TRON: Legacy - Review and Grading

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Neroon, Dec 16, 2010.

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Your rating on "TRON: Legacy" ?

  1. Excellent! It should be permanently installed!

    63 vote(s)
    32.3%
  2. Good - could use an upgrade or two but overall stable and inventive

    89 vote(s)
    45.6%
  3. Average - Hold its oen with Tron 1982.

    29 vote(s)
    14.9%
  4. Poor - nice to look at but I then it abends all over the place

    12 vote(s)
    6.2%
  5. Should be immediately de-resed!!!

    2 vote(s)
    1.0%
  1. stonester1

    stonester1 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Just the existence of an arcade dedicated to 80s era videogames, that's awesome alone. We used to have such in Denton, TX, when I was going to college there in the 90s.

    Long gone now. *sniff*

    And the Mall arcade I did most of my 80s videogaming at? The Silver Ball? Also just closed last year.

    *double sniff*
     
  2. Haggis and tatties

    Haggis and tatties Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Ok you just swayed me to go and see it again in 3D.:)
     
  3. Joy

    Joy Commodore Commodore

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    Seriously, this arcade is amazing. You pay $5 to get in, and you get unlimited time to play unlimited games on all the classics: Tetris, Frogger, Tron, Centipede, Sinistar, etc etc etc. They've modified the games so that instead of putting coins in, you just push a blue button and it gives you a credit. The only paid-for games are the pinball machines, which is 25-cents a play.

    And they always have 80s music videos playing on TVs throughout the arcade, which makes for an awesome atmosphere.

    So, if you're ever in Springfield, Missouri, you should totally check it out. It's called 1984.

    Oh, and the owners are so good at faces and names that if you pay to get in and later want to go grab some dinner and come back, they'll remember you and you won't have to pay again to get in!

    Hmmm... something on topic.... Well, it was amazing to be able to play Tron on the same night as seeing the original movie and going to see the sequel. I kinda suck at the game, though. LOL
     
  4. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    Going to see it on Sunday with 5-6 people. I'm tempted to go sneak out tonight but I have an xmas party to go to..

    RAMA
     
  5. marillion

    marillion Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Joy, You are incredible fortunate for that kind of experience. A local gaming store was hosting a screening event too and had nowhere near that kind of swag or other goodies.

    I was going to sneak out last night and see a midnight show, but a blizzard hit Albuquerque, and by 10pm, I had 5 inches on the streets in my neighborhood. 5 inches in albuquerque has the same effect on traffic as a foot does in other places. It's best just to stay inside..

    So it looks like a Sunday evening 3D show for me and my boy.. The girls have no desire to see it. :(
     
  6. Chick_McGeester

    Chick_McGeester Lieutenant

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    So with the blue button to give you free credits how do they deal with people hogging machines? Usually its the money aspect that gets people off machines so other people can play them. How do they deal with that?
     
  7. Joy

    Joy Commodore Commodore

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    Not sure... it's only the second time I've been there. But then again, it's Springfield, and we have an inordinately large percentage of very nice, patient people. It's not typically uber-crowded, as far as I know, and even last night with so many people there, we all managed to have a go on our favorite games.
     
  8. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    Just saw it. It was one of the most visually stunning movies I've ever seen, right up there with Jet Li's Hero. I'd give it an excellent just for that alone, but I'm going with "good" once I factor in the story.

    Now for the rundown...

    - I saw the 1982 TRON for the first time six days ago. I wasn't going to see Legacy without having seen the original, so it's fortunate that I got that opportunity. After seeing TRON, I was unimpressed. The story was pretty thin and unengaging and the world felt equally so with the 80s CGI and the colorized unsaturated look for the characters. It was an experience though and it laid the foundation for a franchise I was looking forward to getting into.

    - As I said, the sequel is quite a sight to see. The visual experience is worth the price of admission alone. Some things like the outfits were completely redesigned, while other things like the vehicles were simply made to look better with modern CGI capabilities. And much better they did look. I was pleased to see so many things from the original in this movie, but with a superior look.

