I love how this film has gotten just a little bit of the “Star Wars prequels treatment” over the years, where more people are actually starting to like and appreciate it more as time goes by. The difference, though, is that I never really see why TRON: Legacy wasn’t fully appreciated to begin with. Sure, it definitely goes for more spectacle over story, but the story is still very good in my opinion.

It continues where the last one left off, and perfectly deserves the “Legacy” in its title. After his father, Kevin Flynn, the protagonist in the first movie, goes missing, his son, Sam Flynn, goes searching for him after receiving something from an old friend that might lead to his whereabouts. Right away, there’s a sense of excitement because of the dramatic irony that viewers and fans of the original already know that he is most likely in the digital world. The first time I watched Legacy, I didn’t really know how they were going to evolve the world of Tron, so I was already hooked out of the gate to see what it was going to look like, and though I obviously knew on rewatch, that sense of excitement didn’t go away.

And that’s one of the things that I find most impressive about the worldbuilding in TRON: Legacy. The creators of the movie knew the task at hand and knew that the original digital world was very much a product of the 1980s, so they were going to need to adapt it to fit more of our time. Let me say, they definitely achieved this with ease. The world of Tron in the original was incredibly iconic and hard to forget, and the same goes for this version of it as well. It’s one of the most visually appealing and gorgeous technological worlds ever designed for a movie, and the shock and awe I felt when I first saw it after watching the original film didn’t even go away on my rewatch of this one.

It’s a much bigger world than it was before, now being a full-blown cybernetic world filled with people (or digital people) that live in it and all sorts of futuristic and incredible-looking buildings and vehicles. The visual effects for it are absolutely incredible, and this is quite honestly one of the best-looking CGI movies I’ve ever seen, even beating both of the Avatar movies for me. The vibrant colors and technological landscapes make this a lot more memorable for me than those two films. I hate how looked down upon this film is for its visual effects simply because of one element that doesn’t look good, obviously being the de-aging. Literally everything else looks incredible and believable, yet still somehow looks video game-esc, which clearly fits the movie.

Adding onto the visuals is the action. Pretty much right when we arrive to the digital world, there’s consistent action throughout the rest of the runtime. Let me tell you, exhilarating is probably a word that understates how good the action is in this movie. It’s such a blast to watch, heart-pounding, and unlike any other movie out there. It completely leaves the original Tron in the dust, but in a good way if that makes sense because it should, since this world has evolved almost thirty years from the previous entry. The new action scenes are great such as the disc battle that takes place earlier on, and the new version of the Lightcycle scene is simply incredible. There are also completely different types of action scenes too, however, that are incredible as well. A lot of them are towards the end of the climax, but some of them happen earlier on too.

And then there is the elephant in the room - the soundtrack. It’s not only one of my favorite scores for a movie ever, but it’s one that’s so good that not only does it enhance the scenes it’s used in, but it’s one that you want to listen to in your free time. The soundtrack was unique but nothing remarkable in the original film, but what they do here is insane. Daft Punk, never having even composed a movie before, was certainly a bold choice to pick for this movie, but let me tell you, it absolutely paid off. It makes the incredible action sequences all the more exhilarating, and it’s full of energy and the technological feel you would want it to have for this type of film. It’s so good that you could listen to it in the gym.

None of this would do much for me though without a compelling story, which is why neither of the Avatar movies do a whole lot for me as there stories are rather generic and empty in my opinion, at least the first one. Sure, the story here isn’t anything crazy and definitely isn’t the standout by any means, but still really works. I’ve already sort of touched on the premise, so I’ll leave off from there. The villain, Clu, is far more interesting than the previous film’s villain, despite the spotty de-aging, because instead of just being a generic and evil corporate leader (he’s not really a corporate leader either by the way), he has an actual backstory revolving around his creation, and actually gets some of the more emotionally impactful moments. There are automatically bigger stakes too, as he plans to leave the digital world and invade the real world.

What really makes the story most compelling though, is the father-son dynamic between Sam and Kevin Flynn. They have amazing chemistry with one another, and adding onto that, their relationship is believable and heartfelt. Both Garrett Hedlund and Jeff Bridges give pretty amazing performances that add to that. Also learning why Kevin disappeared in the first place and never came back was impactful on a poignant level too. Their sort of arc with one another’s resolve is by far the most powerful scene in the movie.

The only negatives I really have are that I think they could have done a bit more with Sam Flynn and especially Quorra. They are both automatically interesting because of their ties to Kevin Flynn, but I wish the writers had done a little more than that. Don’t get me wrong, they are both good protagonists and their relationship with Kevin makes them compelling, but I wish they had been a little more compelling solely on their own. It’s not really something that is a huge deal to me overall, but definitely something that had room for improvement.

So overall, when it comes to TRON: Legacy, I don’t know that I will ever really understand why it’s ever gotten mixed reception both since it’s release and even over the years. It has unbelievable visual effects and an unbelievable score, and adding onto that, the story is interesting and rather compelling. I honestly find it to be one of the most underrated movies ever made.