A decade and a half after the last installment, TRON: Ares is finally in theaters, reviving a franchise that apparently vanished from the zeitgeist, despite its movies and games having a consistent cult following. It, however, failed to make a dent at the box office, possibly due to Jared Leto’s casting, the long time gap, and general lack of interest.

For the TRON movie franchise, struggling with box-office collections isn’t new or surprising, but as a diehard fan, I had hoped for a proper sequel instead of a soft reboot or a legacy sequel. It might be an unpopular opinion to have about such a famous movie, but TRON: Legacy is still an underrated film, despite changing the sci-fi genre.

TRON: Ares‘ refusal to acknowledge TRON: Legacy and using a strikingly similar narrative with nearly the same themes demonstrates how underappreciated the latter is, even though the franchise is finally making a comeback in theaters, albeit not convincingly. Despite the steady cult fandom TRON: Legacy has developed over the years, the film seems fated to always remain an underrated movie.

Tron: Legacy Still Looks Visually Stunning

With the leaps in technology that we make every day, it’d be reasonable to ᴀssume that films would visually age rather quickly today, but many films from the past look much better than any film made in recent years. Color palettes often seem washed over or overtly bleached and VFX looks rushed due to the high demand and budgetary restrictions.

In contrast, the production teams for big-budget studio movies of the 2000s and 2010s could afford to spend time on creating the perfect visual aesthetic. Using 3D footage and chroma keying, the team behind TRON: Legacy built one of the most immersive and gorgeous worlds whose stunning visuals still hold up today. It visually seems like a live-action Akira movie.

The unique mix off jazziness and futurism in the design of the grid, the racing arena, the light cycles, the disks, and the character suits creates a tactile atmosphere for TRON Legacy that is as electrifying as it is inviting. It’s hard to resist the temptation of imagining oneself leaping in the air and riding off on a light cycle.

The long trails behind by the light cycles as they swerve through an arena or take sharp turns to derezz a rival cyclist and the slick motion of the disks through the air as they bounce off surfaces in nearly elastic collisions are still thrilling to see. While technological advancements have been made, you don’t miss them in TRON: Legacy.

There may be more TRON sequels in development, and I’m praying some of the planned projects come to fruition, because the visual design of TRON is uniquely intoxicating, and once you’ve spent so long staring at the neat aesthetics and appreciated the balance struck with rugged scenery, you’ll want to see more of TRON‘s world, especially on the big screen.

Tron: Legacy Has The Perfect Soundtrack

The immersion you experience with sci-fi worlds that look too stunning and pleasing to not get excited about is equally created by the background score as it is by the design of the film’s setting. Daft Punk’s expertise lends itself perfectly to the vision in the creators’ minds, and they provided the film with an appropriately moody backdrop.

Daft Punk, who appear in one of the best surprise movie cameos in the bar in TRON: Legacy​​​​​​, mixed their signature techno sound with the orchestral music often found in films exploring the search for meaning, the timeless need to prevent the loss of artform as a creative outlet, and the fight to have, use and protect one’s free will.

Such a mix of two seemingly anonymous genres is capable of capturing the electronic visual design of the grid and its components, while also addressing the emotional significance of its protagonist’s arc. Listening to some of the tracks from the movie’s soundtrack immediately makes you feel the adrenaline rush you felt when you watched TRON: Legacy for the first time.

Tron: Legacy’s Message Is Often Misunderstood

One of the biggest complaints against TRON: Legacy is that the characters aren’t well fleshed out and the film’s rushed conclusion makes it difficult to glean anything of substance from it. However, just because there is no grandeur to its climactic rumination doesn’t mean TRON: Legacy doesn’t have a strong message. It leans into the power of its anti-establishment opening.

The final montage in TRON: Legacy, where Olivia Wilde’s character sees the sun rise for the first time, is a reminder to realize that there is an aspect to life beyond the digital space and the jobs that we toil away at. The most defiant act of rebellion against coercion and capitalism is to go on a dreamy bike ride.

The character motivations, though paper-thin are explained and mostly leave room for further exploration in sequels that were promised at the time of TRON: Legacy‘s announcement, but never saw the light. TRON: Legacy also addresses heavier political subjects, but they’re sidelined for the development of the main plot. It treads safely, but its contribution to the AI-takeover genre isn’t run-of-the-mill.

Tron: Legacy’s Box-Office Failure Stunted Its Popularity

TRON has always been a cult IP, despite its fandom seemingly growing every year, and TRON: Legacy‘s box office demonstrates why TRON: Ares‘ struggles with commercial success aren’t surprising. The box office success stories linked to Joseph Kosinski, especially Top Gun: Maverick‘s surprisingly high collection, wouldn’t have been possible without the director’s work on his debut movie.

It’s daunting to helm a legacy sequel to a franchise with a highly dedicated fandom, but it’s also Kosinski’s directorial debut feature. Disney ignored the improbability of making a huge profit, especially when you consider that it didn’t have as much star power as it has today, and shelved future projects, dooming TRON: Legacy to a lifetime of flying under everyone’s radars.