Spare Change: The TRON Ultimate Experience

Boot up your light cycle and dust off your identity disc- we’re heading into the grid with the original Tron on Blu-Ray. Is it just flashy lights or has the power of Blu-ray brought it back to life?

The TRON Ultimate Pack contains five discs: three Blu-rays (Tron: Legacy 3D, Tron: Legacy and Tron) and two DVDs (Tron: Legacy and digital copy).

TRON (original movie on Blu-ray)

Video: The colors are bright and the video has been cleaned up but not re-mastered. The segments that take place in the real world still look old, but are much improved. The world inside the grid is brighter and cleaner but still true to the original. I appreciate how they didn’t try to overdo the changes because it works for the movie. It maintains the intentions of what TRON has always been.

Audio: The audio is much crisper and cleaner, and the classic sound effects from TRON sound fantastic in 5.1. It is still not a new film and the audio reflects its age.

Special features: The TRON Phenomenon is worthwhile; the cast discusses the increasing popularity of TRON and its evolution over the years. The Making of TRON is the same as on the DVD, full length and covers everything you want to know about the film. Three deleted scenes are available, lasting only six minutes. Other special features include audio commentary, photo tronology, blu ray exclusive look into the original concept art, digital imagery, music, publicity, a section on design, storyboarding and extensive galleries.

TRON: Legacy: The long awaited sequel of the classic TRON and TRON: Legacy in Blu-ray

Video: I was truly blown away with the colors of TRON: Legacy. A world surrounded with the glowing beam of light! It is crisp and sharp; the darker tones of the film are not muddy or grainy.

Audio: TRON: Legacy’s sound is one of the strong points. Daft Punk’s fantastic film score throughout will coarse though your veins in surround sound.

Special features: Disney included a few short HD videos about the making of TRON: Legacy which are informative without being boring. The “Flynn Lives” short is included as is the Daft Punk “Derezzed” music video. There is also an app to watch it on your iPad, but not having an iPad, I can only say it looks promising and is well rated.

Packaging: The packaging is for a true TRON fanboy. The case itself is a replica of an Identity disc. Very nice. I was expecting something larger, such as the toys they have for sale; but I do enjoy the looks of it. It even lights up! It comes with a stand. My only problem is that all the discs are stacked and are somewhat a pain to remove. I reorganized mine with the DVD and 3D copy on bottom.

Overall: I love this Blu-ray set. Both films really stand out. This is not for everyone, it retails at $64.99. If you are a diehard fan and love the grid – go for it. If not, you should still see TRON and it is best enjoyed on blu-ray.

photos by Payne Curlin