films Disney has been making lately. I just wish it had a slightly better story to tell.

Honestly, even though I was interested by this sequel, I actually wanted to see the first installment before but, somehow, it never happened. Indeed, even though it has now reached a cult status, it is never broadcasted on any of the channels I have and I never came across a dvd with a decent price. On the other hand, this sequel was finally on TV so I thought I should skip the first installment for now. Eventually, I must admit, it looked pretty awesome and, apparently, it was one of the few movies worth seeing in 3D in the theaters and with the cool soundtrack provided by Daft Punk, they managed to create a really nice mood. Unfortunately, it was still not really amazing though. I mean, you could feel that the whole thing had some great potential, it could have been more than another fancy looking blockbuster but, unfortunately, you end up with a slightly idiotic plot with some major plot holes. On top of that, I was never convinced by Garrett Hedlund but I’m not sure that it was actually his fault, I think it was more due to the fact that his character was rather poorly developed with some really cheesy dialogs. Still, in spite of its flaws, it remains a decent SF feature and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Plodding and lumbering. I was 15 when I saw the original and I was underwhelmed with that one too. Is it just me, or is the CGI animation of still pictures just a little off-putting? Brightest part? Olivia Wilde...SO beautiful!

TRON: Legacy has been one of the most promoted films of the year. With a monstrous budget (around $200 million) and reports saying that Disney is worried that the film isn't tracking as well as they'd hoped, the initial thought process from these rumors is that the TRON sequel will open to a disappointing first place weekend much like the most recent Chronicles of Narnia film. As of this writing, I haven't gotten around to seeing the original film. I wanted to, but thanks to Disney it was pretty much pulled from every retail store imaginable whether you wanted to rent or purchase the film at least until next year. The urge to see TRON: Legacy didn't really sink in until around the time the third trailer was released. While the Daft Punk score has interested me from the beginning, TRON: Legacy just seemed like another overrated piece of eye candy that fan boys were getting excited about. The thing about first impressions though is that they always have the opportunity to be wrong.

The glorified TRON sequel is getting a lot of mixed reviews from most movie critics. The problem seems to lie within the way the film is written and its screenplay. To tell the truth, you don't see a movie like this for a great story alone. The special effects are the main attraction and boy, do they deliver. The way programs disintegrate when they're disposed of, the light cycle battles, airborne chases, and the many fight sequences in the film are just a small example of the dazzling display of some of the most exceptional and impressive special effects ever seen in a cinematic feature. As with most films that have been presented in 3D lately, the 3D effect probably isn't necessary to enjoy a film of this magnitude. It'll be just as entertaining if you save yourself the extra $4 and see it in a conventional theater.

The writing didn't seem as bothersome as much as other reports say. It certainly wasn't the best, but it seemed like enough to add just the right amount of depth to TRON: Legacy and give it more of a background than most films revolving around spectacular special effects. There were a few lines that bothered me. The main one being when Alan first visits Sam and Sam says something about his father probably either being dead or chilling in Costa Rica...or both. Wait, what? It just gives you this Weekend at Bernie's flashback with Bernie being replaced with Kevin Flynn's limp carcass. Some of the lines Jeff Bridges muttered just made him seem way too much like The Dude from The Big Lebowski, which seems awesome but really has no place in the TRON universe. Saying things like, "Check this out," or, "Radical, man," followed by that stoner laugh of his really didn't help matters much. The weak points of the way the film is written are rectified with the way the film never lets your attention out of its choke-hold. You'll be drawn to the screen the entire film; that's practically a guarantee. The right mindset for a film like this can make or break your opinion of the film. If you don't have inflated expectations and don't expect much more than impressive special effects, then you'll probably walk away pleasantly surprised. I actually had a similar mindset during Avatar, which seemed to also suffer/take advantage of groundbreaking special effects being more consuming than the story and had a similar result.

