Ru at the Movies: Tron: Legacy
Jan. 23rd, 2011 12:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ruBoy, it's been a while since I went to a proper movie showing. I would love to change that at some point if I can. I like going to the movies, and I can sit through almost anything once. I try to look at it from the perspective that even if I don't like a movie, I can at least say that I've seen it.
But anyway, Tron: Legacy! Eien-chan and I had meant to go see it last week with his parents with the Imax theater in town, but as luck would have it, the theater had shut down that week for renovations. So, Eien-chan and I went this week, and we saw it in 3D. So, now for thoughts! I think it should go without saying that there will be spoilers, so you've been warned.
The Good
The shinies: I think that even if you don't care for sci-fi movies, or Tron, or any other iteration thereof, you have to at least admit that it's a very, very pretty movie. It's chock full of candy that made my eyes go "Eeee! <3". They put in a lot of detail into how the world looks, and it works really well. Looking at this movie and comparing it to the original, you can definitely see how far we've come when it comes to computer graphics. Eien-chan pointed out that he was impressed with the integration between the graphics and the live actors, and I'm inclined to agree. It definitely made the world feel more real.
The music: Ears got some candy too with this one. I looooooved the music. It was electronic and funky and epic and definitely worked with the movie as a whole. I'm reminded of the fact that one of these days I need to get ahold of one or three of Daft Punk's albums.
Parallelisms: Something I enjoyed was picking the movie apart afterwards and finding all the little nods to the first movie, some blatant, some not. It helps that I saw the first movie a couple months ago, knowing that I would be seeing the sequel pretty soon. Of course I giggled at "That's a big door", but I also appreciated the similarities between the final scenes, the quietness of them when compared to the rest of the movie.
We don't need no stinkin' romance!: I'm really really glad that the writers didn't feel the need to send Sam and Quorra into full-on romance at the end of the movie. They'd known each other, what, eight hours? It would have been awkward and forced if there was some big kiss at the end. I'm game that they obviously harbored some affection for each other, and happy that they just left it at that.
The Badass Light Coat: I mean, come on, the trenchcoat Flynn wears? Kinda awesome. Is it sad that afterwards, when Eien-chan mentioned that he wanted one, that I started thinking to myself, "Hm, I have that techno crafts book--I wonder if I could find a way to sew lighted bits onto a trenchcoat." I am hopeless.
The Bad
Plot holes: Sadly, they were there. The one that stuck out the most at me was that at the beginning it looked like the main underlying theme for the movie would be beneficial interaction between users and programs, between the obvious prejudice towards users, and the pointed bit where Sam and one of the programs work together to trap their opponents with their light cycles. But unfortunately, this was eventually dropped. I would have liked to have seen that explored more.
Unanswered questions: Supposedly there's talk of a third movie, and I hope if they do that, that they answer some of the questions I have. Like, I really would have loved to have seen some actual demonstration of the specialness of the Isos. I mean, we have Quorra on hand. I would have loved to have seen what she can really do. And I would really have been interested to see more of how The Grid interacts with the outside world. It would have been interesting to see, say, Dillinger Jr. interacting with them, maybe even shifting him to being one of the protagonists.
MOAR TRON: I know that the movie is really about the Flynns, but for being the titular character, I feel like Tron was really brushed off in the end. I enjoyed the twist that he was working for Clu, but I was really hoping for more in his redemption, maybe Sam hacking into him and reprogramming him, or, you know, just more than spontaneous goodness. I would have loved to have seen more of him, perhaps post-redemption, instead of having him just left to turn blue for no one to see. And for all the nods to the various characters to the first movie, e.g. Dillinger, they couldn't have put a Bit in? I would have loved to have seen Bit make an appearance, even just as, say, a server at the club, or something. I keep trying to imagine that the little pointy dice decoration things in Flynn's hideout are little Bit statues.
The Ugly
Not the 3D: Thank goodness. This is actually the first time I've gone to a proper 3D movie, and I was impressed. I've been to things that have been in 3D before, but I would always have a hard time focusing, and my head would be swimmy. I didn't have any problems watching this in 3D, and I have to admit, I enjoyed it. I don't think I want to see everything in 3D, despite the movie industry's apparent insistence that I do, but here and there, with the right sort of movie, I wouldn't mind slipping on those 3D glasses.
Tron/Clu makeup: I understand that Clu and Tron would look like their counterparts circa when they were created, but for all the shininess put into the environment, I feel like a little more time could be spent on youngifying the actors. I found Clu/Flynn circa 1989's makeup kinda off-putting. They just didn't look right, no matter how much I squinted. It looked like they had been pummeled within an inch of their lives, and the swelling hadn't gone down yet. I realize this is a nitpick on my part, as are some other things I've written here, but I found it kinda distracting whenever they were shown in closeup. Ah well.
