Tron Legacy Movie Review

[jt001]

EDIT from RPF Staff: This thread contains spoilers. You have been warned!

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EDIT: Crap! I forgot there's a new movie discussion forum. Sorry!

As the topic says, I just got back from the Tron premiere.

What I can do say is that the movie is a visual fest. Graphics were beautifully rendered and the art direction was great. It really is beautiful to look at. What amazed me the most was younger Flynn. It was cool to see some old faces, too. Even tho everything is pixel perfect, Jeff Bridges brings some real, metaphysics and spiritual zen elements to the film, and some chucks along with it, but...

I just felt like walking out of a Michael Bay film. You get the now standard hyper editing fighting/action sequences. I understand Daft Punk are friends of the Director; and it shows. The whole frickin' score was made by them. The bar/club scene, I just didn't get it. It could've been anywhere else and it would have not matter, except for the Ziggy Stardust look alike. Once again, I believe the bar/club scene was made just to please Daft Punk fans. Nothing else.

They took all the cool Tron elements and gave them a facelift: bikes, identity discs and Solar sailer... but I think that's about it. The screenplay is kinda meh, but the looks of the film are breathtaking.

In the end it's just another style over story flick. It might be nostalgia, but as dated as the original is, I prefer the original. As film critic Gabe Leibowitz said:

TRON: Legacy may be the best movie I've ever seen that possesses a truly awful script.

 

[Wes R]

Re: Got back from Tron premiere - Spoilers/thoughts (Sorry, please move to movie foru

I bet there were some really kickass scripts submitted and Disney went for the lamest one.

 

[Solo4114]

Re: Got back from Tron premiere - Spoilers/thoughts (Sorry, please move to movie foru

Not encouraging. I've seen one good review thus far, from IGN.com. I'm not entirely sure I trust it. I saw a scathing review from Salon.com, but it wasn't really much of a review, just the author being snarky and saying "I thought it was boring" about fifteen different ways without really explaining why.

 

[Nwerke]

One of the things I most loved about it was how unlike a modern (e.g. Michael Bay) film it was. We discussed that un-Baylike quality in detail on the way out - in places it is actually SLOW. The pacing feels like a real effort to emulate 1980s old-school pacing. I LOVED it for that, but it won't please everyone.

There are also signs of a rewrite or two here and there, inarguably. Not everything works: Zeus has a fun schtick when it comes off, but it doesn't always come off. Other things also.

It's absolutely going to divide audiences, but about 70% of my audience stayed, talking, until after the credits finished.

Visuallly I agree a bit more with jt: glorious.

 

[Larry Young]

How's the 3D?

 

[Nwerke]

Fine. It doesn't get the advantageous brightly-lit settings of Avatar to show it off, and there are several longish sequences that are in 2d, including the whole opening. A Wizard of Oz sort of approach. When the 3D finally happens, you notice, but I think it could have been presented as more of a reveal, to be honest. The film is very dark throughout, so all in all, the effect is probably a bit more muted than other films.

I've become a firm fan of the new 3d process (though this is only the third 'new 3d' film I've seen), so if you're less than enthusiastic about it, keep that in mind. Actually, I loved the OLD 3d process, it's just that *it* didn't love *me* (insta-migraine).

Quality of the 3d contrasts sharply with the crappy advertisements beforehand - many of them look postconverted, badly. Ick!

Oh, by the way, it's funny! There are some good humorous lines. Olivia's character is unexpectedly chirpy and amusing, too. Some jokes fall flat, and even some characters are in danger of the same, but all in all it pays off decently.

 

[Wes R]

Re: Got back from Tron premiere - Spoilers/thoughts (Sorry, please move to movie foru

Not encouraging. I've seen one good review thus far, from IGN.com. I'm not entirely sure I trust it. I saw a scathing review from Salon.com, but it wasn't really much of a review, just the author being snarky and saying "I thought it was boring" about fifteen different ways without really explaining why.

That's been every review of anything Tron related. I swear it's a bias against franchises that are older. Looking back at the description of how the camera is moving fast, what the heck are they teaching people at film school? its like they don't bother to teach anything other than how to be a Michael bay clone. I think the movie'll be a cult hit and get at least one sequel but most people born after the first was made will just be snarky and hate it.

 

[Nwerke]

This has cult written all over it, for sure. Some scenes are unashamedly Blade Runnerish, by the way. Possibly an inevitable result of the amount of Meadery going on, I guess.

 

[Capn_Jack_Savvy]

Was it good enough to start the ball rolling for Tron: Revelations? (I think that is the name when the Grid becomes part of the real world in a Matrix sort of way)

How was the Pirates 3D trailer?

 

[Nwerke]

Pirates 3D? I thought that was years away, then clocked your sig line.

Nope, we got Tangled (amusing) and Yogi Bear (unbearable).

 

[YenChih Lin]

Nevertheless I'm going to see Legacy, I've been keen of a "What happend after"-story of Tron and everyone, who saw the original wanted that so badly too, waiting so long to see.
No reviews in the world can badmouth my antcipation for that movie.

 

[Nwerke]

Well, if you want it THAT badly, you may be in line for disappointment. It can't live up to expectations that high. Mine weren't super low, but I was cautious going in.

