TRON 3

[areaseven]

TRON 3 is in the works, with Garrett Hedlund returning to the Grid as Sam Flynn. Olivia Wilde will also reprise her role as the ISO Quorra.

Tron 3 to be Filmed in Vancouver This Fall

Edited April 10, 2015 by areaseven

[Dangard Ace]

Hell yeah. Maybe it'll even star Tron.

[anime52k8]

I want and expect more Olivia Wilde and Daft Punk from this.

[peter]

It'd be nice to see more Tron in it, even a cgi version like they did Flynn

Edited March 12, 2015 by peter

[mikeszekely]

I liked Tron: Legacy. It was a visual treat. But the best thing about Tron: Legacy is that it spawned the excellent Tron: Uprising.

Man, I hope Tron 3 gets Disney to make another awesome Tron cartoon.

[Keith]

Where is my damned Uprising BD set?

[TangledThorns]

Where is my damned Uprising BD set?

You mean is where is the new season of Tron: Uprising?! That series was awesome!

I'm excited for another Tron movie too. I'm wondering if it'll be a true sequel to Legacy or more of a reboot? I'm cool with either as long as it maintains the Tron look. It looks like Kosinski is directing again too. He's a good director but he needs to amp it up on making a stronger emotional connection with the audience. I think that was what was missing, besides Tron, in Legacy and Oblivion.

[CoryHolmes]

This is great news! I love Tron Legacy more every time I watch it, so I think I'll love this one, too.

But I agree: more Tron, more Daft Punk, more Olivia Wilde

[Kurisama]

I cannot wait for this. Tron Legacy just pressed so many buttons for me, all in a good way. The whole legacy theme and what you'd do for your children (had my first a few months before it came out at the cinemas) as well as a Sumerian-ish mythology to it - not to mention the visuals and music... Urrrrgh so good.

[Dobber]

I liked legacy also. I loved Uprising, and got a friend at work to watch it as he was skeptical about it and didn't care much for Legacy. He ended up loving Uprising and brought new layers to legacy for him that he ended up liking more because of uprising.

Chris

[JB0]

I thought Tron Legacy looked really cool, the music was great, I enjoyed Kevin Flynn's superpowered moments(it's good to be the sysadmin), and OBVIOUSLY Olivia Wilde, BUT... the writing was flat and full of missed opportunities.

I was wondering going in how they would handle the fact that the original was steeped in 80s gamer culture and a dated model of computing, and how they could make it relevant to the modern era while still tying it in to the original film. They decided to pretend the original Tron existed in a vacuum and nothing was based on the real world in any way.

And, well, given how much computing has changed in the intervening decades, I would've loved to see an updated look "into" the computer that embraced modern technology. Instead of processes running on a mainframe, show me a virtual world on a distributed network.
Just as an example: Think how awesome a fight would be if they were "inside" a cellphone on a train, rapidly switching cell towers. The windows and door to the room changing their vista every few seconds as the phone reconnects to a different part of the network. Kick someone through the door right before changing towers and the fight is over because it will take FOREVER for them to catch up traversing the 'net on foot. Tell me that wouldn't look cool. Heck, that'd be cool just as background detail in a narrative scene.

But nope, we're in a mainframe that was lifted out of a corporate office twenty years ago and hid in the basement so Kevin could play with it arbitrarily. And the implication is that the world of Tron is unique to that one specific machine, when the original movie implied this was just what it was LIKE inside a computer.

In that regard, Tron: Legacy completely failed to live up to it's name.

But it's an audiovisual treat, and I throw it in from time to time just for the eye candy(and I don't mean Olivia Wilde... well, not exclusively). It's just plain fun to watch, and if Tron 3 can get THAT right then it will be worth seeing.

Edited March 14, 2015 by JB0

[mikeszekely]

Well, maybe the Grid does exist in a vacuum.

When ISOs started to spontaneously evolve, it's likely that Flynn may have wanted to take a "wait and see what happens" approach to the Grid. Even if he was inclined to upgrade it with more modern technology, he was trapped in the Grid in 1989.

I mean, I get it if you think that it was a missed opportunity to take that approach, but the approach they took is logically consistent per the story.

[taksraven]

BUT... the writing was flat and full of missed opportunities.

This to me was a big issue with the film. That's not to say I didn't like it but they went on with a lot of metaphysical stuff that probably doesn't really belong in the action film it was trying to be.

[JetJockey]

But nope, we're in a mainframe that was lifted out of a corporate office twenty years ago and hid in the basement so Kevin could play with it arbitrarily. And the implication is that the world of Tron is unique to that one specific machine, when the original movie implied this was just what it was LIKE inside a computer.

