TRON: Legacy

Can you imagine what this technological and design gem would be like if it met the usual requirements we have for movies? It would be as great as a film with a well-developed, deep story equaling TRON in imagination, design inventiveness and a futuristic vision. Notice the details (the dashboards of the flying ships, motorcycle designs, the glowing lining of the costumes and the way the characters dissolve into pixels after being hit with a disc), seamless integration of these details into rides, flying and balletic fights, and the synchronization of this elegant visual dance with the majestic electronic music. Just ignore the dumb catchphrases along the lines of “You gotta be kidding me” and enjoy the answer “Fasten your seatbelt!” to the question “What is your name?” Whether you think TRON: Legacy is stupid or not, it is a filmmaking event, the only movie of its kind. (12/17/2010)

I saw Tron: Legacy on TV in a classic 2D version, but I can vividly imagine how impressive it would be in a large movie theater with 3D. However, the second star is actually for my imagination because what I criticize about Tron wouldn't even be saved by a 5D version. Tron is a one-dimensional action spectacle with visually attractive visuals but completely devoid of emotion, it's sterile, and moreover, aimed at a completely different target audience. The world of computer games has never fascinated me, so this film doesn't have any charm for me. It doesn't work as a thriller or as sci-fi. I would really love to see a dark adventurous cyberpunk film, but Tron: Legacy has nothing to do with that. Overall impression: 40%. (02/19/2017)

"Old World in a new perspective, a carefree charmer in the lead role and Jeff Bridges in one of his career-defining roles. And on top of that, a perfect soundtrack by Daft Punk and Kosinski's otherworldly visuals from beginning to end. From an outdated classic that only a handful of enthusiasts appreciated, after thirty years it becomes a saga that could have boldly headed towards further sequels, despite fate and Disney ultimately wanting it differently. And I don't mind at all that the script quotes from numerous classic films, because the result, in the best sense of the word, was chewed up, spat out and left me astonished. One would immediately want to start searching for some suspicious-looking computer." (04/23/2011)

Visually amazing, no doubt, I recommend going to the cinema just for that. The soundtrack by Daft Punk is the other great thing. All the rest – the script, the performances – is rather average, and Garret Hedlund is awfully miscast as the protagonist, that guy doesn’t have a pinch of charisma. I don’t mind that the story is simple (you can see some attempts at depth, but they end up harming the film because they don’t work at all), but the way it is put together; there isn’t any gradual reveal of the reality of that cyberspace, like, for instance, it was very well done in Pandora last year. When Sam falls into the light, he doesn’t look particularly surprised, or even tries to find any answers, as a result, you never get to know the limits of that world, which makes it hard to root for the characters, because you get the feeling that if anything goes pear-shaped, the old creator Bridges will only have to push a button to make everything all right again. That sounds a bit too critical for a four-star rating, right? Just to be clear, TRON: Legacy is not a bad film, far from it. The reason I’m being critical is that this film only needs a few tweaks in the script to be a great gem comparable with Matrix. Fortunately, the lukewarm reception by the dear critics lowered my expectations significantly, so in the end I’m satisfied; I’d much rather watch another Tron sequel (and even with Kosinski behind the camera) than most of the upcoming comic-book adaptations (Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Thor, etc.). 80 % (12/18/2010)

A visually and atmospherically absolutely brilliant piece of work, and I firmly believe that similar to films like The Matrix a decade ago, this film will set the pace and trend for the next several years in terms of technical execution and creativity. It's all the more regrettable that, in terms of plot, it's essentially a banal fairy tale that fails to entertain on its own. If they had managed to attach at least an average story to the “stylized” framework, it could have been a milestone in world cinematography. As it is, it's just an advertisement for how far today's technology can go, while also being a challenge thrown at James Cameron or Zack Snyder. (05/28/2011)