Tron

Rating:
Summary: If only...
Review: ... computers actually worked the way they do in TRON. Then again, the social and labour law implications might be rather daunting. Watching TRON as a child was enthralling and led to many a frisbee-tossing session on the lawn. This was a film which managed to ride the leading edge of the technological wave, before computers became ubiquitous and turned into furniture. Where the film succeeds is not in terms of its plot, which is appropriately as thin as that of any video game, but in the overall design and feel of the piece. The cast is splendid, with David Warner putting in an especially good performance as both the villainous executive Dillinger and his murderous computer counterpart, Bruce Boxleitner managing to keep the Boy Scout-like TRON interesting, and Jeff Bridges almost casually showing why he is such a tremendous actor (in that he doesn't seem to be acting). After twenty years any movie is going to seem a little frayed and creaky, but remarkably the most dated parts of TRON are those taking part in the real rather than the computer world. For interested fans (which is all of us) the additional material is excellently presented and even die-hard obsessives may well find a few new snippets in there to keep them amused. Newcomers to the film will find that the interviews and technical features help to put the film into context and explain why it has so many loyal devotees. The deleted scenes are interesting, particularly as the director gives his reasons for removing them. There are only really two here and a good case could have been made for keeping them, but the inclusion of the Light Cycle battle with Wendy Carlos' original music behind it is very instructive, as the version in the final cut, sans music, is far better. Too many DVDs have additional material tacked on, but here it is done properly and genuinely adds something... and there is a lot of extra viewing, making this two disc set excellent value. TRON was never a typical Disney film (thank goodness) and the interviews explain why. Whether reacquainting yourself with an old friend or simply looking to see what all the fuss was about, this anniversary edition will earn its place on your shelf.

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Summary: Playstation 2 Problems! Beware!
Review: As mentioned before, it is confirmed, if you are playing this DVD on a playstation 2, you can expect a major glitch during the exchange between Flynn and RAM in the holding cell. This glitch results is a yellow gridded pattern layed over top of what the movie is supposed to be displaying. This results in you having to either eject the disk or reset the machine to restore normal playback. I've checked multiple copies, and unfortunately the only workaround is to fast-forward past the scene.

I don't know what' causes the problem, but it is quite disappointing, I assure you.

Otherwise, the movie is great.

Rating:
Summary: leading classic .
Review: i love tron , from the moment i saw it for the first time on video as kid til now i've enjoy this milestone motion picture. it was truely ahead of it's time ,in the idea, concept etc& the fact that the graphics looked good i'm surprised because at the time tron was made there was zero to neel effects done on computer & if they were they were big dino called mainframes , other programs also based on building from scratch special effects programs for film. disney lost an imfamous 20 million on the film supposedly during it's original run, i can't believe most people did'nt like it i like it. all cast did great job it was corky , savvy & mind blowing i mean the graphics that make your imagintion soar . it feels great to say : GREETING PROGRAMS!! from the decade that brought you wilyball, roller rings arcade teens before you afford actual video game unit, the birth of mircowave , vcr & dustbuster i give you tron that will never be outdated in my book.
A True Classic Thank You Disney for this masterpiece of sci-fi entertainment. now where is song of the south please release that one, thanks again from a true fan.

Rating:
Summary: worth it for the documentary alone
Review: An excellent special edition DVD. I don't even resent having bought the ordinary non-special DVD a year ago. The deleted scene is not much, but the documentaries and production materials are top-notch. This is not your standard rah-rah infomercial about the movie focusing on stars bellyaching about how hard they worked on the movie or, even worse, telling you the story of the movie which you already know. Here, the director and production team intelligently discuss the technical hurdles the film presented, what techniques were used (and invented) to achieve the effects, and even the political situation at Disney involved in getting the film produced. Some really interesting thought and work went into creating this film, and the DVD doesn't skimp.

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Summary: Light Cycles Return
Review: Disney has finally released this amazing cult classic in a collection that film enthusiasts can enjoy having! The picture and sound quality of the film itself is outstanding - probably the best you'll ever see for this movie - and the colors jump right off of the screen. There are no additional scenes re-incorporated into the film, but there are rough prints of two deleted sequences on the extras disk that comes along with the collection. Don't miss the many special featruettes on how the animation and special effects were done originally - it was a lot more work back in 1982 - and check out all of the animated menus on both dvd disks. There is a single dvd available to the market, but the sound isn't as good and it doesn't have any of the special features. Don't wait until this filk goes "out of print" and "into the vault" - re-live the light cycle adventure today!

Rating:
Summary: A Trip Back in Time
Review: Tron was quite ahead of its time, the first movie to use the CGI effects to any real extent. In effect, it was really a showpiece for the new technology, something you might see at a tech convention to wow potential buyers. Though the acting is poor, Tron manages to give the veiwer a glimpse into what it was like 'way back when' when the computer age was being born.

The DVD is an excellent transfer. Those of you who have seen Tron on TV as a Saturday afternoon special on an obscure cable channel are in for a treat. The film looks crisp and colors are sharp, and the additional documentary on how it was made is an interesting diversion. A nice addition to your DVD collection.