 

[Solo4114]

I think it'll be an entertaining yarn, and as a fan (but not a RABID fan) of the original, I expect I'll enjoy it. Probably it'll be the first 3D movie I see in theaters, and I may make a point to just go on my own even.

 

[Larry Young]

Tomorrow at ten am can't come soon enough.

 

[Nwerke]

As film critic Gabe Leibowitz said:

Ah! Did you just put that in? I only noticed it by accident.

You know, I'm probably going to have to agree with that quote. Funny lines and action scenes don't make a script. I tend to digest films over several days; I'll become increasingly critical as time goes by. There's no shortage of stuff to nitpick.

I'm not going to stop loving it, though. Not just because it's eye-candy...it's bizarre and entertaining eye-candy.

 

[jt001]

Ah! Did you just put that in? I only noticed it by accident.

You know, I'm probably going to have to agree with that quote. Funny lines and action scenes don't make a script. I tend to digest films over several days; I'll become increasingly critical as time goes by. There's no shortage of stuff to nitpick.

I'm not going to stop loving it, though. Not just because it's eye-candy...it's bizarre and entertaining eye-candy.

Hehe, no. It was on my original post.

Oh, I do agree with you. Sometimes it is slow. I should have been more specific on the Michael Bay thing. I was referring to fast paced -what's going-on feeling I had with Transformers on some action sequences.

One thing that kinda bothers me is that I've noticed many modern flicks need to rely so much on script "plants": make the actor do something now, and later, that very same thing, but in a gigantic magnitude will save his life! That kinda takes away the fun anymore, the expectation. For example: we DO know there's gonna be a lightcycle sequence. Do we really need to see that Sam Flynn knows how to ride a bike? He also does some jumps on the lightcycle... "Oh no, God! Will he land it? He's gonna craaa...!!!" Oh, I forgot! It's OK! He earlier did a jump on a regular bike and landed OK!

Or does he needs to jump of a building so we can anticipate he'll be OK if he jumps out of a transport later on? I mean, is the audience that stupid?

I never saw Luke at the beginning flying a T-16 and hitting womprats in Tatooine just to show how much of a great pilot he was. It was only mentioned nearly at the end. As a matter of fact, Han did all the flying in the whole movie! He just hopped in an X-Wing, and with a little help from the Force, blew the Death Star. Also, I never saw Indiana Jones jumping from one college building to another, or lassoing a horse at the beginning so we could later find out how good he was with his whip, or all the risky jumps he'll encounter. He just took his whip off his belt and kicked some ass! I mean, script plants are often necessary along the storyline for different purposes, but they've been abusing it a little too much lately.

On a brighter side, Olivia Wilde looks sooooo gorgeous, but I've been in love with her since House, so I'm biased

My version was not on 3-D, tho, and we didn't get any trailer attached.

 

[CB2001]

My review of it, hopefully without any spoilers.

I want to address that someone suggested that the film is what I refer to as a "twinkie" movie, which is a movie that is more style over substance. I have to say, that's not the case. It's actually a true balance of story and style, much like the original had been. The first and forefront story that you see is a story about a father and son. Throughout the whole time, I actually felt for Sam and Flynn as a father and son who have missed a lot of time due to the circumstances caused by Clu. Sam actually envokes a lot of his father from the first film. Honestly, if the original "Tron" had been made nowadays, I could actually picture Kevin Flynn doing what Sam does. Even though they are both individuals, they are more alike than either one notices.

Another detail is actually one that is loosely hinted at with the name of a program in the film, is the "Prometheus/Zeus" like story with Flynn and Clu. The whole thing with what happens between Flynn and Clu that lead to the events in the film reminded me of the Greek mythological story of Prometheus and Zeus. Flynn's plans with certain programs were meant to "change everything", as Alan has stated in the film (which is also heard in the trailers).

And let us not forget what's already been seen in the trailers: Clu's reign and his army, and some of the things they've done, reminds me of a certain person in history and his army, but I'm holding off on revealing who (for right now) due to the fact that by saying the name, it'd give spoilers to actions in the film.

But like I've said before, this film is worthy of the "Tron" name and is a worthy sequel. It doesn't use the razzle-dazzle to coverup a lack of a story like "Avatar" and most other films have. In fact, the special effects aid in telling the story like how the original did.

 

[sycor]

I enjoyed the movie a lot. It could have had about 15-20 minutes cut out of it though. The story was what I expected and nothing really original. But the visual effects and action was very nice.

 

[YenChih Lin]

Well, if you want it THAT badly, you may be in line for disappointment. It can't live up to expectations that high. Mine weren't super low, but I was cautious going in.

I want that BADLY, BUT: I also want to be surprised! I expect nothing, just being curious of the next adventure in the computer :love HA! DAMN I envy you for the preview screening...

 

[niennumb1]

I would tend to steer away from what the critics say. Every time a big film of the year comes around that has been advertised to death and getting people ready and hyped to see it, the critics are at the ready to beat it down within every inch of its life.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing it and i'm not going to read any critics reviews because their opinion is as good as anyone elses. They're paid to watch movies and tell you what they think and present as if it's fact. It doesn't mean anything to me, so let the onslaught of bad reviews commence. I'm still gonna go see this film.