In 1982, Disney’s Tron revolutionized sci-fi films. The film starred Jeff Bridges as a computer programmer called Flynn who gets teleported to a virtual reality called ‘The Grid’, the software of a mainframe character. The idea behind it itself seemed very unconventional and Tron became an instant hit.
A few decades later, Disney came out with a sequel Tron: Legacy. This sequel starring Garett Hedlund (as well as a de-aged Jeff Bridges) was praised for its stellar production design and visual effects but still seemed a bit unoriginal, paling in comparison to the first film. Here are 5 ways Tron: Legacy surpassed Tron and 5 ways by which the original proved to be better.
SURPASSED TRON: A Catchy Soundtrack
While the original film relied on typical video game and sci-fi sounds (amidst an iconic electronic theme), the soundscape of Tron: Legacy was retro yet modern set against upbeat tracks. Legendary French electronica duo Daft Punk was behind the film’s score and soundtrack, and they even appeared in a cameo in Tron: Legacy. Needless to say, their robotic visages fit The Grid.
Daft Punk themselves are actually big fans of Tron and the original’s influence showed. As with the original, Daft Punk relied on orchestral elements for their soundtrack, apart from their usual synthesizers. There’s a reason why Tron: Legacy is jokingly confused for a two-hour long Daft Punk music video.
DIDN’T SURPASS TRON: The Concept
Tron: Legacy’s storyline couldn’t amaze viewers as much as the film’s stylish elements did. The plot deals with Flynn’s son teleported to the grid where he meets him and an algorithm. Together, they plan to defeat an evil program called Clu who plans on ruling the real world. Most of the mixed reviews pointed out that the characters of the sequel lacked character and substance and fell flat as an overall package.
In contrast, Tron opened to rave reviews and garnered a cult following since its release. A decade later, Tron: Legacy couldn’t gain that cult status like Tron. The reason might be an over-saturation of sci-fi movies that have already explored human-technology relationships in great detail – something Tron was a pioneer in.
SURPASSED TRON: The VFX
As mentioned before, the film’s visuals were universally praised even by those who didn’t like the film otherwise. While the rotoscope animation in the original was definitely pathbreaking, Tron: Legacy’s visual effects successfully carried on the legacy of its predecessor.
The VFX work took nearly two years and the efforts by at least ten visual effects teams to complete. Director Joseph Kosinski wished to create a dim-lit Matrix-like world for Disney, and techniques like chromakeying were incorporated to create this world. The de-aging of Jeff Bridges was also praised at the time. It was an interesting experience for VFX supervisor Eric Barba who did similar work on Brad Pitt for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
DIDN’T SURPASS TRON: Tron’s Computer World Was More Convincing
When Tron was released, computers and gaming arcades were undergoing a formative stage. That’s what makes the movie and its premise more fascinating. In fact, the visuals actually look like the inside of an 80s-era computer. Further, there are characters literally named after computer terms like Bit. In contrast, the world of Tron: Legacy seems too advanced for our times.
Computers have advanced a lot since the 80s but the visuals of the sequel seem like they might be the inside of a computer of several decades from now. Yes, it’s supposed to be science-fiction so we shouldn’t analyze the feel of this futuristic landscape that much. The truth of the matter is that such a landscape can be seen in any sci-fi film right now (Ready Player One for instance) which is set in virtual reality. When Tron was released, viewers actually wondered how it would have been to be trapped inside a computer.
SURPASSED TRON: A Better Villain
Jeff Bridges plays the villain in both films. CLU (Codified Likeness Utility) is a hacking program who gets more screentime in Tron: Legacy. Bridges uses this screentime to be in his element and does seem menacing as a corrupt ruler of ‘The Grid’. The first film’s primary antagonist was a rogue AI system called the Master Control Program who never takes a human-like form. Hence, we don’t see a direct good versus evil confrontation except for light cycle duels.
In Tron, it’s hard to figure out what’s driving the protagonist to do whatever he’s doing at the start. Tron: Legacy uses CLU as a classic villain making the story simpler yet clearer. We know that Sam is stuck in the Grid and needs to rescue his old man and save this virtual world from CLU.
DIDN’T SURPASS TRON: The Video Games
Tron spawned several iconic coin-operated arcade games after its release, the greatest one simply called Tron, which was released in the same year as the movie. The game was an instant success and led to the popularity of ‘snake’ games (which were in the form of light cycle levels in the games). These games were created in the 70s itself wherein a character maneuvers a line that grows with every step and becomes an obstacle in itself. But it was Tron which helped popularize this concept in gaming.
Tron: Legacy, on the other hand, could lead to only one substandard game for platforms like Xbox 360, PS3, and PSP. Tron: Evolution was a third-person action game that again received praise for its visuals but its combat and platforming was criticized. The game underperformed so much that its developer Propaganda Games shut down soon after its release.
SURPASSED TRON: The Production Design
Tron did create an interactive world but it’s clearly dated in retrospect. The Grid literally has grids all over which can be monotonous for the eyes. While Tron: Legacy is too dim-lit, the color palette is still more diverse.
Joseph Kosinski had to play a major role in designing this world of Tron even before the movie entered production. His background in architecture at Columbia University came to aid him. To create a cyberspace feel, he partnered people from outside film and production design too, like architects and automotive designers. In fact, one can see designs reminiscent of the vaporware culture which has resurged in the past few years. The aesthetics in Tron: Legacy are just richer in style and suited its 3D release.
DIDN’T SURPASS TRON: Low Audience Expectations
When Tron released in 1982, nobody was anticipating it but immediately realized that this is a groundbreaking film in technical aspects. But then again, the original was confusing for viewers and it garnered a cult status later on. Even now, the film appears to be dated for some viewers and all they have to praise are the state-of-the art effects of the time.
The sequel did have some classy visuals, but that was the year when a lot of 3D films dominated the box office. Simply put, Tron: Legacy didn’t have anything out of the box to offer. Most of its initial buzz was built only among cult fans of the original and they aren’t that large a demographic in the sci-fi world.
SURPASSED TRON: The Pacing
Make any post-millennial watch Tron and chances are they will get up midway. The movie is just 96 minutes long but still trails at a snail’s pace, getting us accustomed to the virtual nature of The Grid. Meanwhile, Tron: Legacy is about two hours long but has a lot going on through its runtime.
There’s a lot of action, light cycle races, and a fight sequence choreographed to the tune of a sweet Daft Punk song. The sequel might have suffered from an overabundance of plot points, but it’s faster paced and keeps viewers engaged.
DIDN’T SURPASS TRON: The Legacy
Without Tron, there would be no Tron: Legacy. This easily shows Tron‘s superiority. Disney realized that the Tron franchise couldn’t be that marketable and that’s the reason why even ten years later, we never got a sequel to Tron: Legacy.
While Tron went on to influence Pixar’s animation, arcade gaming, and the usage of computers in science-fiction, Tron: Legacy couldn’t bring such changes. People still remember Tron: Legacy for the effects and the music, but oversaturation in the sci-fi film industry could never make it surpass the original cult classic.
