TRON: Legacy

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)

An incredibly wonderful world full of three-dimensional images. A picture about art which is art in itself. This isn’t a typical family movie, even though it was made as one. This in fact goes hand in hand with the fact that Tron: Legacy as a thing created for the masses remained misunderstood by those very masses. And it bombed at the box office. It remains “just" an experimental work trying to link two worlds on both levels. Maybe it could achieved both, but despite the director’s skills, in some places he made mistakes and so he didn’t succeed in this. Too bad (digital Jeff will no longer look digital in a couple of years time. We’re getting close with the technology, but we still have some way to go). Even so, it left me with a feeling that no movie has left me with for a long time. Amazement, a cleansing experience (but different than with Cameron’s Avatar) in a world where 1982 turns into the present. In this case, 3D made sense. (01/20/2011)

Kosinski will (probably) remain a one-film filmmaker. Whoever watches his commercials on YouTube and then Tron Legacy will understand that this director is a design genius with a unique sense of visuals, which is perfectly emphasized by Daft Punk's music, but he is also an absolutely bland storyteller. The attempts to create something epic are very funny, whereas the rest of it is kind of dysfunctional. And yet, unless you might want a serious cinematic adventure, it doesn't let up because the primitive plot actually doesn't hurt the film at all. Regardless, there are two ways in which the film can be seen. Either just "watch" it (perhaps in HD over time), or "experience" it in 3D (and I say that whilst having quite an aversion to this technology as a cheap decoy from clueless filmmakers). (01/05/2011)

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)