TRON: Legacy!
Jan. 29th, 2011 07:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainwatersparkI saw TRON: Legacy today! And I really liked it! I mean, I wasn't expecting all that much from the plot (actually, I knew about it beforehand), so I can't say I was too disappointed there. Actually, the plot was pretty decent; if they had tweaked a few things, it probably would have been even more compelling. (Check below the cut for the spoilerish stuff.)
Mostly, I think TRON is an incredible visual experience. It's totally worth it for that alone; in fact, I'd say it's more visually arresting than Avatar. Of course, me being a game geek and all, I was used to pretty graphics and imaginative worlds, so Avatar, while pretty (which, by the way, is the extent of my compliments for that movie), was nothing incredibly special for me. TRON, on the other hand, uses a very unique art style that convincingly brings to life a world within a computer program, with tons of creative design choices throughout the film and scenes that just blew me away. The soundtrack was also excellent--Daft Punk's techno tracks went hand in hand with the style and world of TRON. More than that, though, I really admired the way Daft Punk fused techno/synthetic instruments with orchestra for some really epic music.
The pacing was excellent, and Jeff Bridges was amazing as Flynn and CLU. I also thought the message of the film was interesting: seeking perfection becomes an obsession that will take your life hostage. This is relevant both in the context of technology and outside it, although I found the way it related to technology particularly interesting: because computers and programs are all user-created, based on binary code and programming languages and all that, it's easy to become addicted to trying to perfect the program. (I've experienced this through my adventures in PHP coding.) This message can also be extrapolated as a warning against becoming obsessed with technology in general--and possibility that technology will master you.
Now for some spoilerish, story-related stuff. My main complaints with the plot boil down to Chekhov's Guns that failed to fire and a few questionable leaps of logic.
For example, Tron, in the end, finally regains his free will--just before his death (?). C'mon, man, the entire movie is named after him; I was totally expecting him to make a comeback! Also, the fact that Flynn had kept the "fastest car on the Grid" seemed to be a foreshadowing of a high-speed lightcycle chase in the city of the Grid...but it never happened (and Sam ditched the super-fast lightcycle for a cloak. Way to go, dude. Although it did serve a plot purpose, even if it totally wasn't cool). And finally, I still don't understand the reasoning behind how programs can enter the real world and why Flynn had to die if he reintegrated CLU. I mean, isn't CLU a program, not an alter-ego? If Flynn created CLU, not cloned him, why would "reintegration" lead to death?
Mostly, I think TRON is an incredible visual experience. It's totally worth it for that alone; in fact, I'd say it's more visually arresting than Avatar. Of course, me being a game geek and all, I was used to pretty graphics and imaginative worlds, so Avatar, while pretty (which, by the way, is the extent of my compliments for that movie), was nothing incredibly special for me. TRON, on the other hand, uses a very unique art style that convincingly brings to life a world within a computer program, with tons of creative design choices throughout the film and scenes that just blew me away. The soundtrack was also excellent--Daft Punk's techno tracks went hand in hand with the style and world of TRON. More than that, though, I really admired the way Daft Punk fused techno/synthetic instruments with orchestra for some really epic music.
The pacing was excellent, and Jeff Bridges was amazing as Flynn and CLU. I also thought the message of the film was interesting: seeking perfection becomes an obsession that will take your life hostage. This is relevant both in the context of technology and outside it, although I found the way it related to technology particularly interesting: because computers and programs are all user-created, based on binary code and programming languages and all that, it's easy to become addicted to trying to perfect the program. (I've experienced this through my adventures in PHP coding.) This message can also be extrapolated as a warning against becoming obsessed with technology in general--and possibility that technology will master you.
Now for some spoilerish, story-related stuff. My main complaints with the plot boil down to Chekhov's Guns that failed to fire and a few questionable leaps of logic.
For example, Tron, in the end, finally regains his free will--just before his death (?). C'mon, man, the entire movie is named after him; I was totally expecting him to make a comeback! Also, the fact that Flynn had kept the "fastest car on the Grid" seemed to be a foreshadowing of a high-speed lightcycle chase in the city of the Grid...but it never happened (and Sam ditched the super-fast lightcycle for a cloak. Way to go, dude. Although it did serve a plot purpose, even if it totally wasn't cool). And finally, I still don't understand the reasoning behind how programs can enter the real world and why Flynn had to die if he reintegrated CLU. I mean, isn't CLU a program, not an alter-ego? If Flynn created CLU, not cloned him, why would "reintegration" lead to death?