    - I wasn't going to see the movie in 3D, but when I got the theatre, I found that my only two options were IMAX or 3D, so I grudgingly went with 3D. I found that it added nothing to the movie-going experience. In fact, I don't think that 3D technology is all that good anyway. Objects and people may look "3 dimentional" in that they jump off the screen, but I never feel like I'm looking at something real. Plus, I could see the rims of the glasses in my field of vision and that was annoying. Fortunately I was able to put it out of my mind just enough so that it wasn't a total distraction.

    - The story wasn't earth-shattering, but it was much better and more engaging than the first movie. It almost followed the same sequence of events as the first one (User enters the grid, fights, rides light cycles, meets allies to fight the big bad guy, then makes his way to the core using a light sail), but looked better. It also had some nice ideas in there with the ISOs, beings that just came to life inside the grid.

    - It was nice to see Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprise their roles 28 years later.

    - We got to see a young version of Kevin Flynn who was apparently done with CGI. His facial movements which were captured from the real Jeff Bridges looked alright, but his appearance was off. His skin looked too plastic and smooth, that was a part of it, but there was something else. He didn't quite look like the guy I saw in the 1982 movie. Still, what they did was a very good attempt at recreating the younger character.

    - The ladies looked nice. I very much liked their "cyber girl" look. That goes for both Quorra, played by Olivia Wilde, as well as Gem.

    - Sounds like you had a great time Joy. I found myself imagining you at Flynn's arcade.
     
  9. Kaijima

    Kaijima Captain Captain

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    Awrite, I saw it.

    Visceral reaction: my favorite movie of the year, much more than a worthy sequel to Tron, and it very, very carefully updates Tron for the modern era in the only ways that truly could have worked and not been seen as total hokey cheese.

    Rational thought: I think I can understand the critical panning and the nerdrage better now. 1. It's an "idea film" much like say, 2001 (I am not placing it on the same pedestal as 2001). It is honestly about the journey, and the "story" as it were, is in the visuals, the mood, and yes, the music. That is because it is supposed to be a look inside the head of a technologist, and a person of a generation beyond what many critics who see the film will have any connection with.

    Without spoilers, people who don't pay attention to the dialog or just dismiss it as nonsense because it's invoking concepts many people sneer at, such as Zen philosophy (yes Virginia, there is philosophy) won't get the story, and will see the screenplay as vague and poorly explained. Not to suggest the screenplay is outstanding. It could be tightened up here and there, and a few things could be justified and explained better so that an overage of thought isn't required to work backwards and rationalize why something happened. Yet, there are actual ideas here and for me, that counts more than an utterly pristine script. Also, there's a certain theme in the story about the illusions of perfection that make complaining about the flaws ironic if taken too far.

    The big bitch point that some reviewers have had, that the "father son" relationship "sucks", well, that's going to be subjective. A lot of folks, I think, are expecting Sam Flynn to bubble and cry when he finds daddy, and for there to be some kind of big heartwarming message. In point of fact, there is emotion there, but it's subtle and not the focus of much of the story. I'll say this: this isn't a father son reunion story or a father son emotional relationship story, so much as it is what the title says: Legacy.

    This is a son who lost his father before he formed a mature relationship seeing his father's work, and his father's true self (as embodied in the world he created), and going on a trip that explains his heritage. The development of Sam as a character, and the son of Flynn, is something more appropriate to a 3rd film, if one is made.

    I see the challenge and problem that the filmmakers had here, is the thing. They were tasked with a sequel to a movie with an iconic character - no, not Tron, but Flynn. Kevin Flynn is a hero to a generation of geeks, and practically the originator of the modern hacker, and "space cowboy" characterization. But Jeff Bridges, bless the Dude, is old. He's great, but he cannot just come back in, and give audiences a continuation of Kevin Flynn.

    Therefore, I believe the tactic chosen was to take the audiences on a tour of Flynn's imagination and in a sort of postmodern sense of nostalgia for a 1980s saga we never saw. The Grid insinuates that for almost a decade, the Flynn we imagine from the original movie had all these wild adventures in another dimension. There's a bit of desolate longing when we see the now Ancient Flynn, who's prime has passed and is a distant memory.

    Honestly, I think this is a film that will benefit from multiple viewings. Once initial expectations are met (or dashed), you'll be able to take in what the movie really is.

