Tron Legacy (2010)

Tron Legacy (2010) IMDB Link

We have had to wait 28 years for the sequel to Disney’s 1982 film Tron but in this case it is completely understandable why. Although the idea behind the original Tron was a good one, the effects available at time just couldn’t match the director’s ambitious ideas. That certainly isn’t the case now and we finally have the film that original tried so hard to be.

The plot picks up 27 years after the original with Sam Flynn, the son of Kevin from the original, stumbling upon his father’s creation after a mysterious page is sent from his father’s old arcade. Sam ends being sucked into the same digital world that his father both created and ended up being trapped in. He is forced to undertake a variety of games before eventually finding his father and along with a unique digital creation born inside the world, must fight against another of his father’s creations that has turned bad and is determined to escape to the real world and force his own unique version of perfection onto us all.

The standout feature of Tron are the effects, they really are excellent. The digital world is wonderfully brought to the screen with an array of different colours and stunning visuals. Even if you have no interest in the actual plotline, the film is worth watching for the effects alone. As for the actual story, it’s solid enough and remains interesting throughout without ever being anything special. The action scenes are excellently done and provide great entertainment but the midsection is surprisingly devoid of action and really slows the pace of the film down. It picks up again in the third act but unfortunately the ending is your typical Hollywood cliché that you will see coming a mile away. The acting is solid throughout, even if Jeff Bridges is playing a lesser version of The Dude. The CGI version of Bridges as Clu looks very strange and doesn’t quite work although it’s a minor gripe.

Tron legacy is a solid sequel to the ambitious 1982 original that provides excellent effects throughout, some solid action scenes and a decent story. It’s certainly nothing special but as popcorn films go you could do much worse than give this a look.

7/10

Tangled (2010)

Tangled (2010) IMDB Link

After an inadvertently long time without making a quality film, Disney finally get back on track with last year’s excellent film The Princess and The Frog. Many people felt this was because the company reverted back to the traditional 2D animation format but Tangled, their latest film, has proven this not to be the case as well as proving that the company is well and truly back on track when it comes to making animated films of the highest standard.

The plot sees Disney revert back to their tried and tested formula of adapting fairy tales with Rapunzel being the focus for this film. The magically long haired Rapunzel has been held captive in a tower for 18 years by a witch purporting to be her mother but really using Rapunzel’s magical hair to stay young. A chance encounter with a runaway thief is the catalyst for Rapunzel to escape her prison and learn her true place in the world. To do this though, she must avoid the witch and many other obstacles along the way.

Despite not seeing the film in its intended 3D, the animation still looked excellent and proves that Disney are quite capable at creating a good looking Computer animated film as well as the traditional 2D style. The story, although full of the typical fairly tale cliches, is very good provides plenty of action and laughs throughout. In fact Tangled is a genuinely funny film with some very well written comedy moments. The action scenes look great and provide some great entertainment, particularly the various chase scenes. Being a Disney film, Tangled is a musical with plenty of original songs sung by the various characters and surprisingly the songs are solid enough and don’t take away from the films enjoyment as it does in other Disney productions.

Tangled is a very entertaining film that firmly proves that Disney is back making quality animated films again. It’s funny, action packed and has a good story and is a film that all fans of animated films should definitely check out.

8/10