Overall: I definitely enjoyed it, and I would see it again if the opportunity arose. I do hope that if they do make a third movie, they answered some of the questions I have. But I guess we'll see.
But anyway, Tron: Legacy! Eien-chan and I had meant to go see it last week with his parents with the Imax theater in town, but as luck would have it, the theater had shut down that week for renovations. So, Eien-chan and I went this week, and we saw it in 3D. So, now for thoughts! I think it should go without saying that there will be spoilers, so you've been warned.
The Good
The shinies: I think that even if you don't care for sci-fi movies, or Tron, or any other iteration thereof, you have to at least admit that it's a very, very pretty movie. It's chock full of candy that made my eyes go "Eeee! <3". They put in a lot of detail into how the world looks, and it works really well. Looking at this movie and comparing it to the original, you can definitely see how far we've come when it comes to computer graphics. Eien-chan pointed out that he was impressed with the integration between the graphics and the live actors, and I'm inclined to agree. It definitely made the world feel more real.
The music: Ears got some candy too with this one. I looooooved the music. It was electronic and funky and epic and definitely worked with the movie as a whole. I'm reminded of the fact that one of these days I need to get ahold of one or three of Daft Punk's albums.
Parallelisms: Something I enjoyed was picking the movie apart afterwards and finding all the little nods to the first movie, some blatant, some not. It helps that I saw the first movie a couple months ago, knowing that I would be seeing the sequel pretty soon. Of course I giggled at "That's a big door", but I also appreciated the similarities between the final scenes, the quietness of them when compared to the rest of the movie.
We don't need no stinkin' romance!: I'm really really glad that the writers didn't feel the need to send Sam and Quorra into full-on romance at the end of the movie. They'd known each other, what, eight hours? It would have been awkward and forced if there was some big kiss at the end. I'm game that they obviously harbored some affection for each other, and happy that they just left it at that.
The Badass Light Coat: I mean, come on, the trenchcoat Flynn wears? Kinda awesome. Is it sad that afterwards, when Eien-chan mentioned that he wanted one, that I started thinking to myself, "Hm, I have that techno crafts book--I wonder if I could find a way to sew lighted bits onto a trenchcoat." I am hopeless.
The Bad
Plot holes: Sadly, they were there. The one that stuck out the most at me was that at the beginning it looked like the main underlying theme for the movie would be beneficial interaction between users and programs, between the obvious prejudice towards users, and the pointed bit where Sam and one of the programs work together to trap their opponents with their light cycles. But unfortunately, this was eventually dropped. I would have liked to have seen that explored more.
Unanswered questions: Supposedly there's talk of a third movie, and I hope if they do that, that they answer some of the questions I have. Like, I really would have loved to have seen some actual demonstration of the specialness of the Isos. I mean, we have Quorra on hand. I would have loved to have seen what she can really do. And I would really have been interested to see more of how The Grid interacts with the outside world. It would have been interesting to see, say, Dillinger Jr. interacting with them, maybe even shifting him to being one of the protagonists.
MOAR TRON: I know that the movie is really about the Flynns, but for being the titular character, I feel like Tron was really brushed off in the end. I enjoyed the twist that he was working for Clu, but I was really hoping for more in his redemption, maybe Sam hacking into him and reprogramming him, or, you know, just more than spontaneous goodness. I would have loved to have seen more of him, perhaps post-redemption, instead of having him just left to turn blue for no one to see. And for all the nods to the various characters to the first movie, e.g. Dillinger, they couldn't have put a Bit in? I would have loved to have seen Bit make an appearance, even just as, say, a server at the club, or something. I keep trying to imagine that the little pointy dice decoration things in Flynn's hideout are little Bit statues.
The Ugly
Not the 3D: Thank goodness. This is actually the first time I've gone to a proper 3D movie, and I was impressed. I've been to things that have been in 3D before, but I would always have a hard time focusing, and my head would be swimmy. I didn't have any problems watching this in 3D, and I have to admit, I enjoyed it. I don't think I want to see everything in 3D, despite the movie industry's apparent insistence that I do, but here and there, with the right sort of movie, I wouldn't mind slipping on those 3D glasses.
Tron/Clu makeup: I understand that Clu and Tron would look like their counterparts circa when they were created, but for all the shininess put into the environment, I feel like a little more time could be spent on youngifying the actors. I found Clu/Flynn circa 1989's makeup kinda off-putting. They just didn't look right, no matter how much I squinted. It looked like they had been pummeled within an inch of their lives, and the swelling hadn't gone down yet. I realize this is a nitpick on my part, as are some other things I've written here, but I found it kinda distracting whenever they were shown in closeup. Ah well.
Overall: I definitely enjoyed it, and I would see it again if the opportunity arose. I do hope that if they do make a third movie, they answered some of the questions I have. But I guess we'll see.