    One more word though, on Tron himself. This has been a controversial point for those who are giving impressions. I find myself conflicted. On one hand, the way Tron is worked into the movie was totally satisfying for me considering the concept of "legacy" in both story, and the actual title of the film. Had this movie been called Tron 2, or Tron Returns, or whatever, I would have been let down by how Tron (and Bruce) are used. But I'm actually very happy. I believe the way he is used adds powerfully to the themes I remarked on, up above.

    Okay, a bit of a spoiler if you really can't wait:

    Bruce appears as a youthful Tron in a long flashback, explaining how Clu took over and tried to kidnap Kevin. This actually is practically a scene right out of the Tron Betrayal graphic novel and is god damned cool to see. Tron kicks ass, saves Flynn, and is apparently derezzed. In the present, we only see Tron in his Rinzler persona, controlled by Clu, until Tron breaks free of Clu's reprogramming. But Tron's modern face is intentionally hid from the viewer, as if to keep the nostalgia and memory of a "pure" Tron, in the past and unreachable. It also solves the issue of having yet another fully digital main character taking up a lot of screen time, which really, may be for the best.

    Oh and I will say this about CGI Clu / young Kevin. Yes, the effect isn't perfect. But it's "enough" and you know what? It's a bold move. I truly appreciate it for that boldness; without it, we wouldn't have gotten to see scenes we really would yearn for, such as flashbacks of a young Flynn bridging the gap to the present, or the great idea of Flynn's program persona being the primary villain.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2010
  10. Dac

    Dac Commodore Commodore

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    I simply cannot understand why anyone would bitch and moan so much as to give it one star in a review.

    Sure, there's nothing really deep about it, but whats there means something - which is kinda the point of the whole film.

    Philosophical BS out of the way, I adored this movie. Not enough films these days go to worlds beyond our own, but Tron Legacy fulfills the promise of a foreign, alien world better than Avatar did. Visually its stunning, and I enjoyed all of the characters. If there's one or two things that bugged me, its these.

    Clu, while technically very accomplished was poorly animated. It wasnt until halfway through the film I saw his eyebrows move. Now, thats an odd thing to say, but being an animator eyebrows are probably more expressive than the eyes, which is why everything he said seemed flat and robotic, which I could understand for Clu, but the very start which features young Flynn suffered the same problem in my eyes. Toward's the end of the film, his facial animation improved dramatically.

    The second thing that kinda bugs me a bit is the ending...it all happens a bit too quick for my liking. I'd have preferred it if we got some more detail on how Quorra made it into the real world, and then seeing some of the impact she had on it, but I guess they're banking on a sequel. Which by the way is something I'd really like to see happen, its just a shame the stars are seemingly aligned against that happening.


    Aside from that, its a great film. The 3D aspect is ok I guess, but it kinda works more so in a symbolic aspect than it does in a technical one. Its not necessary, but if your willing to give it a shot, or havent seen a 3D film before, i'd say just go for it. After all, it doesn't take anything away from the film.

    I voted Excellent.
     
  11. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    As a kid, I could recite the original movie line by line--had the action figures, the novelization, the storybook, etc. So I went into Tron: Legacy with a bit more excitement than I would for most sequels.

    And I was not disappointed. I actually was grinning from ear to ear at times. Not only was it visually stunning, there were plenty of easter eggs and nods towards the original film of things. It was done in such a way that even if you hadn't seen the original, it wouldn't be truly necessary, but it would give someone unfamiliar with it an incentive to see how the story all began. I'll echo the sentiment that it was great seeing Bruce Boxleitner in a key role in the movie as well as see Jeff Bridge's Kevin Flynn character evolve full force into traits only hinted at in the original. And yes, the ladies in Tron: Legacy were upgraded into sexy cyber eye-candy, but Olivia Wilde's Quorra managed to be both cute and kick ass at key moments. I found myself liking Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn as a nice mix between Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.

    I saw it in 2D in a local neighborhood theatre for 5 bucks, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the movie at all. It's not a perfect movie, but I definitely rate it somewhere between good and excellent.

    One final note--there's one scene in which Sam powers up his dad's old videogame arcade and a song from Journey blasts from the jukebox. I nearly cried from the nostalgia...
     
  12. Greylock Crescent

    Greylock Crescent Adventurer Admiral

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    ^ The only thing missing were five guys playing "air" guitars, synths, drums, etc.

