I'm not reviewing Tron Legacy.

...At least not at length. Why? Because as frequently happens with these, I put it off for too long. Movie reviews in particular need to be put up more or less within the first two days of the movie's being in theaters, because a late moview review becomes kind of irrelevant when there's already then a vast network of opinions on it out there (I am aware of the hipocrisy in this statement, considering most of the books and comics I talk about around here are at least a couple years old by the time I get to them). Aaaand more time than that has now passed because I put it off. So instead, I'll just give you the very basics. The core of what I thought, some loose comments that I want to get out, and we'll be done with it. Kay? Kay.


Verdict: Tron Legacy is good. Merely good, however, not great, but it certainly isn't bad. Definitely do see it if you were a fan of the original. And if you didn't like the original, well, this probably isn't going to change your opinion. If you're coming into it brand new, definitely do give the first film a look--it's a fun little romp that's aged surprisingly well for something that relied so much on special effects.

Pros:
- Gorgeous visuals, which was to be expected. The new suits are nifty, the action is slick, and the new lightcycles make the old ones almost look silly.
- Quorra, a character I was worried about being cast as a generic hollywood Xena-type, subverted my expectations wonderfully in actually being a decent character.
- Jeff Bridges brings a lot to the table with how he plays Flynn, both recalling the character as we remembering him and putting new twists on him that make sense.
- Prominent henchvillain Rinzler is delightfully menacing, particularly for what is technically a Disney character, aided in part by the fact that he's eerily silent except for a perpetual engine-like growl that seems to emanate from his helmet. (Except they can't decide how to pronounce his name. Both "rin-zler" and "ryne-zler" are used.)
- On the Rinzler note, the fact that this is a slightly darker work than the original is used to its advantage, rather than its embarassment. (Not that the original didn't have its moments--at the end of that one we saw Sark's freaking brain leaking out of his head!)
- The programs are more believable as computer-based life forms this time around, thanks to lots of nice little touches--a mechanical quality in their voices, the fact that they bleed pixels, et cetera.
- The soundtrack. Daft Punk does not disappoint.

Cons:
- Seems at times a little too afraid to explore new territory, spending most of its first act reliving scenes from the first film.
- Subplot involving the programs called "ISOs" is rushed through and should have been explained in more detail to avoid confusion on what they're supposed to be (since they form a significant part of some of the underlying plot).
- Very weak ending, would have benefited from a denouement but instead cuts off right when the last couple threads are tied up.
- One rather glaring deus ex machina moment involving a character switching sides that bugged me quite a bit.
- May as well not have been in 3D...I went to go see it in 3D (despite my stance that the recent cinematic re-obsession with 3D is nothing more than an expensive fad) and found it to make the opposite mistake 3D movies typically do. Usually, a 3D film makes its 3D too obvious, having things pop out at the viewer. Here, it's far too subtle. They should have pushed themselves on it more, because...well, you can barely tell at most points. Which is a shame, really, they had a neat thing going for it--the scenes in the real world were 2D, the scenes on The Grid were 3D to make it feel different and more computery.
Letter Grade: B. 

[Holden Out.]