TIGAER-DESIGN.COM_.v5 – Digital Art by Christian Hecker

Purely out of honest curiousity i thought, “hey… wasn’t there this weird movie with these weird suits that remind me on the crysis game?!”. And yes there was a movie. It was the GI Joe movie. Now growing up in former east germany i never had the chance to become familiar with the toys or comics or whatever existed for the GI Joe universe. In later years of course i picked up that there was quite a thing happening in the states with comics and action figures etc. I guess, much like Transformers, it was just a matter of time before they picked it up to make a movie.

The plot of the movie is very simple. There are two secret organizations. One is the ‘Joes’ and the other is… i don’t even know. Some weapon manufacturing evil company kind of thing with roots back into the medieval times. That at least tells the intro of the movie. Now the evil organization tries to trick out the good guys with some weapon deal that has to do with some nano-technology that can destroy everything. By everything i mean basically cities and all sorts of materials. Really nasty stuff. The Joes want to get that nanostuff into their hands to have it safe. The evil guys (who actually invented that stuff) want to trick the good guys and stage an accident to make it look like the good guys are responsible for a desaster. That particular desaster is set to take place in Paris. The bad guys want to take down the Eiffel Tower. A ridiculous chasing sequence follows that plot part. The damage that happens in the course of that chasing made me laugh in context of the fact that the good guys actually want to save people. But there is so much destruction and chaos taking place… ridiculous. That summarizes the whole movie. Well… not exactly. While that Eiffel Tower thing would have been the perfect finale… it all happens in the middle of the movie. Yes… there is even more crazy idiotic action stuff coming in the real finale at the end. Another hour into the movie.

This is a long movie. Much too long if you ask me. What you get is a non-stop rollercoaster ride. One action piece after another. In a two hour long movie you can count the quiet moments on one hand. Most of these sequences are indeed full of action and for the first 30mins you think “hell yeah… something happening there!”. After another 30 minutes you’re thinking “man, i need a break”. And that’s basically the whole movie. The interesting thing is you can’t even criticize the movie for that. I guess a GI Joe movie must be exactly what they made there. One after another crazy, over the top action sequence. A minimum story. A minimum character development.

Talking about the acting… well, where to start. Or, does it make sense to talk about that? All i remember is that the ladys, Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols, looked really sexy. Damn! Really sexy. But that’s it. Oh and Dennis Quaid is in it too. Always like to see him in a movie. Don’t care how junky the movie is.

VFX wise it’s all solid work. By far no high end work. It works for this kind of movie though. Lots explosions, action and stuff.

So yeah… the movie wants to entertain. To a certain level it succeeds. It tries too hard too often. Much like the Transformers movies it all is just too much. If you liked Transformers you will probably like this movie too. If it’s for me… well i would only watch it for the ladys in it. Damn! Sexy! (Sienna… keep the dark hair, seriously!)

5.5/10

GI Joe – Rise Of The Cobra on IMDb

A few days ago i had the chance to watch True Grit. I actually wanted to see it when it was on the big screen. Missed it. That’s how it goes sometimes. But hey, that’s what we got DVD and Bluray for. Anyway. There was quite a hype about the movie when it came out. How good it is. That the Coen brothers did It once again.

The story is pretty simple actually and finds its base in an older, previously released movie classic with John Wayne. The Coens borrowed the substance of the old movie and mixed it with some more realistic flavours… i guess. So it’s basically the daughter of that man (we never really get any info to) who got shot from a known thief and bad guy. Now that girl undertakes the endeavour to hunt down that man and bring him to justice. Now she cannot do that alone right? So she hires Jeff Bridges character to help her. And the hassle begins.