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LatorN4P9aA[/yt]

    Personally, I thought this was a very good film. Loved all the 80s references, of course. And I think having seen the original helps with this one. But don't let anyone tell you that Legacy was "hollow" or empty or style over substance. There's plenty of substance to the story. And while it's not deep on a Philosophy 101 level, it's still a meaningful story, filled with plenty of symbolism and mythic concepts. It's not a perfect film, either. It's a lot slower than I thought it would be. But it's very entertaining.

    Oh, and this film proves to me that 3D is a waste of time for a live-action movie. What does it say when Tron: Legacy deliberately presents the "real world" in 2D and saves the 3D gimmick for the simulated Grid? Clearly the "real world" is more "realistic" in 2D than 3D.
     
  13. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    That felt like an 80's movie with 2010 technology. I don't mean that as a bad thing, on the contrary, it's actually a compliment. I had just seen the original Tron for the first time in a long time, and the scene just mentioned when the Arcade lit up was one of those great moments purely from a nostalgia stand point. Also, because I was familer with the original, the look of the film felt retro while keeping up with 2010 sentimentality. Also, that soundtrack was great, and added to that extra 80s feeling that I felt.

    As for the movie itself, I went to the 3D showing, and while the visual effects are great, I didn't think the 3D really added anything. Heck, there were times when I even took the glasses off and still enjoyed what I saw (They even say at the beginning, it was intended to be shot in 2D). Still, the effects were awesome, from the light cycle scene to the suits, and the atmosphere of the grid.

    Also really liked the characters, and thought the story was well done too. It's nothing earth shattering, and we've seen this story before, but I felt they handled it in a way where it respected the original film, but stayed true to this film, a film about Legacy and what that word means. I liked seeing Bridges in the duel role, and Wilde and the guy who played Sam was great too.

    I think my only criticism of the film was some of the dialog was cheesy and there were some scenes where I was like "They took that out of Star Wars and The Matrix." For example, there was a scene where they were flying above the grid and Sam took the controls to fight the other jets. Everything about that scene screamed Star Wars and Luke and Chewie battling the tie fighters. As for the Matrix, a lot of movies have taken effects from the Matrix so that's really nothing new.

    Overall, I really enjoyed it and recommend it. It's nice to see a Sci Fi film that isn't based on a comic book or has Zombies in it. Hell, I kept thinking after I left how I long for the days of another movie like Star Wars. I'm not saying remaking, but just a space based adventure movie. I really miss those.
     
  14. stj

    stj Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Quite good.

    CGI Flynn is not cartoonish. It's not quite photorealistic which is why there is very little footage of the living Kevin Flynn. His face in the early scenes is hidden as much as possible. There are only seconds where a young but human Kevin Flynn is supposed to be on screen. But the few Grid scenes and all the CLU scenes the slight imperfections are fitting. Actually, young Boxleitner wasn't nearly as good.
    The set designs and costumes and effects fit with the first movie but are beautifully updated. The movie is spectacular. And the action scenes are not dragged out or so pervasive as to be as dull as they get in, say, a Christopher Nolan or Michael Bay movie.

    The story is much stronger than the first movie. The father/son thing is done rather well, emotional but not melodramatic, much less mawkish. The awkwardness, the inevitable distance after so much youth lost were nicely captured. As was Flynn's irritation as how Junior screwed up. The repetition of Kevin Flynn's inspirational dialogue by CLU was darkly funny and insightful. Senior Flynn really would be a Big Lebowski. Doing the expected thing instead of an illogical "surprise" is a writing ploy too often left unused. Michael Sheen does a remarkably lively turn as David Bowie.

    Nonetheless, the script suffered from too many cooks. Sam is introduced as borderline psycho, which wasn't charming in the recent Star Trek abomination either. Tron's reappearance was predictable but seriously supposed to be a surprise. Tron's "I fight for the users!" re-conversion to the light side was probably an inspiring climax in one of the drafts but poorly fit in this one, especially since Tron promptly splashes (on the pavement) for the users. Any motivation for it got left out somewhere along the way. Most of all, it is not at all clear exactly what CLU would do to the world if he got out of the Grid. That reduces his escape to a MacGuffin. Which is not a Good Thing. It's hard to write a simple physical conflict when you're not sure what's at stake.

