✒️editors note: let the record note that i posted this five days before the surprise trailer drop for tron: ares. i like to think that i was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back

i first watched this film in a car trip back from a scout camp with a boy i had a crush on, so, y'know, it's gonna be somewhat difficult to separate myself from the childhood nostalgia of the movie. all this said, i put this on on a complete whim while doing some writing and was honestly kind of shocked at how much i liked it fifteen years later. i'd seen some negative reviews beforehand and had steeled myself for a crushing reminder that your childhood is fleeting and leaves a rosey lens over all of your memories, but i think there's plenty worth talking about in tron: legacy

let's dive straight into the good stuff. any time a character uses a terminal in this film (which i think is only like two or three times) they're doing honest to god real posix commands that make sense in context. is this necessary to make a "good" movie? no. did i get super excited, pause the film, rewind and check everything they wrote? yes. you could make an argument that it's indicative of a level of care and excitement in the production and you'd probably be right, but i also just think it's nifty. kane2026 wrote this short spiel on the commands and what they do which was very nice of them, and it also mentions that there was a third film in production, which clearly never came to pass

i was struck by the acting more than i expected to be. jeff bridges in particular kills it with both hard hitting moments and silly the-dude-style quips that still entirely fit with his character - kevin flynn has given up, but obscures this hopelessness behind an air of yogi master spiritualism. this feels like it is quickly dissolved as sam begins to see through the charade, but is then built up again as kevin demonstrates his mastery over the world. his character is the dude but with actual expertise to back it up

talking about kevin, the scene where he is reunited with sam is potentially my favourite (and one of the few scenes where garrett hedlund actually acts with a bit of character instead of just being generic sexy action movie man). kevin is elated and is coming to terms with his grown up son but is also trying to figure out who called him into the system without alarming him, while sam is overjoyed but confused why his dad suddenly turns cold but doesnt want to show it, and quorra is trying to parse it all through the limited lens of everything she knows about human behaviour. it almost feels like a western-style shootout in a way, where everyone knows something is a little bit up, but no-one is willing to make the first move

related: i think the romance is a bit disney channel and feels unnecessary, but i love quorra's balanced cool confidence and genuine curiosity and how she flits around the room showing off things she likes and thinks are interesting and then totally shows her hand by asking what jules verne is like. i also love that shot of her sitting sideways on the couch like it's the most normal thing in the world; a more cynical viewer might call it directing for the male gaze but i like to think she's just a little weird like that

another amazing angle to this film is how it's a bit of a time capsule into what was considered cyber-cool in 2010. the black gloss and matte surfaces and the rubbery materials of everyone's suits. the glow strips on everything and the extremely video-gamey way that they change between white and orange depending on the moral alignment of the person or vehicle. the liquid feel of the lightcycle beams and the way the lightcycles themselves apparate by splitting the handlebars in half and holding them at the right angles - the absolute cool confidence every character has as they jump into the air and let their vehicle form underneath them. the satisfying way the discs latch and unlatch from the slot on a user's back. the immense scale of some of the vehicles and structures against the permanent night sky. the concept art for this film is an absolute treasure trove

also, i know the jeff bridges de-aging doesn't hold up, but i feel thats mostly because i know to look for it? it looks off if you focus on him when he's in motion, and it does have that slight smooth rubbery look to it, but it only really stinks in the scenes where he's taking up the whole frame, which only happen a couple of times in the third act. it didn't bother me when i watched it the first time and it's honestly pretty incredible when you consider how old the film is

anyway, if nothing else, this film is interesting! and a lot of fun! the score fucking kills, i love the visual and design aesthetic, and i honestly love how the story is kind of simple and straightforward. it definitely had delusions of grandeur / delusions of another sequel, but it doesn't overwhelm the purity of the experience, rather letting you enjoy a fun jaunt with some (somewhat predictable) twists and turns and a satisfying and sweet ending. i like it! fuck you!