The characters in this film are well portrayed and worked out. Even though i somehow missed a little depth to them all. Whichrenders my first sentence pointless i think. We also don’t really get any info to why this girl is so mad for revenge. Ok i guess we all would be when a parent gets shot. But WE would know WHY we are mad. The movie doesn’t really give us another reason than that the shot guy was her father and that she wants back what belonged to him. It could be possible that i missed a beat there but… all that felt a little flat. What the movie does good is to show that our little lady, as tough as she may be, isn’t exactly suited for a revenge trip. That’s when Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon’s character come into play. And these two are good characters. Well played by both these superb actors. As a long time Jeff Bridges fan i also have to admit that he gets everything out of his role here that’s possible. It’s fun to watch him do his thing. Some parts of his role even reminded me on his Lebowski performance. (And i love that movie for sure) So his Oscar nomination was well deserved.

While the movie is well done in technical terms of camera, acting, directing and all these things… the finale left me really underwhelmed. Sure… they get the bad guy(s). But after that it’s like *click* and done. And that snake pit scene there? Why was that necessary? Ok, it’s another moment for Mr. Bridges character to shine. But that’s all it was good for. Very weird decisions there.

Ultimately i would recommend this movie to everyone. No question. It’s very solid and good work and entertaining too. All performances are well done and Hailee Steinfeld who plays the girl is pretty awesome to watch too. It even got a few scenes where i laughed out loud. So it got a little bit of everything in it.

7.9/10

True Grit on IMDb

Just finished watching this movie and can’t even find the right words to start a description of it. One part of the description would be how amazingly well this movie is done. The other part would probably be how surprised i am about the masterful work of a Ben Affleck. Now we surely know about his great skills since “Good Will Hunting” but this one surpassed everything i expected from him. Not only the movie itself is technically pretty much flawless… the writing is great too. The development of the characters and how the movie binds a connection to the viewer. You know these characters aren’t perfect and struggling with their lifes. As we all do. The characters in this movie were born into a world that made it difficult for them not to become what they are in the story the movie shows. Our main guys are some young dudes who rob banks and money transports. They eventually want to get out of their misery, or crime spiral, but everything they do to get there brings them even more trouble. And that’s probably how it is when you live in that kind of world. No matter what you do to get out of there… it will be very hard and probably not without losses.

The performances from Ben Affleck (not only behind the camera) and Jeremy Renner are really intense. A lot of very good dialogue sequences where a lot is happening in their faces. There you see some of the best there are in this field of profession. Ben Affleck really grew as an actor (much like Leonardo DiCaprio) in the past 10 years. Also as an writer an director. He’s able to get the people in his movie to shine in their moments. Pete Postlethwaite has also a small role in the movie. He’s playing some sort of irish gangster boss. His character is a real bad egg and i love every minute he’s on screen. God bless his soul.

Like i previously said the movie is pretty much flawless. Some excellent camera work and editing. The shootout scenes are full of action and very excitingly shot. There are only a few scenes that i felt weren’t necessary. But that’s all.

Oh, did i mention there’s quite some romance stuff going on too? Yes, it all sounds very much like an action movie and some people would argue that it is an action movie. But, like i said, the writing is very good and the romance part doesn’t at all feel like someone said “oh and we need something for the female audience too!”. The whole movie feels very organic.

An 8.8/10 for me.

The Town on IMDb

You have probably seen a ton of documentaries about Earth and Mankind and how everything in this world is somehow connected with each other. And how it all needs that connection in order to function as efficient as possible. Now ‘Home’ does that too. But ‘Home’ does it so much better than all the others. One reason may be the fact that it shows some of the most amazing images one can capture from our planet.

This is a movie that wants to teach a lesson. And you certainly must be in the right mood for some sad truths. Lets just say i just finished watching it and i was 50/50 in the right mood. I knew the movie has some really striking landscape shots and that’s what i was hoping for, and got. This movie must be one of the visually most beautiful movies ever made. And there are no CG or other Special Effects involved. All you see in this movie is Planet Earth. I won’t even try to explain how awesome these images are. You have to see it to understand it. We get images from all over the world. Great perspectives. Nothing rushed, every shot gets exactly the right amount of time to unfold its beauty. Really good camera work. Visually it’s a 11/10. And in the midst of all these wonderful shots it’s the story of our Planet that’s been told. From when it all started, the first sparks of life, to the civilization right now.