I’ve read many good reviews that break down all the problems with Tron Legacy. You pointed out one of the main facts that the original movie setup what it was like in computers at the time. I believe the MCP was taking over computer systems. Tron Legacy, like so many late sequels and remakes play to our nostalgia of that time. They largely ignore the setups of the original movies and none of them are as good as the originals. The list is long: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Miami Vice, Superman Returns, Friday the 13th, The Thing, Nightmare on Elm Street, Star Trek new timeline movies, Star Wars prequels, James Bond new timeline movies - although I like Casino Royale, and more. What we received in Tron Legacy was a forced world for that nostalgia and it made little sense.

I know the new excuse is that these movies are for new fans not old ones. But how about making new movie characters with inspiration from the old movies? I’m sure that’s what the creation of Indiana Jones and Star Wars was about. Indiana Jones was to be the best of the old serials. A James Bond type too since that’s what Steven Spielberg wanted to direct at the time. Star Wars was influenced by sci-fi serials like Flash Gordon.

Well, maybe the Grid does exist in a vacuum.

When ISOs started to spontaneously evolve, it's likely that Flynn may have wanted to take a "wait and see what happens" approach to the Grid. Even if he was inclined to upgrade it with more modern technology, he was trapped in the Grid in 1989.

I mean, I get it if you think that it was a missed opportunity to take that approach, but the approach they took is logically consistent per the story.

The system only exists in a vacuum for the script. Also, it has to be getting power from somewhere. That’s an outside connection. No battery that I know lasts that long. You’re assuming plot lines too, which is the worst thing you can do to give a reason for bad writing. And by the way, remember we’re talking 80s computer tech giving “birth” to ISOs / biological programs which makes zero sense. Maybe in today’s world but back then? No way. We didn’t even see what new prototype videogames Flynn was working on that might have given the idea of ISOs some substance.

The evolution of the story from the original Tron isn’t logical at all. Many people point out the missing Lora who was vital in Tron. She’s missing from the movie because of the father and son focus, not because of any natural reason in the story. Lora was part of the team that created the digitizing laser, she was the one that wanted to go see Flynn to warn him, and she knew what happened concerning Flynn’s stolen videogames and confirmed the truth to Alan. The original movie would not have happened without Lora. It would be like thinking that Leia didn’t have an important role in Star Wars and wasn’t needed in the Empire Strikes Back.

More problems were Alan’s lack of interest in doing anything regarding the missing Flynn or his Tron program. The crazy story with the beeper which makes no sense and is yet another outside connection. Flynn’s imprisonment in his system without any outside contact and subsequent isolation. What happened to the “we’re only going to fail if we give up” line? The problems go on and on.

I think people that like these remakes / reboots are either in the industry and don’t want to talk down on them. Born after the time of the originals and don’t really get why those movies are cool. Or just desperate for that nostalgic feeling and accept almost anything. Remember it was years after the prequels for “fans” to realize that those movies are really bad.

One of the most striking things is that like many so called directors, this director mentioned how Tron 3 will be like the Empire Strikes Back. What none of them realize is that Star Wars came before Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars is a great movie. Also that Empire isn’t a stand alone movie and needs Return of the Jedi.

Who is the Empire in Tron Legacy? Clu 2 is gone. Dillenger’s son was just a cameo appearance. Honestly I don’t know why a company would hire the son of a proven thief anyway. Remember Encom wasn’t the enemy in the original, it was Dillenger alone stealing Flynn’s games and the defeated MCP wanting to take over systems. A new MCP wasn’t even mentioned in Tron Legacy. And Clu’s army is in a flash drive that can be easily broken or deleted with a button press. How can this director create an Empire Strikes Back when he couldn’t even create a Star Wars level movie given what he had to work with? And the possible story options from what we are left with after Tron Legacy aren’t incredibly appealing. Unless they will jump years later and go on yet another different route like they did with Tron Legacy, which was sold as a father and son story. Not a natural evolution of videogames, computers, and a thoughtful guess at what future technology might bring to society.

Edited March 19, 2015 by JetJockey

[Uxi]

Taking the digital chic into the Real World™ for a bike ride was a bit cliche. Just show more bikes and more right angles next time. And must have Tron.

[Graham]

While I loved the original Tron movie as a kid, I felt Tron Legacy was pretty meh.

When I finally got round to watching it on DVD, it took me three evenings to finish it, as the first two evenings watching it it put me to sleep.

Not really keen to see a Tron 3.

