Skip to main content
Games Radar Newsarama Total Film Edge Retro Gamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The smarter take on movies
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Gillian Anderson and Evan Peters as Elisabeth and Julian Dillinger in Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares director already has an idea for Tron 4, and says that the post-credits scene is the key: "It's hinting on something to come"
Ares (Jared Leto) riding a lightcycle in Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares director addressed the "lack of heart" in previous movies by putting emotion at the center of the sci-fi threequel "I need to connect with the emotional core of the movie"
Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
Jared Leto as Ares in Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares director explains why Jeff Bridges' Kevin Flynn is the new film's only returning character: "We wanted to take this into a new direction"
Jared Leto as Ares in Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Mixed first reactions to Tron: Ares praise the sci-fi sequel's "stunning" visuals but criticize "vapid and inept storytelling" and "nostalgic pandering"
Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Does Tron: Ares have a post-credits scene?
Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Hideo Kojima gives his verdict on Tron: Ares, and he's most struck by the Depeche Mode references
Gillian Anderson and Evan Peters as Elisabeth and Julian Dillinger in Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Gillian Anderson and Evan Peters on what makes Tron: Ares "feel like it's all new" while still honoring the original franchise: "It's a race against time"
Ares (Jared Leto) riding a lightcycle in Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares' $33m opening weekend may have threatened the likelihood of a sequel, a new report claims
Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares reviews, release date, trailer, cast, plot, and everything you need to know about the sci-fi sequel
Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares producers say Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross "love Disney", so it was a no brainer that they collaborate with the House of Mouse on the sci-fi sequel
Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares ending explained - Does Ares use the permanence code? Where is Sam Flynn, and what does it mean for the future of the Grid?
Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn in Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares producers say there was never a point where Jeff Bridges wasn't in the movie: "He *is* the franchise"
Greta Lee as Eve Kim in Tron: Ares
Sci-Fi Movies Tron: Ares star Greta Lee says some people "may be surprised" by the familial love story at the heart of the new sequel and that it's a "really special thing" to include
The Goonies
Adventure Movies The Goonies 2 writer has a promising update: "This is the movie I want to see as one of its biggest fans.”
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Action Movies
  4. TRON: Legacy

10 Things That Must Be In Tron Legacy

Features
By James White published 28 July 2009

What the sequel needs to honour - and avoid...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Disc Battles

Disc Battles

While the original featured a little digi-gladiator action, the new film promises even more.

Legacy director Joseph Kosinski showed off concept art at Comic-Con that boasted a huge arena with shifting game grids that slide and combine as players are de-rezzed and knocked out, until only two are left to battle it out.

It's like a moving, live-action version of a tournament bracket - and the battles need to feel as vicious and visceral as they did in the original movie.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Light Cycles

Light Cycles

Come on, like they weren't going to feature possibly the most iconic vehicles in CG cinema history?

If the evidence of the concept art and the teaser (see it here ) is anything to go by, the designers have done the smart thing: building on the originals and making them cooler and more 21st century (jumps, jinks, curves).

We'll get to see both a second-generation bike belonging to Jeff Bridges' Flynn and a fifth-generation vehicle, as well as off-"road", four-wheeled vehicles.

The Maze must return, too!

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Bruce Boxleitner

Bruce Boxleitner

The man who played Tron himself (and Alan Bradley, his human-world creator) is a definite must for the new film.

And - spoiler alert! - it looks like the filmmakers for Legacy are indeed planning to honour the idea.

While there's no clear word on how much screen-time Bruce gets in the new movie, we definitely heard Boxtleitner's voice in the scene from Legacy played at Comic-Con.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
A Return To Flynn's Arcade

A Return To Flynn's Arcade

Kevin Flynn's (Jeff Bridges) '80s hangout - a bleeping neon, gaming cathedral crammed with kids and soundtracked by a rockin' jukebox - is one of the most important locations in the original, so surely there's a nod?

Again with the spoiler alert! The scene we were shown in San Diego sees Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn turning up at a dark and dusty Flynn's, only to kick the jukebox into gear and light up the machines.

Damned impressive. The '80s kid in us hopes the movie will kick off a second wave of 'amusement' arcade culture - 2010 is pretty much the 25th anniversary of the coin-op crash.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
A David Warner Cameo

A David Warner Cameo

While Sark, MCP and Dillinger (all played by Warner in the original) were defeated or jailed, and it's unlikely that the new movie will feature a return from any of them, we'd love to see Warner involved in some way, even if it's just a vocal cameo.

The man is a genre legend and he's a big part of why the original is so much fun.

So far, the signs are good, with the producers clearly keen to focus on a progressive upgrade while smartly referencing everything that made the original great.

If they can find room for Boxleitner, they can find room for Warner. End of line.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is the huge, complicated-looking laser that deconstructs Kevin Flynn in the original and transmits him into the computer and onto the game grid.

While the laser's manufacturers - the evil ENCOM company - looks to be making an appearance in the film (according to spy snaps from the streets of Vancouver) we're hoping it's Shiva that Sam Flynn uses to dive into the world of Tron.

Probably a good idea to upgrade that block-by-block, '80s music video-style disintegration/materialisation CGI, though.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Easy On The Dance Belts

Easy On The Dance Belts

The Tron uniforms became legendary costume party options.

One man became an internet star by designing and building his own.

But we hope the concept art/footage is played out and the producers have seriously updated the unflattering looks of the suits.