The cast is about as developed as can be expected. The real star of the film is Garrett Hedlund, who does a pretty decent job of carrying the film and being generally astonished that not only was his father alive but the extraordinary world he always talked about actually existed. Jeff Bridges' performance isn't nearly as strong as his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, but he does have his moments. He seems to shine during his reunion with Hedlund and his strongest scenes are with Hedlund alone while being rather flat the rest of the time. Olivia Wilde's Quorra is interesting, as well. There's an intriguing twist to her character, but her fascination and curiosity revolving around the world Sam is from is what gives her character heart. Michael Sheen did seem a bit too over the top at times as Castor, but that may have been the point. The biggest surprise was seeing Cillian Murphy cameo. Given his strong outings in films like Sunshine, Peacock, and Inception, it just left me wanting to see more of his character in future installments assuming this film does well enough to warrant a sequel (or sequels).

TRON: Legacy is certainly the special effects extravaganza it's been made out to be all year. Its fantastic effects certify the sequel as being the most visually appealing film of the year. While the writing of the film isn't quite as polished as the special effects, there certainly seems to be a good enough balance to keep the film afloat and deliver an extremely entertaining way to kill two hours. As far as eye candy goes, TRON: Legacy is an incredible and all around awesome experience.

Not being a big fan on the original now "cult" film, Tron, I went into Tron Legacy with some trepidation. Would the sequel be as boring as the first film?
Thankfully the answer was no, although the rebooted version still didn't do much for me, it at least managed to hold my attention for its lengthy running time.

The most distracting aspect of the film was not actually its non-sensical and frankly pointless plot; it was the horrendously shoddy CGI of Jeff Bridges' face as Clu/The Younger Kevin Flynn.
It was not the face itself, despite the fact that at certain moments it seemed to float slightly apart from the body it was supposed to be attached to. It was the speech. And how the lips didn't match up to the words spoken at all, rendering the expensive effects sloppy and pulling you as the viewer completely out of the film's diegesis and seriously hampering its believability. I couldn't take it seriously. Well, as seriously as you can take a film about a "grid" being full of miniature people representing programmes. What do all those programmes do anyway?

That aside, performance-wise there was nothing particularly exciting. Jeff Bridges played Jeff Bridges once again, channeling The Dude in parts, while Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn was quite unremarkable and mildly irritating, as was Olivia Wilde, but then that's more the characters than the acting.
But special mention must be made for Michael Sheen's bizarre performance as camp enemy programme, Zeus, who hams it up like there's no tomorrow despite the fact that everyone else in the film is playing it straight.

I think this one is for fans only.

Summary: "A powerful wizard creates a new and fascinating world and populates it with perfect creatures shaped in his own image. The creations rebel against the creator, led by one who was the creators son in almost all respects. The creator is exiled from his own world. Many years later, the creators real son finds his way to the new world, seeking his long lost father. He falls in love with one of his father's creations and devises a plan to bring her and his father back to his own world, free of the tyranny of the rebels, who were now the rulers. His plan is thwarted by the rebel leader. The grand wizard is forced to sacrifice his own life to save the life of his son and the woman he loves. The son escapes back to his own world to continue his life, with a new found purpose to continue his father's legacy."

Take out the neon lights and cyberpunk and you have a generic fantasy story. Thankfully, I don't mind some mediocre sci-fi/fantasy now and then. Great background score by Daft Punk, especially in the last 40 mins or so.

Strengths: Outstanding effects, 3D that's worth the price of admission, being able to take breaks from 3D for the 2D scenes, excellent action sequences, solid story, consistently entertaining, sympathetic main character (Sam Flynn), the TRON world still existing in an 80s motif, Olivia Wilde wearing a skintight outfit

Weaknesses: Predictable moments, relying on the audience's familiarity with the original (not that you NEED to see the original to understand what's going on, but it's recommended if you're going to fully appreciate certain aspects), reverse aging of Kevin Flynn is obviously done digitally (a minor gripe perhaps, but it occasionally bugged me). I also disliked a couple of visual presentation decisions (the pixellated-looking flashbacks did nothing to enhance those scenes), but that may be a personal taste complaint only.

Verdict: Go (re)watch TRON, and if you (still) enjoy it definitely watch this one and you'll enjoy it as well. I thought the pacing was better and obviously the effects have improved thanks to the difference of time & technology. There's room for improvement here (less reliance on familiarity with the first, better character development), but overall it's an entertaining film worth watching.