It’s quite a horror story to be honest. Of course we hear it all the time. It’s all bad! Nature is dying! It’s too late to do something! Panic! Well… no panic yet. But i also don’t want to be there when true panic starts to set in. It will be a true hell on earth. Sometimes you need the pictures to really understand what is going on. How f*cked up the situation really is. The movie certainly delivers that part perfectly. You could argue that the movie is just another one of these preachy nature movies and you might be right. But it’s also important to recognize that all the arguments brought up in the movie are valid. It’s all happening right now, all over the world. And that’s heart wrenching. The movie takes itself a lot of time to explain the why’s and how’s. It’s doing a good job making you understand why is something happening and how it’s done. And that’s why it stands above all these preachy documentaries.

If you were a pessimistic person (like i am) you would probably think about shooting yourself after seeing the first hour of that movie. Honestly, if there is not something happening with mankind quickly that makes them all understand what is going on, we’re all doomed. The last part of the movie though shows some strong examples of how we’re doing it right. Examples from all over the world where people put their thinking caps on and understood that it’s time to do something. Of course it’s by far not enough yet. But mankind is still able to get things done the right way. I mean… in the end… we have to or it’s over with us.

If you have the chance, go watch this movie. Best in HD. The most awesome images ever in there. Has to be seen in good quality. The message of the movie is clear. We can still do something. Think before you do and get other people to do it right too. No i don’t want to be preachy since i’m surely not the most ‘green’ person too. But i at least try to watch myself.

Probably the only movie to get a 10/10 from me. Well deserved.

HOME on IMDb

Four LionsFrom time to time it’s good to go into the theater for a movie that’s not your weekly blockbuster. This time I had the pleasure to watch ‘Four Lions’. Now you may or may not have heard of this movie. Therefore a short intro to the matter.

Living in todays world can be a horrible thing. A permanent fear of terrorist attacks. May it be an attack, biological warfare or suicide bombers. Now the movie is about some young men living in London. All of them with an islamist religion background and roots. All of them are persuaded by the fanatic speeches and beliefs of a Jihad to kill as much infidels as possible. So they start planning their own terrorist attack. Now our characters aren’t the most amazing examples of the perfect Jihad fighter/soldier and throughout the movie we follow these guys on their endeavour to become true Jihad soldiers and attempt a suicide bombing attack.

Now you might say that this can only be a very serious movie. But no it isn’t. It’s one of the most clever and funny movies I personally have ever seen. Ok it plays a lot with cliche and things like that. Nonetheless I was very suprised at how balanced the movie handles the comedy and the indeed serious subject matter. It’s never losing itself in some stupid unnecessary dumb situations. I must also note that you would normally think that it would be hard to think yourself into one of the characters, feel sympathy, since you normally don’t plan to blow yourself up. Now we’re all pursuing a dream in life and that’s what these guys are doing too. No doubt a questionable dream. But still, as we can see in the movie, a goal not easy to achieve. We follow these guys and see what the problems and complications are. We see how much comedy can be won out of this otherwise serious theme.

The movie is surely no high end Hollywood production and it doesn’t need to be one. The acting is great and the comedic moments are hilarious. We can also recognize how blinded our characters are by all the fanatism, religion and all the weird stuff that happens in our world today regarding these things. Sometimes we can even see doubt in their eyes. The movie stays consequent to its end and brings a (at least for me) strong message accross. The poor people who are blowing themselfes up in the streets of Afghanistan or Pakistan or whereever, must be very confused individuals. At the same time, even if they understand that it’s wrong to do what they plan to do, they still do it because of the honor. These mostly young men are persuaded to go down such a sad path. And these poor people have no choice. Now you might say “of course! you always have a choice!” and while in theory that might be true, it isn’t for these people. They decided to do it and they have to do it. No matter if they realized what a horrible thing it all is or if they fear death. And they want you to know they embraced it and died with a smile in their face.