Nostalgia is all very nice, but the leotard look just wouldn't cut it today. Unless they're secretly making a spoof...

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
An Updated Tech Score

An Updated Tech Score

The future-noir pop-synth score (created for the original by Wendy Carlos) is one of the original movie's defining features. So we really hope the sequel honours it.

The producers are certainly going the right way - hiring Daft Punk (confirmed Tron fans themselves who cite the film as an inspiration for their look) to compose fresh tracks for the movie.

They've apparently already penned 24 songs for the soundtrack.

Be nice to see them crop up in in a cameo, maybe in robo-suited Electroma guise...

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
No 'Re-Imagining' Of The Original

No 'Re-Imagining' Of The Original

Too many movies take the original idea from an older film and try to twist it into something new and relevant to current culture.

Here's hoping the Tron Legacy team are aware that this rarely works and just pisses off fans of the original pics - who, 'fanboy' sneers aside, are the crowd who will push the flick from cult hit to mainstream smash.

Thankfully, everything that we saw at Comic-Con points towards Legacy being a proper sequel that keeps the first movie's plot intact and uses it as a jumping off point to tell a new story.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Better Female Characters

Better Female Characters

Don't get us wrong - we love the original Tron with a passion.

But it's very much a boys-and-toys film, with Cindy Morgan's Lora/Yori serving as little more than window dressing or token damsel-in-distress.

To avoid alienating half their potential audience, the producers need to focus more on counterbalancing the tech and testosterone.

With luck, Legacy female lead Olivia Wilde (above) will get a lot more to do (we hear she's been gifted with a few high-kicking action scenes).

What are your hopes and fears for Tron Legacy? Speak below!

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
James White
Freelance Journalist

James White is a freelance journalist who has been covering film and TV for over two decades. In that time, James has written for a wide variety of publications including Total Film and SFX. He has also worked for BAFTA and on ODEON's in-cinema magazine. 

Read more
Gillian Anderson and Evan Peters as Elisabeth and Julian Dillinger in Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares director already has an idea for Tron 4, and says that the post-credits scene is the key: "It's hinting on something to come"
 
 
Ares (Jared Leto) riding a lightcycle in Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares director addressed the "lack of heart" in previous movies by putting emotion at the center of the sci-fi threequel "I need to connect with the emotional core of the movie"
 
 
Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
 
 
Jared Leto as Ares in Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares director explains why Jeff Bridges' Kevin Flynn is the new film's only returning character: "We wanted to take this into a new direction"
 
 
Jared Leto as Ares in Tron: Ares
Mixed first reactions to Tron: Ares praise the sci-fi sequel's "stunning" visuals but criticize "vapid and inept storytelling" and "nostalgic pandering"
 
 
Tron: Ares
Does Tron: Ares have a post-credits scene?
 
 
Latest in Action Movies
David Corenswet as Superman
74 years after their on-screen debut, the first Superman movie villains have finally been made canon in DC Comics
 
 
Uma Thurman in Kill Bill
An unfilmed Kill Bill short is seemingly launching in Fortnite with Quentin Tarantino's blessing
 
 
Glen Powell as Ben Richards in The Running Man
Writer of 1987's Running Man was "totally rooting" for Glen Powell's new movie despite disappointing box office opening: "Maybe the third version in 2045 will stick the landing"
 
 
Black Adam
James Gunn shoots down Pierce Brosnan's suggestion that his Black Adam character could make a return in the DCU's Superman sequel
 
 
Rambo
Rambo prequel director says his new action movie will feature a "different" version of the action hero as it explores how he became the character we see in First Blood
 
 
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 4
Stranger Things star Sadie Sink has reportedly joined the cast of Avengers: Secret Wars, making her Spider-Man 4 character even more mysterious
 
 
Latest in Features
Samsung 990 Pro being held in front of red lighting
The best SSD for PS5 in 2025: Why Samsung is the brand to beat
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's record-high nominations at The Game Awards proves what I've been saying for the past 8 months
 
 
Arc Raiders trailer screenshot of a man's face in red lighting
I tried an Arc Raiders community tip for hunting blueprints after 40 hours of next to nothing, and I found my most-wanted blueprint almost immediately
 
 
The cast of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
New on Netflix in December 2025: all the latest movies and shows streaming this month
 
 
A soldier standing in heavy armor with his arms crossed in Gears 5
Gears 5 lets you live out your '80s action movie dreams without feeling stuck in the past
 
 
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless in white being held in front of a PS5
The best PS5 headset 2025: SteelSeries holds onto the crown for another year
 
 
  1. The Mysterium logo, seen on the box
    1
    This enthralling team board game is perfect for playing with family this Thanksgiving
  2. 2
    Kirby Air Riders review: "This racer is also equal parts fighting game, minigame collection, and roguelike – and I'm shocked at how well that works"
  3. 3
    Demonschool review: "This Persona-inspired RPG is full of fun, flair, and ready to chomp away at your free time"
  4. 4
    Morsels review: "The Binding of Isaac style roguelike shooting gets somehow grosser, but struggles to set itself apart"
  5. 5
    Dispatch review: "Critical Role fans rejoice – episodic gaming has been superheroically saved by this incredibly charming band of misfits"
  1. Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked: For Good
    1
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  2. 2
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  3. 3
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  4. 4
    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
  5. 5
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  1. Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, looking scared, in Pluribus.
    1
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  2. 2
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  3. 3
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  4. 4
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  5. 5
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...