Graham

[JB0]

I believe the MCP was taking over computer systems.

System, singular. Remember, mainframe computing, pre-internet.

Most of the work was on terminals, not personal computers.

Also, the biggest problem with Tron Legacy, narrative-wise is that the best solution would've been to let Clu win.

He wants to get out of the system and into the Real World™ so he can conquer it and rule like he does in the digital realm(a task he never completed anyways)? LET HIM.

Because once he gets out, he's nothing. Stripped of his digital powers, he's just another impotent megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur.

I'd give him twenty minutes before the cops arrest him for whatever he crime he thought he could commit with impunity. And then he's charged with resisting arrest and assault of an officer.

PROBLEM. SOLVED.

But that doesn't exactly make for much of a movie.

Edited March 19, 2015 by JB0

[areaseven]

Personally, I enjoy Tron more than Tron: Legacy, not just for nostalgic reasons, but because it's the overall superior finished product. Back in 1982, CGI effects were still in their infancy, so what you got in Tron was way ahead of its time. Even after 33 years, the light cycle scenes still look intense. The characters and storyline keep you attached to the film from beginning to end. And the music by Wendy Carlos, along with Journey, add to the digital environment.

Tron: Legacy, on the other hand, feels phoned in. Given that computer technology has advanced over the past three decades, the producers attempted to create a more realistic looking Grid while catering to today's video game generation. Sure, the neon lights and vehicle designs look spectacular, but the action scenes just feel too predictable and slow-paced compared to the first film (and I'm not talking about the abuse of slow motion cinematography). The characters are uninteresting and Quorra is just there for eye candy. The storyline attempts to parallel geopolitics into a virtual world, but ends up being flat and overall uninteresting. If there is anything worth saving in this film, it's Daft Punk's outstanding soundtrack score, which mixes their techno flavor with sci-fi, action, and even spaghetti western orchestral music.

I'm hoping that Disney brings the upcoming installment back to the roots of the first film while retaining the audio magic of Daft Punk.

[Sandman]

Awesome Tron discussion. There needs to be more of it. My hope for Tron 3 is that there is more of Tron. I hate what they did to him in legacy. I was also like to see more disc throwing in the battle scenes. I was disappointed that they never threw the discs in real non game combat. They used them like saws instead. Finally I hope that rumour about Tron 3 taking place mostly in the real word is false. That's not what I want in a Tron movie.

[electric indigo]

The best sequel to Tron would have been what the Matrix movie did: Humanity ending up on the Grid without even realizing it.

[Duke Togo]

The best sequel to Tron would have been what the Matrix movie did: Humanity ending up on the Grid without even realizing it.

Nothing is made better by being like the Matrix.

Neither Tron or Tron Legacy are "good" films. I enjoy them because I love watching life on the Grid, and the rest is passably watchable. Assuming they don't go too far afield with Tron 3, I'll see it in the theater.

[JB0]

Pretty much.

Tron is, or was at the time, interesting for it's premise of being inside a computer. But it's got terrible pacing and pretty awful writing.

And in the modern era, the idea of being "inside the machine" and interacting with programs face-to-pixellated-face is kind of silly.

Tron Legacy has less serious pacing issues, but it also has a much more limited vision and even worse writing.

Meanwhile, The Last Starfighter is over there being all smugly superior about how it's the movie about video games that didn't suck.

[Duke Togo]

Meanwhile, The Last Starfighter is over there being all smugly superior about how it's the movie about video games that didn't suck.

Anyone who is on this forum who doesn't own The Last Starfighter on DVD or Blu should be banned. Just sayin'

[JB0]

Anyone who is on this forum who doesn't own The Last Starfighter on DVD or Blu should be banned. Just sayin'

I own it on DVD AND BR! That gets me autopromoted to moderator, right?

...

Actually, I own two DVDs of it. One's the pre-remaster release(and stands as proof that the film needed the work), the other came with the remastered BR.

...

And I'd buy it again if it was released in a collectible Gunstar-shaped box.

[Hoptimus]

Personally, I enjoy Tron more than Tron: Legacy, not just for nostalgic reasons, but because it's the overall superior finished product. Back in 1982, CGI effects were still in their infancy, so what you got in Tron was way ahead of its time. Even after 33 years, the light cycle scenes still look intense. The characters and storyline keep you attached to the film from beginning to end. And the music by Wendy Carlos, along with Journey, add to the digital environment.