So ultimately it’s a funny and very sad movie. While you can enjoy watching it and love the comedic moments… when the end credits roll you start to think what really happened there. And suddenly it became a serious movie. Our main characters are mostly caricatures with a few exceptions. And in the end you’re sad that all these things happened to these young and innocent men. They had it in their own hands you might argue but at the same time they didn’t.

I can only recommend it. It’s hilarious. But I wouldn’t recommend the movie to people who are out to watch a fun movie like Hangover or Scary Movie. Or… maybe especially these people should watch it to open their minds a bit? I don’t know. I enjoyed it. Go see it if you have the chance.

7.9/10

PS: Yeah i’m guilty… i loved Hangover. ;p

Four Lions on IMDb

This was the first time theater visit in months. Last time was the first part of the last Harry Potter movie. (Weird sentence) Anyway! I enjoyed it!

Now I admit I did not have any big expectations for the Thor movie. As usual I don’t know the comics and have no deeper relationship with the characters. The movie, much like the Ironman movies… or even more than the Ironman movies, tries to build up on something that will eventually lead to an ‘Avengers’ movie. Where all the big Marvel character form a big team to fight against… I don’t know what. So there is kind of a second plot within Thor that shows developments into that direction.

Then there is the Thor storyline. It’s by far not the most deep and sophisticated plot but it manages to keep you interested. The visuals are pretty unique and the action works nicely too. The movie in fact starts up with quite a nice fighting sequence. The results of these early happenings lead to the banishment of Thor from Asgard by his father Odin. Thor finds himself on Earth and without his powers. Luckily he instantly meets some humans that are willing to help him. Soon Thor tries to find his way back home.

The movie has a good length to it and still feels short and a little empty. The characters make a lot of this negative impression good though. Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth really deliver a lovely performance. Especially Chris Hemsworth pretty much nails his character. He’s the perfect cast from my point of view. All the other cast members are well chosen too, don’t get me wrong. Now in the Trailers for this movie you get the impression that it is all very serious and you might have thought that this could break the neck of the movie. That’s what I thought. Luckily the movie has tons of comedic situations and plays them out in a very nice way. I had quite a few laughs while watching it. I personally think that it’s Kenneth Branagh’s work that makes this movie much much better than it actually is. I think he’s able to tickle out the little things that still leave a big positive impression. Because honestly… I think most other directors would have ruined this movie. But that’s my opinion.

The VFX and overall design was interesting. Especially the costume design did go some interesting ways. Still nothing superamazing that blew me away though. Solid work and fun to watch. The 3d for the movie was pretty much unnecessary. I wished they’d showed the movie in 2d. Only a few scenes where it looked really weird and very flat.

So yeah… ultimately I think the movie ended where a lot of people would have loved to see it continue. Including me. There will be a second movie for sure so… let’s wait for that. Overall a fun and entertaining ride.

7.4/10

Thor on IMDb

Now between Pt5 and Pt6 i took myself a longer break. Other things had higher priorities. However! Now it’s time to continue the series of Scifi movies that will forever inspire me when doing Scifi art. Again it’s a mix of classics and newer movies. As always i can recommend seeing all of the movies. But if i would have to pick absolute favs then ‘Fire In The Sky’ and ‘Quiet Earth’ have a special place in my heart.

*Not listed by favourites.

Forbidden Planet (1956)

It’s always fascinating seeing that young Leslie Nielsen in that film. This is one of the movies the words ‘Sci-Fi Classic’ were invented for. Again it’s a movie that took new visual directions. You never get to see the old alien race that once lived on that planet… but the environment they left behind suggests on so many levels how they could have looked. I, particularly, love the Matte Painting work in the underground alien factory/generator thing. They really took some stuck concepts and got a bit further with them. Who said aliens had to look humanoid? They really managed to make the aliens take shape in our heads. Instead of showing us and taking away our own imagination. A really nice movie to watch with some tea and cake on a rainy afternoon.

