…not because of what it does.

That would be my summing up of Tron: Legacy.

The original Tron obviously came out before I was particularly interested in movies, but I saw it in the 80s and I’ve seen it since. To the eyes of a viewer today it is crude and nasty looking, but to the eyes of a geeky young fella it was awesome. The mix of live action and (for the time) complex computer graphics ticked many boxes on the entertainment front.

So a sequel excited me greatly. Enough so that I convinced TLW to accompany me to see it; an action for which I may have to pay penance in future…

So off we went to see it, and as I’d expect, TLW hated all but two aspects: Michael Sheen’s performance and the soundtrack. Whereas I loved it.

Partly because of the soundtrack – Daft Punk being one of the more original and interesting groups going electronic dance. Partly because of Sheen’s work – the man is a genius to watch. Partly because of the return of Jeff Bridges to playing the Dude. But mostly because of the stunning scenery and the overall air of homage to the original.

There are many references: the trains, the light cycles, the guard vessels within the Grid, the suits, the Clu version of the large MCP ship. And all of them are better than in the original, but clearly based upon them. And by the nature of the reference made to them, they almost improve the memory of the original: it took me to look on t’internet for a picture of the original costumes to remember how bad they were because

So that’s probably why I enjoyed it most: unlike most sequels made thirty years after the original, it didn’t diminish the original but enhanced it. Plus it looked amazing…