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TRON: Legacy - Review and Grading

Your rating on "TRON: Legacy" ?

  • Excellent! It should be permanently installed!

    Votes: 63 32.3%
  • Good - could use an upgrade or two but overall stable and inventive

    Votes: 89 45.6%
  • Average - Hold its oen with Tron 1982.

    Votes: 29 14.9%
  • Poor - nice to look at but I then it abends all over the place

    Votes: 12 6.2%
  • Should be immediately de-resed!!!

    Votes: 2 1.0%

  • Total voters
    195
Actually, I'd see Sam Flynn as a possibly positive role model for kids. Yes, yes, he inherited the control of a corporation. But Sam is an almost complete dropout from popular culture; as much of his character was defined, it sure seems as if he has zero interest in type-A hyper capitalism and glamour.

There's actually potential for Sam to be greatly developed in a Tron 3 - it's all up to what he chooses to do with Encom now that he's asserted control. You can bet he's not going to do anything that would appeal to a modern American capitalista, considering we are introduced to Sam in the act of giving away the world's newest and most valuable operating system for free.

Plus, while it only examined its themes lightly (as stated above), this movie did definitely promote a theme that reaching for power and control in anything is destructive not just to the world, but to the self. Upon reconsideration, Flynn's sacrifice at the end of the story isn't just heroic sacrifice. It's accepting that he essentially destroyed himself, and the two halves of his personality erased each other when brought back together.

The business about perfection was hidden behind a megalomaniac villain. But much of what is sick with western culture is the mad and ill-conceived drive for perfection - the perfect body, perfect career, perfect fortune, perfect house, wife, kids, possessions, education, and life. Waxing philosophic for a moment beyond the bounds of the film, I think that in an ironic way many of the modern techno-geek whizzes who are the real life Kevin Flynns possess the exact same blind spot as young Kevin. They think of things in a binary fashion, and a kind of simplistic idea of science and rationalism. They hate anything that is imperfect and can be obsessed with chasing order and achievement, very OCD about it all. Perhaps to be expected, with a generation of technophiles, hackers, designers, and programmers. They've lost touch with the organic.

I've known too many young wizards who have no ability to deal with the disorder and chaos of life, and retreat into computer realms because those offer them the chance to build a flawlessly controlled world under their complete control. (Or so they think.)

:techman::cool::)
 
Just saw this again; and yes, Quorra (Olivia Wilde) is gorgeous...especially in those outfits.

Some things that were questionable:

*Flynn (Kevin) and Quorra don't have anything going on for 20 years? (I'm all for May-December romances).

*Since majority of the population in the grid are programs, and there are many who oppose CLU...it comes off as if CLU and Rinzler/Tron are constantly going into battle. 247 or whatever passes for an entire day in the grid.

In the first film, it was a bit obvious that Sark took part occasionally in the games....actually allowing him to overlook other duties, given accordingly by the MCP.

*Sam Flynn doesn't seem to be too surprised of the grid when he goes in. It's like: "This is not happening"...and suddenly he is off to the games, and surviving left and right. (From a writing pov, as well as a dramatic pov...it would have been cool to at least get a 'sense of wonder'...since Sam has only heard of the grid...and is just, at that moment, seeing what his father was working on years ago).

*CLU feeling like the abandoned son, wasn't played much until the end; and I didn't really catch it until my second viewing. Yeah, there was the Frankenstein aspect, but the abandoned sons (Sam and CLU) could have been a compare/contrast kind of deal.

*What exactly would CLU do in the 'real world'? With the MCP, it was a typical computer who wanted to take over the world....and Tron/Yori/Flynn/Dumont needed to stop it...or him.

What powers would CLU have in the real world?

On the other hand: Other than hotness, how is a computer 'iso' (Quorra) able to live in the real world?

*What happened to Yori?

***

As a writer, I find that too many questions (from readers) means that the story needs work. Granted, a sequel could answer many of those questions...but I personally think it's best to get a strong story done the first time around.

With that said, I still found it enjoyable...
 
*Flynn (Kevin) and Quorra don't have anything going on for 20 years? (I'm all for May-December romances).

I thought time passes something like 50 times faster in the Grid vs. the real world. So assuming that's true, Flynn was in there for a thousand years!

*What happened to Yori?

She could still be in the ENCOM mainframe. The Grid, OTOH, appeared to be a self-contained environment that's isolated from the rest of the computer 'world'.
 
The Grid in this movie wasn't the same thing as the one from the first film. This was a self-contained server (Flynn intentionally made it self-contained), whereas the Grid in the first film was a proto-internet the MCP created using the ENCOM servers.

I'm guessing that in the sequel we'll have Dillinger Jr (as a human and a program played by Murphy) possibly re-creating his father's MCP Program as an offering to ENCOM.
 
finally saw this yesterday and i liked it.

but then, i'm easily pleased, it was 2 hours of fun and that's all i ask of movies.
 
*Flynn (Kevin) and Quorra don't have anything going on for 20 years? (I'm all for May-December romances).

I thought time passes something like 50 times faster in the Grid vs. the real world. So assuming that's true, Flynn was in there for a thousand years!

Hmmm...

Again, plot hole.

Flynn should have already had an army of 'Flynn' (plural; children of Quorra and Kevin Flynn) to take down CLU...

Of course, Flynn wouldn't risk his kids...and I'm digressing here;but with someone who looks, and is dressed like Quorra walking around day in and day out in Flynn's quarters, especially if time for him was that long in the grid, I can't believe nothing happened.;)

Helping him with his 'zen thing' (and more), you know...?