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Summary: "Star Wars" inside a computer-Fun Movie with Great Extras!
Review: Even moderate fans of "Tron" will enjoy the 20th Anniversary edition DVD which is packed with features (the "making of" alone is as enjoyable as the movie itself, if not more). The movie is superbly cast, fun to watch with unique visuals that still hold up -(yet, for a movie about the world inside a computer, suprisingly little of the special effects were done with computers!)

The movie was a little bit like the original "Star Trek" tv show in the sense that it was way, way ahead of its time (hard to believe PCs were not even invented when it was made!) and did not catch on when it was released as well as the DVD is today. It has a little bit of that Disney magic (though with an edge - at least for the early 80s), a little bit of Star Wars and the feel of those great 80's video games. Watching it now, it just doesn't seem as revolutionary as it was,(back then, Users and Programmers were synonymous, whereas today, most Users haven't got a clue how a computer works) but just about everything out there today in sci-fi and kids movies, cartoons and tv shows were influenced by 'Tron'. A fun movie and a great DVD!

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Summary: The true definition of a love-it-or-hate-it experience.
Review: As someone who has seen the wonders of computer animation put to use in such films as "Toy Story" and "A Bug's Life," I can't help but feel nothing but disdain and repulsion for Disney's earlier effort, "Tron." Released in 1982, the film was a landmark film in that it was the first to use computer animation as a major storytelling effect. By the standards of its time, it was a breakthrough piece of filmmaking; by today's standards, its technical wizardry would be considered a cheap ploy at masking its absolutely hammy story.

Don't get me wrong; I, too, admire the movie's visual trickery, especially for its age. Disney has always been known for setting new standards in animation, and "Tron" was just another step up the ladder of success. With its striking display of colors, lines, wrap-around sound design and meticulous artistry, the viewer is essentially transported to a place that, twenty years ago, was hardly anything more than a childhood fantasy.

But to look at "Tron" in this day and age, and compare it to the wonders of cinema that have developed over the past decade, and it appears to be a sophomoric effort, providing a striking contrast between two places in time, one when technology was just beginning to get on its feet, and one where it has nowhere to go but up. That's not to say the movie isn't well-made, but I wonder how many "Matrix" junkies would embrace it.

To be honest, despite my praise for the film's achievements, I thought it was downright terrible. The new generation in me looks upon the animation as cheesy but commendable for its time, while the critic inside me cries out for a better, more interesting storyline to accompany the effects.

Anyone who thinks many of today's films are ludicrous haven't seen anything until they've seen Jeff Bridges starring as a computer engineer who finds himself trapped inside a computer, fighting for his life against a Master Control Program that grows smarter by the day. In real life, Flynn (Bridges) is a video arcade owner who once worked for a major engineering corporation, until Ed Dillinger (David Warner) came into play and robbed Flynn of his job and his original ideas. Flynn, who has been trying hack into the computer systems, causes a lockdown of the system, leading him to infiltrate the facility with the help of friends, and thus, become entrapped in a computer.

But the cheese isn't done melting yet. Oh, no. Once inside the computer, Flynn finds himself in a place where programs are ruled over by the Master Control Program, which delights in sending lesser programs to their doom as they battle one another in video games. Flynn, along with Tron (Bruce Boxleitner), break free from their captors and must find a way to contact Tron's user in reality, before the MCP begins taking over major world corporations.

And I thought the plot for the various "Friday the 13th" sequels were convoluted. Truth be told, "Tron" possesses a story that is unbefitting of its visual flare, deadening any and all intensity that may have rested within the well-constructed action sequences. At one point, during a game in which players on opposite teams race in a grid-like maze, there is a slight glimmer of hope that the movie might break loose from its moorings and become entertaining, but then it's back to the banal dialogue, lifeless characters, cheesy plot twists, and a steadily rising level of disinterest in anything that happens.

Besides the visuals, there is one thing I can honestly say in favor of "Tron:" it is the true definition of a love-it-or-hate-it experience. You'll either fall in love with the wonderfully old-fashioned trickery of the visuals and the cheesy sci-fi storyline, or you'll look at it as a bland, almost mind-numbing exercise in animated excess.

Rating:
Summary: From Cinerama Screen to the Wide Screen TV..Still Great !
Review: Back in July of 1982, the local theatre in my town presented this new film from Disney Productions called "TRON" (for you beginning computer users, TRON is an ancronym for "TRiggerON"-the other half being "TRiggerOFF"-old BASIC instructions).Nobody never heard of this film, and being a sci-fi fan, I went to this film to check it out, and with "E.T." being out at this time, it was a complete fantastic experience-to see a computer generated sci-fi, with all of the buttons and whistles inside the story. Later on that summer, I went to a big city to see "TRON" again-only this time on a Cinerama Screen-for "TRON" was photographed in 65MM, then printed on 70MM 6track Magnetic sound. NOW..that was the presentation to witness and to experience-seeing that movie on a 45x100 foot 120 degree arc screen with that 6-channel sound ! Thank you Disney Productions in releasing this DVD version..It's great to see this film once again..the beginnings of the CGA world..and the Disney Magic lives on.

Rating:
Summary: Ahead of it's time
Review: I don't know what I can say about Tron that hasn't already been said. The movie was SO FAR AHEAD OF IT'S TIME 20 years ago that it's staggering. It is a landmark movie and paved the way for today's computer 3-D animation.

Absolutely brilliant