Reviews

I'm one of the few people who saw the original TRON and I was looking forward to this sequel. What a disappointment. The movie was a lot of light and fury signifying nothing. There are plot holes everywhere and illogical things happen all the time. The Arcade is abandoned and boarded up but the electricity is still on? Really? Algorithms can become real flesh-and-blood humans? That's like having your algebra text come to life when you open the cover and the equations run out onto the table. Worse, TRON: Legacy is so derivative the seams are showing. It rips off Star Wars (multiple times), Gladiator, Casablanca and even Cabaret. There are probably even more thefts that I didn't pick up on but recognized as worn old tropes of one genre or another. The only thought I had on the way home was regret at having dropped 3-D prices for this piece of Hollywood drivel. The American studios have such contempt for their audience -- "Just feed them lots of action, special effects,blood, and violence and they'll love it." Well, not so much. At least the blood in TRON: Legacy is pixellated. Two Thumbs-Down -- save your money for something better.

We found Dean Spanley by surfing Comcast On Demand and were delighted by this witty, thought-provoking and emotional film. It's based on a story by Lord Dunsany, a writer who "imaginatively transforms materials from The Arabian Nights, classical mythology, Celtic, Germanic, and Hindu folklore as well as from medieval lays and quest romances." The cast is amazing for a New Zealand film, the script is excellent, the acting is superb and the climactic scene is totally gripping for all that it takes place in a dinner-table conversation. American film makers should take note of how this is done -- but they won't. Peter O'Toole should get an Oscar for his performance as Fisk Senior -- but he won't. We should all be able to see more movies like Dean Spanley -- but I'm not holding my breath. Don't let that keep you from enjoying this terrific movie. Four enthusiastic thumbs-up for Dean Spanley. (Dean is a title, not a name.)