    The sound track is basically horrible. The electronic sound and the eighties style of some of it is appropriate and effective. But far, far too much is that Hans Zimmer crap where a single theme (or just a progression of chords!) is repeated, over and over, louder and louder. It builds tension all. But, then, rhythmically hitting someone in the head with a hammer would build suspense about the next blow, too. At one point I was writhing in agony.:scream:

    The vague notion that children are perfection neglected by assholes is too childish to care much about. So, we're not talking about an Avatar here. But it is a fine effort, spectacular visuals with an actual story, even a few cursory efforts at thinking. What's not to like? Besides, the sound track.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2010
  15. Chick_McGeester

    Chick_McGeester Lieutenant

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    Can someone explain how Flynn is trapped in the Grid when he made it out at the end of the first film?
     
  16. Kaijima

    Kaijima Captain Captain

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    Well, that's a spoiler, but:

    The Grid is not the Encom system from Tron. It's a private server Flynn set up to experiment with the newly discovered electronic world. When Clu rebelled against Flynn, Clu waited until Flynn was visiting the Grid, then had his loyal soldiers seal the exit portal so that Flynn could not return to the real world. Since time passes more quickly in the computer realm, Flynn has experienced 1000 years of subjective time for the 20 years of real time that he has been missing.
     
  17. The Lensman

    The Lensman Commodore Commodore

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    Clu cut off his access to the portal, and once the beam shut off...he was trapped. The beam had to be activated from the real world. As Flynn says: "it's like a safe, it has to be opened from the outside".

    I loved the movie, and the soundtrack rocked. Visually, one of my favorite movies, alongside the original Tron. I just love the world they presented in this movie.

    Spoilers below....






    loved the many easter eggs. Even said "Now that's a big door" before Sam said it in the movie.

    My only real nit was the handling of Tron himself. Was happy he was in the movie and got to kick ass in a flashback. Liked that he helped out in the end.

    His re-conversion was too quick, and I expected it as a fan of the original. What must someone who hadn't seen the original think?

    Secondly, while I didn't have a problem with the size of the role or his place in the story....I really would've liked to see an unmasked Tron beat the shit out fo Clu at the end. Yeah, I know we had CGI Flynn, but CGI Alan would've been there just long enough to beat Clu and he could've suffered the same fate. You'd only have needed a few close up's...not many. It just felt like we didn't truly get Tron because of the helmet.

    There was a certain "cheapness" to the helmet. Plus, if you noticed, when he fell into the water, his color returned to blue. I have no doubt that Tron is still alive....and that he'll be recast as well for future flicks. They'll probably say he was "rebooted" or something and that's why he looks different....if they even say it at all.
     
  18. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Olivia Wilde has me in the theater no matter what.
     
  19. Unicron

    Unicron Boss Monster Mod Moderator

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    I haven't had a chance to see it yet (but I hope to next week), but after reading Joy's description I might just move to Missouri and see it there. :lol: :lol: I'm excited though, cause I've been itching to see T:L since I saw the trailer when I went to see Inception. :)
     
  20. God Magnus

    God Magnus Commodore Commodore

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    I enjoyed the movie a lot, and it had much more depth and levels than a lot of the critic reviews I've read let on. I saw about three parallel stories running in the movie:

    1. The "father/son" story
    2. The "Clu's plot" story
    3. Encom's potential direction for the future

    I also saw a lot of room for stuff that could be easily tackled in a scifi novel, but just wouldn't suit a big screen movie with Light Cycles and action in it.

    I do feel there were a couple missed opportunities. I would have liked to have seen the Light Runner and Flynn's Light Cycle do more and the one "off screen" action scene really could and should have been on screen.

    The "de-aging" effects were not perfect, but there were scenes where I genuinely feel it was 95% right. Others felt more like 75% successful. It was FAR better than the one in X-Men, which just looked bizarre.

    Daft Punk's soundtrack was already enjoyable when I bought it last week, but hearing it in the context of the movie was amazing.

    And yay to all the nods to the original. Seeing "the door" and hearing other little phrases from the first movie was pure win.

    I'm definitely going to see it a couple more times. I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to see this movie on the big screen as much as I can before it leaves theaters. I felt the same way about Trek last year. :)