Tron: Legacy, on the other hand, feels phoned in. Given that computer technology has advanced over the past three decades, the producers attempted to create a more realistic looking Grid while catering to today's video game generation. Sure, the neon lights and vehicle designs look spectacular, but the action scenes just feel too predictable and slow-paced compared to the first film (and I'm not talking about the abuse of slow motion cinematography). The characters are uninteresting and Quorra is just there for eye candy. The storyline attempts to parallel geopolitics into a virtual world, but ends up being flat and overall uninteresting. If there is anything worth saving in this film, it's Daft Punk's outstanding soundtrack score, which mixes their techno flavor with sci-fi, action, and even spaghetti western orchestral music.

I'm hoping that Disney brings the upcoming installment back to the roots of the first film while retaining the audio magic of Daft Punk.

AGREED!!

I was pretty let down by TRON 2. Where was the COLOR. Everything was GREEEYYYYYYY.

[M'Kyuun]

I also feel the original movie was better than Legacy. I could have lived without Jeff Bridge's 'everything is groovy' Zen stoner vibe. I've only seen a couple eps of Uprising, but it already feels far superior to the movie that inspired it. The writing is great, and they nailed the look and feel of Tron, while elevating the action. If Disney hired the guys who produced Uprising to do Tron 3, I'd have far greater anticipation.

[myk]

Bio-digital JAZZ man!!!

[JetJockey]

There is an arcade marquee topic here with another forum link. It gave me an idea for Tron Legacy. I saw this one and came up with a few different ideas. Basically what would the new Tron Legacy marquee look like.

Also there is something else with Quorra and Gem but I have to keep that off the forum. People who want to know send a message.

System, singular. Remember, mainframe computing, pre-internet.
Most of the work was on terminals, not personal computers.

I need to watch it again soon. It’s on Showtime now for those that don’t have the DVD or Blu-ray. I don’t know how Flynn was hacking into the system in the opening of the movie. I haven’t used a terminal since the mid 90s and forgot how those were connected. But I’m sure that they were talking systems. The MCP threatened Dillenger early in the movie with putting something up on a newspaper he could get into. Also that he got into other companies before. There was a lot of talk about different systems. The type of programs there. I think RAM or the program Flynn first fights is an accounting program. The Game Grid, as it was originally called, was in a different system or area. I think Yori mentioned that during the solar sailer trip. Of course there weren’t networked arcade videogames back then. Also there are many I/O towers seen during Flynn’s transport sequence and after the MCP is defeated.

The more I think about it the more I’m amazed by the original movie. I’m feeling 80s nostalgia a bit. I searched and not only are just about all of the old arcades I used to go to closed but some of the malls are as well. I too think Tron was way ahead of it’s time. To think of all the ideas they had in 1982. The Internet and what you could call popular computing didn’t catch on till mid to late 90s, somewhere around the time of Windows 95, I think. I remember it was a big deal that I had a portable computer in 1994. It was even a skill to be able to type quickly on a computer.

Pretty much.
Tron is, or was at the time, interesting for it's premise of being inside a computer. But it's got terrible pacing and pretty awful writing.
And in the modern era, the idea of being "inside the machine" and interacting with programs face-to-pixellated-face is kind of silly.


Meanwhile, The Last Starfighter is over there being all smugly superior about how it's the movie about video games that didn't suck.

I think there were a lot of “inside” type movies. The sort of thing where worlds were bigger or were unseen by humans. I remember Journey to the Center of the Earth. I know there was a remake. But the original was good I think. Also Honey I Shrunk the Kids. There was a human body one too. I think Tron’s basic starting premise back then was similar to those.

I barely remember The Last Starfighter. So much that it feels like I never saw it. I think it was about a kid with a high score that gets recruited by aliens or something. I’ll see that again one day.

Anyone remember the Cloak and Dagger movie? It was a spy and videogame mix. That was a good one. I remember playing the game in arcades.

Edited March 21, 2015 by JetJockey

[JB0]

I need to watch it again soon. It’s on Showtime now for those that don’t have the DVD or Blu-ray. I don’t know how Flynn was hacking into the system in the opening of the movie. I haven’t used a terminal since the mid 90s and forgot how those were connected. But I’m sure that they were talking systems. The MCP threatened Dillenger early in the movie with putting something up on a newspaper he could get into. Also that he got into other companies before. There was a lot of talk about different systems. The type of programs there. I think RAM or the program Flynn first fights is an accounting program. The Game Grid, as it was originally called, was in a different system or area. I think Yori mentioned that during the solar sailer trip. Of course there weren’t networked arcade videogames back then. Also there are many I/O towers seen during Flynn’s transport sequence and after the MCP is defeated.

Maybe I should, too. But I really don't want to...