Ahhh, digressing...digressing...

:lol:

She could still be in the ENCOM mainframe. The Grid, OTOH, appeared to be a self-contained environment that's isolated from the rest of the computer 'world'.
Too, that brings up the question of Lora, whom, I think, in one of the games is said to be married to Alan Bradley; and I think said game (Tron 2.0, I think) is said to be somewhat of a bridge between the films. Furthermore, the fact that she played a big part in the first film, question(s) arise like: Is she still working for ENCOM? Retired? What?

The Grid in this movie wasn't the same thing as the one from the first film. This was a self-contained server (Flynn intentionally made it self-contained), whereas the Grid in the first film was a proto-internet the MCP created using the ENCOM servers.

I'm guessing that in the sequel we'll have Dillinger Jr (as a human and a program played by Murphy) possibly re-creating his father's MCP Program as an offering to ENCOM.

I hope they can somehow coax David Warner back for Tron 3. Even if it's only a cameo.

I'm sure David Warner would do it if there was a part written for him. However, films that are #3 in a trilogy tend to go back to the initial film...i.e. Return of the Jedi...so I'm hoping they try not to make the third too convoluted, or predictable. Not that I found Tron: Legacy predictable.

Lacking in some respects, yes. Predictability, no.
 
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I have no doubt that Flynn and Quorra were going at it like bunnies. But who's to say whether a digital representation of a human being and a program would actually create digital children?
 
Too, that brings up the question of Lora, whom, I think, in one of the games is said to be married to Alan Bradley; and I think said game (Tron 2.0, I think) is said to be somewhat of a bridge between the films. Furthermore, the fact that she played a big part in the first film, question(s) arise like: Is she still working for ENCOM? Retired? What?

I can't think of anything in TRON 2.0 that was contradicted in the movie. There was a power struggle within ENCOM at some point (after Flynn had left) but that could be explained away I'm sure.

In TRON 2.0, Flynn had disappeared at some point in the late 80's/early 90's and Lora had been killed in an industrial accident. The original Dillinger is a shadowy figure in the game (or what was supposed to be him, anyway) and the protagonist is the child of Alan and Lora...Jet Bradley.
 
^^^ What, they killed off Lora in the game? What is this thing Disney has against us mothers?!? Geez.
 
*Flynn (Kevin) and Quorra don't have anything going on for 20 years? (I'm all for May-December romances).

I thought time passes something like 50 times faster in the Grid vs. the real world. So assuming that's true, Flynn was in there for a thousand years!

Hmmm...

Again, plot hole.

Flynn should have already had an army of 'Flynn' (plural; children of Quorra and Kevin Flynn) to take down CLU...

Flynn said that Clu fed off of his "aggression." The more he fought, the more Clu fought, that's what I took it to mean. So, if he created an army...

It's why he took him self "off the grid." He didn't want to play the game, and an army would be playing the game.

So, not a plot hole.

Of course, Flynn wouldn't risk his kids...and I'm digressing here;but with someone who looks, and is dressed like Quorra walking around day in and day out in Flynn's quarters, especially if time for him was that long in the grid, I can't believe nothing happened.;)

Helping him with his 'zen thing' (and more), you know...?

Ahhh, digressing...digressing...

:lol:

Too, that brings up the question of Lora, whom, I think, in one of the games is said to be married to Alan Bradley; and I think said game (Tron 2.0, I think) is said to be somewhat of a bridge between the films. Furthermore, the fact that she played a big part in the first film, question(s) arise like: Is she still working for ENCOM? Retired? What?

the game was more than a few years ago, Tron 2.0 might have been a bridge to a different planned movie than this one. So, I don't know if Tron 2.0 is still "canonical"

The actress and Bruce Boxlietner did do some press as their characters.
 
A lot of people seem surprised that Ed Jr. got a job at Encom, but come on: it is a ruthless corporation, and the opening of Legacy goes out of its way to present Encom as Evil and Out For the Money. They even jack up the price of their OS for schools! How vile.

If Ed Jr. is a hotjack programmer and has the goods, he'd get a job there. If they can profit off his ability, that's all that'd matter to such a corporation.

Remember, we haven't seen his full backstory; it's possible that he originally got shafted with a job in the mailroom or something, and forcibly moved up the ranks due to sheer, overwhelming ability. It's clear he has the chops his father didn't; maybe he has something to prove.
 
Well, Dillinger Snr did create the MCP (sort of). Flynn said he had less talent, but that might just be sour grapes. If the guy could create a fully sentient learning program he had to know SOMETHING.
 
^ Ah, but *did* Dillinger Sr. deserve full (or indeed any) credit for creating the MCP? We really don't know who originally created that program.
 
He created the original chess program, and gave it the ability to learn and run system duties on itself. How it was able to absorb other programs and develop sentience I'm not sure. But then again in the Tron world even firewall programs like Tron himself and Insurance Banking programs become sentient.
 
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bQAK5nnDrI[/yt]

:guffaw: OK, THAt was unexpected and VERY funny.

As for Dillinger Sr, his white-collar crime probably netted him 5-7 and he surely would have held onto his ENCOM shares which, thanks to Flynn, would have made him a legitimately wealthy man by 1990. He may have maintained a large enough shareholding to get his kid a job. Once inside, Jr. distinguished himself.
Wouldn't mind seeing Sr. in the sequel, though.
 
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