The Forbidden Planet on IMDb

Fire In The Sky

This is one of the most scary movies i ever saw. It actually is a movie about a guy who got abducted by aliens. The movie shows it all from the perspective of his buddies who had no other chance than to run away. To leave behind their friend. While everyone is thinking these guys murdered him. No one is believing their story. No one can find their friend for days. When he suddenly shows up again he is completely changed. Shocked. Can’t even start to explain what happened. You may ask what’s so scary about it. Well… they show the inside of the UFO. Where our guy got captured. What he lived through on that ship. They have some really cool design going on in that part of the movie. That alone makes it worth watching. But it also has that amazing atmosphere. I really like this one. And it’s after a true story.

Fire In The Sky on IMDb

Soilent Green

Another classic in my list. Somehow i love the old Charlton Heston scifi movies. I bet everyone has seen this one at least once. I really like the concept and the technical execution. Back when it was released i can imagine that the whole breakup, of what soilent green actually is, was quite an eye opener. The picture of the future we see there nowadays doens’t look too far away and could sooner or later become our actual reality. So the movie was quite ahead of its time and gets my highest recommendations.

Soilent Green on IMDb

The 5th Element

When i first went out of the theater after seeing this movie i wasn’t sure what to think of it. And i still get the same feeling when i watch the movie today. While i really really like the feeling of the movie, i also really really don’t like the french influences that found its ways into the movie. That certain kind of humour. Visually the movie is a fantastic example of how detailed you can portrait a futuristic world. So many things going on in it. And Bruce Willis kicks ass. This certainly is one of his best works. Even if he’s playing only a darker version of John McClane again. And you can never go wrong with McClane. Oh and Gary Oldman… love his evil characters.

The 5th Element on IMDb

The Black Hole (1979)

Now this one has a special place in my heart. I remember when i was young i got a cassette tape as a gift from my mom. I don’t know anymore what the occasion was. And that tape was this movie. It was weird getting that story told without the actual pictures to it. A while later i saw the movie and it really looked how i imagined it when i was listening to the tape. What really stands out is Maximilian Schell as the crazy scientist. He is so awesome in it. Of course the movie is pretty outdated now but some of the visuals are still very inspiring to me. So it definitely belongs into this list.

The Black Hole on IMDb

Quiet Earth

This is also a movie that i saw when i was very young. Probably too young to understand the movie as a whole. A few years ago i dug it out and rewatched it. Then i knew again what fascinated me so much. There are many movies like this one but there’s only a few that can capture the atmosphere that good. The story is basically that a failed experiment made all people disappear from the face of the earth. Except for one man. This man belongs to the crew of scientists who worked on that experiment. Now this man is trying to find out what went wrong. The fact that there is no one left makes him slowly go crazy. There is also something happening to the environment. Something that points to a radical change. This is a movie that you can watch for the last two minutes of the movie. Like movies you only watch for that one awesome moment that you love. The end is one of the most amazing eye openers i have ever seen. Have to watch it again soon.

Quiet Earth on IMDb

End of part 6. Like i said earlier i can easily recommend all of them. Every single one of these has visual qualities or special ideas that immediately send my imagination on a trip. Especially ‘Forbidden Planet’ does that very nicely in never showing the actual aliens. That gives your imagination a lot of room and challenges the viewer. Anyway… seek them out if you have some time! It’s worth it!

Regards

Normally i’m not a too big fan of police themed shows. Over the past years i heard a lot from ‘The Shield’ and gave it a try a few weeks ago. After season one the first thing that came to mind was that it reminded me of ‘The Sopranos’. There you have this anti-hero again. Someone who’s trying to bring his career and family into a managable status. Where it all was a mafia thing in The Sopranos, we now have to deal with a cop. The problems he’s facing are very similar to the problems our main character in The Sopranos has to face. But in ‘The Shield’ you don’t necessarily have one main guy. It’s series of people we’re following thoughout the seasons and episodes. The importance of the characters is shifting from time to time.

Like in so many other TV productions nowadays the series is packed with some very good actors. Everyone suits its role perfectly from beginning to end. The Shield was one of the first TV productions (along with The Sopranos) that really presented some really epic writing and a great concept of how to stitch all the little goings ons in the series together. The downside is that, if you miss a few episodes, you might be a little lost.

