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Tron Legacy Poster

Note: Spoilers will be announced below.  The first couple of paragraphs are spoiler free.

Easily one of my favorite movies as a kid, Tron was a movie that not only defined a generation but also began the monumental shift in the movie industry towards using computers as a tool.    Without Tron leading the way showing what could be done, many of the movies today would have never been made.

I loved the first Tron for it’s fantastical notion that computers were alive and that programs were people too..  It was great if a little heavy handed, thin in the plot department and some pretty obvious technological issues..etc..  However, even with all the originals shortcomings, I was pretty sure back then even that we’d see a sequel to the movie in short order cause it was awesome..

Set the way forward machine to 28 fricken years and finally we have something to talk about!    I had all but forgotten about Tron to be honest until 2008 or so when I saw that first comic-con shakey cellphone cam footage of the new TR2N trailer at which point I had a tron-gasm..  Then I really thought about it and I was kinda pissed it took this long to come out with a sequel, but then once I realized what they were doing there was a pretty glaring obvious reason why it took that long..

So without spoiling anything yet, I will say that the new movie is probably an 8.5 out of 10.  The visual effects were excellent, the costumes were okay, the acting was good, the plot was still pretty thin though and that might be it’s downfall..  All in all I thought it was good and about as much as they could have done with the film.   It was an entertaining movie, and well worth the viewing.

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District 9

My initial reaction to District 9, upon the movie ending was to say — and I quote; “What the fuck was that?!”  I sort of felt like my soul had just been raped, and I was just beginning to feel the crush of information as I processed the movie I had just watched..

Let me start by saying that District 9 is an extremely interesting movie and most likely not what you will expect..  In fact I described it to my best friend as being “completely fucked up and horribly dark with a message that is delivered in an extremely heavy handed manner –  but at the same time.. kinda cool..”   And I stand by that description now that I have had time to process..

It wasn’t bad.  It really wasn’t.. even though my review is harsh, I kind of liked it and will watch it again ’cause I’m sure there was a lot I missed..

However, this movie makes no attempt to hide that it has a message, and by god you’re going to get the message like it or not..  For the first 3/4 of the movie the happy go-lucky recently promoted dork goes about committing what amounts to horribly brutal and inhumane acts.. (of a character similar to crimes against humanity).. of enforcing racial segregation…  against an already segregated people..  in South Africa..  Hrmmm If only there were a cogent paradigm..

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