Keep in mind, though, that "system" does not necessarily mean "discrete hardware unit", though that is the common usage in the modern day.

And in the mainframe era, you WOULD have accounting programs and games running alongside each other on the same computer. One person would be running their spreadsheets while someone on the other side of the building was playing Trek on the same computer.

The personal computer was just starting to come into it's own. What networking there was was very slow, and typically limited to terminal interactions, which was basically having a keyboard and display screen on a REALLY LONG extension cord. While you could use a PC with terminal emulation software, it was kind of a waste of the PC's power.

Mainframe and minicomputer manufacturers didn't really think they were going to be a thing, and were taken somewhat by surprise. Those that made their own PCs intentionally crippled the PCs to protect their more lucrative businesses, completely missing that if they could build it, someone else could too. I know for a fact that IBM and TI did that, and both were completely shocked when their minicomputer businesses were devastated by PCs.

I too think Tron was way ahead of it’s time. To think of all the ideas they had in 1982. The Internet and what you could call popular computing didn’t catch on till mid to late 90s, somewhere around the time of Windows 95, I think. I remember it was a big deal that I had a portable computer in 1994. It was even a skill to be able to type quickly on a computer.

Tron did not exist in a vacuum. Many of these ideas were out there already, they just weren't feasible yet.

Arthur C. Clarke proposed a global network of communication satellites in 1945, over a decade before Sputnik I.

Not in a science-fiction book, but as a direct proposal for postwar uses of WW2 rocket technology. He figured in the far future, maybe half a century, we'd be able to put enough satellite hardware in the air to have full coverage of the entire globe. The geostationary orbit he proposed is now sometimes referred to as a Clarke orbit.

That we did not achieve this goal for several decades doesn't mean no one dreamed of it.

The same is true of computers. The scene in Tron Legacy where Sam is explaining WiFi to Kevin and he's just "I thought of that back in the 80s!" is not surprising. What would be surprising is if Flynn was the ONLY person thinking of that.

But yeah, Win95 really pushed computers into the mainstream. MS launched a HUGE ad campaign, and marketed far outside of traditional computing outlets. It paid off very well for them.

Apple borrowed the same play several years later when they launched the iPod, and their marketing outside of the traditional computing outlets that the MP3 player market had been targeting made the iPod a huge success... once they didn't require a Macintosh to use.

I think there were a lot of “inside” type movies. The sort of thing where worlds were bigger or were unseen by humans. I remember Journey to the Center of the Earth. I know there was a remake. But the original was good I think. Also Honey I Shrunk the Kids. There was a human body one too. I think Tron’s basic starting premise back then was similar to those.

Yeah. It's a relatively fresh variation on a very old theme. Also, I think the in the human body one was Amazing Voyage. ButIMDB says it was Fantastic Voyage.

I barely remember The Last Starfighter. So much that it feels like I never saw it. I think it was about a kid with a high score that gets recruited by aliens or something. I’ll see that again one day.

Yeah, that's pretty much what happens.

It's a pretty fun movie.

[Keith]

The MCP was definately networking with other companies. How could it break into other systems and steal programs you ask? The same way Matgew Broderick did!

WarGames (2/11) Movie CLIP - Hacking the School (:

Edited March 22, 2015 by Keith

[Dynaman]

The "tech" shown in the original Tron was so unreal it didn't matter what it was supposed to be - it was simply an action movie with a computer theme. Even trying to make real world sense of it is an exercise in futility.

As for The Last Starfighter. The computer graphics are unwatchably horrible now - and since it has a paper thin plot there is no need to watch it for that either. This *IS* one movie that screams out for a remake though.

[Duke Togo]

As for The Last Starfighter. The computer graphics are unmatchably horrible now - and since it has a paper thin plot there is no need to watch it for that either. This *IS* one movie that screams out for a remake though.

With one statement you've invalidated anything you've ever said on these forums.

[JB0]

With one statement you've invalidated anything you've ever said on these forums.

Seconded!

[Thom]

The Last Starfighter is an icon of my youth!! Scraping into my early forties now and that movie is still one I would watch in a light second!

Yes, the plot is thin, but the movie was fun and exciting. And although the special effects are too well dated by now, they were cutting edge at the time.

The Last Starfighter was the first movie to rely solely on computer graphics for all its space scenes.

I would love to have someone redo all the effects shots and splice them into the original movie.

'Twould be the most awesome!!

Edited March 22, 2015 by Thom

[Dynaman]

With one statement you've invalidated anything you've ever said on these forums.

I'd say it is more like cemented them, but I think that means we agree on my intent!