Storywise it’s about ‘The Strike Team’. A special police unit working on street level gang related things in Los Angeles. Often they are forced to use not so legal measures to get things done. The team also often enough cuts some deals with the gangs themselfes to earn some extra cash. Early on they’re struggling to keep it all covered and find out that they’ve been infiltrated. That results in the shooting of one of their team members in season 1. That event follows them throughout all 7 seasons. Of course there are more things happening later that will eventually catch up on them. And you really want to know how it all turns out for the characters.

Beside the questionable operations of the Strike Team we also get to see the private life of our 4 guys. We soon know that every character truly is a character. Not just a copy. Some of them develop a little later than others but still maintain importance to the whole story. Soon enough all the happenings start to split the group and it’s fascinating to see how they try to get over the differences. A lot of scenes where you can litterally see in their faces the battles our characters have to fight for certain decisions. That involves some good writing and even better acting.

While the Strike Team is the main focus of the series, we also have some other very important and interesting characters to follow. These characters get more spotlight the farther the series comes along. The series tries to show the day in day out work that cops nowadays have to face. The Strike Team storyline surely is a lot of imagination and action orientated. The other cops in the series surely show a more realistic aspect of police work nowadays in the united states. That maintains a nice balance and makes the whole thing much more believable.

The amazing writing makes it possible to really come to a showdown 7th season where it all comes together. The performances from all the actors and the development of their characters really impressed me. While watching i never had the feeling that i did not care about how it all continues. I always wanted to know how it goes on and will end. Speaking about ‘end’. The ending episode of season 7 was so intense that more than one time i thought ‘holy crap… didn’t see that coming!’. Never was there a decision in the writing i disagreed with. They ended the series in the most perfect way possible i guess.

Now to everything there are a few thumbs downs. What drove me a little crazy at times was the shaky cam. I know what they try to do there and most of the time it works. It really gives a ‘you are right there’ feeling. But sometimes it’s a little too much. I think it was season 2 where i really often catched a boom mike on the edge of the screen. There are some scenes where i even catched complete camera setups. But that’s all i have to complain here.

Ultimately i don’t think it’s the most realistic cop series out there. But hey… it’s supposed to be entertainment and no documentation. Right? So that’s not a downer. The plot keeps you busy, always wondering how the characters are going to react to the happenings. The design and grittiness worked a lot for me. The cast does an amazing job. Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, Kenneth Johnson, Jay Karnes, CCH Pounder… and all the others. They all nailed their characters very well. Special guests like Glenn Close and Forest Whitaker made it even more amazing. Especially these two added a lot of depth and credibility. Forest Whitaker is one of the best anyway.

So if you have the chance to see it… try it! My recommendation.

8.9/10

The Shield on IMDb

I heard so much about this series that i had to risk a look at it. I also know that the movie (which i haven’t seen yet) received catastrophic reviews. But here it’s all about the animated series.

Now when i had seen the first couple of episodes from the first season i really understood why it got so many fans. The characters and how they are developed in the story is just wonderful. Early on you recognize that there are some characters that will have a long way to go. And you really want to know where they end up. Obviously all characters are very good. My favourite though is the fire prince and his uncle. His background story is very strong and often pretty brutal too. That’s what makes this series not only some kids program. It often has the typical topics you need to have in there for the kids. But you also have a lot of more adult topics that may go a little too far to understand for the kids audience. But that’s definitely no negative thing. So you can have the parents and kids watch it together. And parents have the chance to use this series to explain a lot of important things to their kids.

While the first season is developing the characters and parts of the world all of it is happening in, the second season tries to show more of the history of all the conflict in the series. Basically how the fire nation is trying to conquer the world and all it’s leaving behind is terror and burned ground. Now Aang, the Avatar, is the only one who can rescue the world. But he’s a young boy and still has to learn the powers of the four nations that exist in this world. Like the title says he can already handle/bend the air since he is the last of his kind. Throughout the series his main goal is to find teachers for the water, earth and fire skills. And of course to defeat the fire lord in an epic battle. On his way he isn’t alone and makes some very good friends that help him to carry the burden. Of course i missed a lot detail here and the story is much deeper and i really recommend checking it out if you’re hooked!

