• Movies

by NuyoRiquena on 12.16.10

Disappointment sucks. Hard. Because I am an eternal optimist, I am constantly being disappointed. Take Tron: Legacy, for example. I had such high expectations, I walked out tired and somewhat unimpressed. 

Given the technology available, the premise of the story, and the money spent in making the film, I personally feel gypped. For the record, I didn't hate the movie, but I expected a Bentley, and I got a Chrysler 300M — pretty on the outside, similar, but not the level of luxury I wanted. Let me break it down.

***SPOILER ALERT*** 

Notable

Critics throw around the term "visually stunning" so often it is difficult to find a suitable comparison, and you will hear it said about Tron: Legacy. The aesthetic of the colors alone are gorgeous, which is the reason so many licensed products have done well. The Tron world and the grid were beautifully done, as were the costumes. And to say the vehicles were cool is a huge understatement, but I like the word so I'm sticking with it — the lightcycles and other vehicles were cool. Other elements of the film, such as the Recognizer, were dramatically upgraded without being changed, staying true to the most identifiable parts of Tron.

Jeff Bridges has always been a great actor, and though the plot doesn't call for too much skill, he still did his part as both Flynn and Clu. The only emotion drawn in the film was that moment you knew he was going to die to save his son and Quorra. He says goodbye, a tear falls down his face, and you feel it as he goes into a gesture resembling that of Moses parting the seas to reintegrate with Clu; killing them both.

Olivia Wilde was cute in the film, and it was refreshing to see a different character from her. I am a fan of the television series House in which she plays Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, a tremendous difference from Quorra's naïveté.

At the risk of jumping on the damned bandwagon, the music of Daft Punk was a perfect fit. 

Negligent

Garrett Hedlund was uninspiring as a protagonist. When the film opens, there are bits of comedy as he interrupts the annual board meeting and international announcement at ENCOM with a video of Marv, his pooch. After which, he is chased by a security guard only to free fall from the top of the ENCOM building, but his 'chute becomes caught on a light post, and he is arrested by the cops. Even his familiarity with the impound guard as he retrieves his Ducati provokes a chuckle, but then it stops. 

The plot is thin at best, and no one anticipated anything less. The premise of the story is exciting, and it was enough for the first movie, but I didn't expect it to suddenly have some intricately woven narrative. There were quite a few lulls in the film; even the final scene went on longer than necessary. They made an attempt to connect the dots between the two films, and it was OK, I guess.

Nauseating

Clu's animation, or as Arcee so aptly called "Fake Flynn," was more than a little off-putting at first. I wanted to attribute it to Garrett Hedlund's limited range of motion in his face when he spoke, thinking it was Disney's way of creating a family resemblance, but it came across as stiff and awkward.

With a world of possibility at your feet, how can anyone excuse the lack of choreography in the film's fight scenes? I have seen better stunts from the 60-second routines on America's Best Dance Crew. Tron, or Rinzler as he is called throughout the first half of the film, is supposed to be this badass arena fighter, but his stunts were lackluster and monotonous. 

Tron: Legacy was good, but it wasn't great — pretty to look at but lacking any substance.

Not everyone here agreed with me, so I asked the others at Nfamous to weigh in ...oh, boy.

Arcee

Well, countering our fearless leader NuyoRiquena, I actually thought Tron: Legacy was an amazing picture. As a huge Tron fan, I love all the references made to the original film as well as some of the comics and games that have come out over the years since the original Tron's release in 1982. Seeing some scenes straight out of the recent Tron: Evolution videogame was also kind of cool. Story-wise, like the original, it was light on the head. You didn't have to think too much about it, but it was enticing and entertaining enough it would appeal to most audiences. As for the action in the movie, it was just the right amount to keep it fun and not be overdone.

I know the lightcycle sequences were awesome, and that is what people are focusing on when they see the ads on TV and everywhere, but the best scenes for me were some of the hand-to-hand and disc battles that take place throughout the film.

As for the visuals ... what more can I say? It is more beautiful than I imagined it would be. Not quite Avatar-level in stunning visuals, but probably one or two steps below that. And that is saying a lot. I left the theater stunned and amazed at how good everything looked, especially the new Clu. He didn't look as fake as when Fox made Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan look younger in X3. The younger Jeff Bridges looked amazingly realistic, as if they took older footage of him from some of his earlier films and integrated them seamlessly into the movie.

Let me also say I loved Olivia Wilde as Quorra. She played that part wonderfully. Quorra was smart and adventurous yet had this innocent curiosity to her that made her quite appealing. Jeff Bridges was great as always, and Garrett Hedlund was amazing. My only complaint was Michael Sheen as Caster/Zuse.

OK, I admit he was supposed to be eccentric, but Sheen did it way too over-the-top. Of course, I was kind of hoping Cindy Morgan would also return to reprise her Dr. Baines/Yori role from the first film, but having an unaccredited Cillian Murphy play a role that pays tribute to the first film was incredibly awesome. See if you can recognize him.

Although this movie does have a lot of great points and scenes, I do have one complaint, one that JC and I briefly discussed. Rinzler's fighting moves were way too repetitive. I know it was done this way to make a point, and it is cool to see it when it is finally realized, but yeah, he was way too repetitive to be that good a fighter. I know, it is nitpicking, but it did become too much halfway through the film.

Other than that, I thought it was a great complement to the first Tron film and was as much a visually stunning film today as the first one was back in its day. I actually feel a little bad because I like this film so much I feel like I am cheating on my feelings for the first one. A nice mix of action and story with a soundtrack second to none out there right now (thank you, Daft Punk), I would give Tron: Legacy my highest recommendation. It may not be for everyone, but it sure as hell was very entertaining. Entertaining enough for me to want to see it a couple more times before it ends its run in theaters.

Nightminx

I thought the music was amazing in the movie. It fit perfectly with each scene and seemed to give you the right feel of the movie. It was funny to see Daft Punk have a cameo, and it was cool to see them bring the club scene to life.

 

TheDCD

See, with Tron being a 1982 movie, many people might think the Legacy film is either a bit too high-tech or perhaps not fitting to the source material. However, considering it's been 28 years since the original, and the heightening of technology as we've seen over those years, I have to say Tron: Legacy is in fact a fulfilling sequel.

No, the story isn't always the greatest, and the "younger" Jeff Bridges does look a little phony at times, but in all, this is a movie that delivers upon its promise. The acting is great (especially the older Bridges as he dips into "Dudeness" — you Big Lebowski fans know what I'm talking about), the effects are outstanding, and the action sequences live up to the hype. The coolness factor definitely rises to the occasion, and dare I say Olivia Wilde is hot? Of course I do.

For a follow-up, Tron: Legacy truly delivers. It looks spectacular and will make the time fly by as you have fun with it. If you can, see it in 3-D.

JeromeChance

History does not mean quality. Quality visuals — maybe. The lead was weak. Not enough action. I swear if Tron did that same flip one more time, I was going to scream.