I had two attempts at seeing TRON: Legacy; first I arrived at the cinema and bought my ticket and when I was in the auditorium just about to watch it, there were complications with the projector and saw something else instead but the second time was a success. I almost saw this before the predecessor but when that first incident, I decided to watch it and I am glad I did because I really needed to so I can understand the story and the world they were in. Anyway, my expectations were pretty high, to be honest, because of the effects, art direction and other parts of production so was expecting a strong story. Well, stronger than the first film anyway. I did see the first film only recently and did like it but didn't greatly impress me.


The 3D experience was just magnificent! If you are going to see this film at all, whether expectations are high or not, at least check it out in 3D! Despite how good the 3D was, the film would almost be nowhere without it. Despite that the film didn't impress me greatly, the film totally deserves the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and I think that the effects in TRON: Legacy were almost as fantastic as the effects in James Cameron's Avatar. I think the main flaws that this film had were that whilst inside Tron, it somehow didn't feel like inside a video game and I couldn't really feel any seriousness or drama between the characters, like at all.


Sam Flynn, a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn, a man once known as the world's leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn's Arcade -- a signal that could only come from his father-- he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra, father and son embark on a life-or-death journey across a cyber universe -- a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced with vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape.


Jeff Bridges makes his return and reprises his role as Kevin Flynn but this time, he has his son by his side and he has to fight off Clu (who is also played by Jeff Bridges). What I actually really liked was there was an old Jeff Bridges like he is now but there was also a character that Bridges portrayed who made him look younger like in the first Tron film so there was Jeff Bridges looking both young and old. One thing, though, the effects on Bridges as Clu didn't really look real and you could tell that it was either CGI or crap make-up. Garrett Hedlund was average to bad as Sam Lynn. I tell you he reminded me a lot of: Channing Tatum not only because of the looks but also the way he acts and the film choices. Olivia Wilde was actually alright in this one, surprisingly, as well as gorgeous. Bruce Boxleitner makes his return as Alan Bradley/Tron. He isn't it that much as Alan Bradley but in it a lot as Tron. Boxleitner and Bridges are the only two actors to have appeared in both Tron films.


I guess you could say that TRON: Legacy does have its similarities with G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra in 2009; not only the effects but the world it is set in, the characters and also the story. Steven Lisberger who is the original creator of the characters and story in the first Tron film, wasn't even part of the sequel and, quite frankly, in some ways they did a decent job of it without him even though I did prefer the original. The action scenes were brilliantly filmed admittedly but there were loads of flaws in the script. I was thinking when watching it 'No, no, no!' while holding my head. Despite that there are quite a lot of flaws in TRON: Legacy, this really doesn't deserve Razzie nominations (except for Worst Screenplay perhaps). It probably will get a Worst Sequel/Prequel/Remake/Spin-Off nomination, though.


Overall, TRON: Legacy was a visually stunning (as predicted) but at the same time, pretty weak film in terms of dialogue, script and characters that I don't find an awful film nor a great one either. Despite how fantastic the effects are, I wouldn't even rent it on blu-ray because it is just a film to watch and experience once and that is it. Obviously, the predecessor is better and liked that one a bit more but still I would watch neither of them again. Entertaining once but wouldn't entertain me again, sorry.

great visual effects, not as groundbreaking as in the first movie but maintaining its own style (the neon thing) in up-to-date graphics. astonishing action scenes!
as in "the curious case of benjamin button", one actor performed characters in extremely different ages thanks to visual effects, though here one of them was limited in facial expressions, which was very convenient..

as in the first movie, a terribly simple story about good and all the adventures to defeat evil. some of the nerd/geek terms were put aside in this sequel, while the religious aspect of the "user" was improved. now, besides the mysterious "user", we have the powerful "creator", the miraculous "ISOs" and the "fallen angel" clu. yeah, a bit repetitive but maybe a sign of a mature story coming in the next sequels (i think i've seen a cliffhanger ending).