In season three then it all points to the big finale. What striked me here was how they managed to show the doubts of Aang and how his friends want to help him. A lot of big questions come up and that’s where it turns a little into adult area again. Some of the characters have to take some very strong decisions and you really feel with them. Some great writing done in that department.

Art wise you can really catch up some very cool ideas here. I have never seen an animated tv series production that delivered such fluid animation on characters. Especially the fight sequences that aren’t exactly rare. It’s cool to see how the characters fight with their bending skills and the ideas they have using these skills. It’s really fun to watch.

I’m not a big anime/manga fan and this series partly uses this style. But it maintains a good balance that made it much easier for me to watch it. It also has some really really funny moments that even made me laugh out loud.

Ultimately i’m a bit sad the series is over. I could see much more adventures of these nice characters. But, well… maybe it’s best that way. No chance to ruin it. So yeah… it’s a complete recommendation. One of the best animated series productions i’ve seen.

9.3/10 from me.

Avatar: The Last Airbender on IMDb

First of all i’m a big Tron fan. I really love the first one, not just because of the look, even more because of its characters. So it’s only natural that i really waited for this second movie to happen.

Yesterday i had the pleasure to watch it. In 3d. What i heard upfront was that it wasn’t quite the super success in the states and some snipets of reviews i saw were not too positive. So i got into the movie without too much expectation. The only thing i hoped for was entertainment.

And that’s absolutely what you get. Quite a load of entertainment! It’s like a massive laser show. A lot of stuff happening. Action action and more action. You don’t necessarily need to know the first movie to enjoy this one. It’s all very well explained in the first 15 minutes. These are also the strongest parts in the story. Once it goes into CGI world the story steps down a notch. But that’s ok from my point of view. Th eye feast you’re getting there keeps you busy for sure.

All the cast does a really good job. Even if i had my doubts about Garrett Hedlund. He does a good job and early on manages it to build up sympathy for the character. All the girls in the movie are nicely cast too. And… no doubt… very attractive and nice to look at. I could have had a bit more Bruce Boxleitner in it. I think he’s a very underrated actor and would deserve more space on the big screen. So my hopes for that go to further movies. Last but not least we have Jeff Bridges who, i think, mainly plays himself in the movie. It’s magnificient how you can totally see and feel that this is definitely the Kevin Flynn from the first movie. How Bridges manages it to connect back to one of his first big roles. For me Jeff Bridges is one of the best actors this planet has ever seen. A lot of his 90s work didn’t bring him the right and deserved attention. But over the last 12 years… starting with ‘The Big Lebowski’ he showed everyone how versatile he really is.

In some scenes you can also see that this Tron endeavour is definitely laid out for further installments. So i bet my furry rear end that there will be more stuff to come. I would surely love to see more.

I don’t need to say much about the VFX in this one. Pretty much everything looks stunning. The darkness and lighting creates such a dense atmosphere. As if there’s a constant evil lurking behind every corner. Much like Avatar… i want to see more of that. And i’m sure there’s more to come.

I also want to mention the music from Daft Punk here. Their music isn’t my taste really but it fits very very awesome into this movie. Along with the pictures we see it’s quite a brilliant and perfect mixture. They manage to make it sound techy as well as sometimes even 80s nostalgic. They really did a magnificient job there and help to sell the movie even more.

So ultimately i must say that this movie is the ultimate light show. The story is a little dull and only the actors really save it there. But it’s overall quite some entertainment to have. You don’t have to see it 3d by the way. I might even say that it looks better 2d. That’s a bit different from Avatar. Even if Avatar looks as amazing in 2d as it does in 3d. But that’s only my opinion. Tron Legacy nonetheless is the best real3D movie since Avatar.

8.2/10

Tron: Legacy on IMDb