Tron: Legacy will premier on Dec 17th but the highly anticipated 3D sequel has already screened in the UK and some of the first reviews have begun to emerge online & they're not all pretty.
Todd Gilchrist [Cinematical], writes "It’s filled with a visual splendor", he writes, but viewing its “deceptive denseness” reveals an attempt to “create a completely new reality, and then make us believe in it.” Gilchrist also has praise for the storyline, too: “Whether it was the rumored participation of Pixar executives or the ongoing design of the screenwriters, however, the emphasis on the relationship between fathers and sons is what makes the film resonate, not its technical trickery.”
Digital Spy writes “A huge disappointment, Tron: Fallacy (as it deserves to be known) proves Shakespeare right with his prophetic “all that glisters is not gold”. For all of the hundreds of animators who spent over a year painstakingly assembling each pixel in the computer-generated world, not one person was employed who could write a competent screenplay that harnessed their efforts. ‘Back to basics’ might have been the name of an early ’90s Tory campaign that was scuppered by their MPs’ predilection for sleazy after-hours shenanigans involving pants by the ankles and oranges in mouths. Yet it needs to be applied to moviemaking. Sort out an engaging script, then think about spending a reported $200 million on making it. Or else be prepared for more 01010011. 01001000. 01001001. 01010100.”
The Hollywood News writes “One of the biggest concerns was the re-gentrification of Jeff Bridges face. This is used for the flashback at the beginning and for the protagonist who is Flynn’s younger, identical equal named Clu, built to create the perfect society by Flynn but went rogue. Now at times the CGI’d face of Bridge’s works but not that often as he does look like a claymation figure. It really doesn’t work when he’s having a face to face argument with himself either. All in all the film is good, it’s not terrific but well worth the money and time.”
HeyUGuys writes “It seems that not even Pixar-guru John Lasseter (who was rumoured to have had a go at rewriting it) could not make it more compelling. The basic storyline is Sam goes in, Sam needs to get out again with a load of challenges in the middle to get him there. And yes, the Light-Cycles, Light-Discs and Light-Jets are all cool but it felt like they were just thrown in at sporadic points. I think it lacked originality and with nearly 30 years to write a script, it could have been a little bit more structured and had a few more twists.”
HitFix writes “The largest failing of “TRON: Legacy” is that, unlike the original film, this movie does not look forward in any way, and it does not seem interested in any larger ideas. Instead, it is yet another tiresome “chase the doodad” action movie with a curiously small amount of action in it. I am so tired of watching films in which people chase around some magical item that will “destroy the world” while other people chase them around. I think the stakes in these movies are just horseshit.”
FilmShaft writes ”Tron: Legacy, like all films, has its flaws but for two hours you’ll be sucked into this dream world and you’ll savour every minute and second of this sci-fi spectacle. Some pictures were definitely made for Imax.”
Aint it Cool News writes “Whether you dig the story or not, even the naysayers are going to be blown away by the visuals of the film. The aerial number that takes place on the race to the I/O tower… I think another 5 viewings are in line, just to attempt to process what I was seeing. It’s visually beyond stunning.”
IGN writes “First time feature director Kosinski delivers thrills and a touch of heartache inside a very impressive palate of colors and noise. And I’m not afraid to admit that, as completely muddled and incomprehensible as modern action sequences have become, I enjoyed the fact that our heroes and villains were color-coded.”
Clothes on Film writes “There are flourishes of brilliance, particularly in score, costumes and set design. However, this brilliance is often buried beneath messy, disjointed action sequences and a story that fails to make any sense at all.”Screen Junkies says, “I love the metaphysics this story suggests. Tron had hints of the possibilities, but Legacy explores the images of ourselves, manifested beings and the idea that the pursuit of perfection is corrupt.”
The Hollywood Reporter writes “In fact, the recent film Tron: Legacy most resembles — in its lustful embrace of high technology, the combat-game format, corporate control angle, enduring father-son allegiance and fundamental silliness — is the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer. To be fair, the premise of the current film is more intriguing, as it’s built around a rescue mission in which, to retrieve Dad, the son must venture into the grid designed by his father but subsequently taken over by “programs” led by his old man’s doppleganger.”
