Tron is a very early computer game themed AI movie. This has to be one of the earliest hacking themed movies too. It tells to story of AI trying to take over the world, from inside a video game system. The visuals are laughable by modern standards. For something so graphically dated, the acting is fair and the plot is thin, but it’s quite distinctive and holds attention enough to warrant a Watchable rating. It was probably quite high budget in its day — the cinematography and special effects resemble what may be found in an early Bond movie from the same kind of era.
Sequels
If you enjoyed this early niche cult gaming movie, check out its sequels made decades later: Tron: Legacy (2010) and Tron: Ares (2025), which I rated Average and slightly Below Average respectively — both several levels up from the original, mainly thanks to modern cinematography but also staying true to the original concept and investing fairly in cast, story, props, etc.
Tron: Legacy is quite faithful to the original concept, even continuing with a lead role for Jeff Bridges while focusing more on his son. It’s got a similar storyline but has been upgraded to modern style in both special effects (great) and drama (irritating).
With strong-ish new cast members and upgraded effects, while staying true to the original cult classic theme, the producers have clearly taken this movie seriously, and I have done too: I rate it Bang Average which is a few levels better than the original (by today’s standards). What could be improved? Well the script was all over the place without ever much happening, which is a bit weak in a 2 hour movie. It’s more than watchable — it’s quite entertaining at times — but the plot is lacking; and the cast could be improved too, even though it wasn’t particularly weak.
This already feels like an old movie because it’s been around so long and was one the very first movie produced by Marvel Studios, and the first to come under the umbrella of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s still pretty cutting-edge by today’s Marvellous standards.
Of course it’s not the first movie based on Marvel Comics – there were over a dozen before it, including the early Blade, X-Men and Spider Man movies, and even Howard The Duck going back to 1986.
Iron Man stars Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, the main shareholder and chief inventor for the world’s top weapons designer & manufacturer. Then he sees the damage his weapons are doing even to Americans and turns his back on the former business, instead focusing on developing his Iron Man suit that turns him into a one man army and a superhero.
Gwyneth Paltrow (in her mid 30s) plays Pepper Potts – Tony Stark’s beloved PA.
The main antagonist – initially the friendly VP of Stark International, called Obadiah Stane – is played quite convincingly by Jeff Bridges. He eventually builds his own Iron Man suit after analysing the wreckage of Tony’s prototype, and becomes known as Iron Monger.
Of course, as with any war related movie, there’s a lot of narrative pushing and conditioning built into this movie, which sickens me, but looking past that, the budget is good, the action is good, the acting is good, and the plot development is not bad either.
Iron Man has some slightly stomached churning moments, bordering on horror, such as when Tony realises his heart has been replaced with a device powered by a car battery, and when the main antagonist pulls out that device later on. This, and the rotten America vs Middle East typecasting, also brings down my overall score of the Iron Man movie, causing me to rate it about equal to the likes of Doctor Strange, Venom, Black Panther and Blue Beetle. I rate it slightly weaker than the likes of Aquaman, Black Adam and Wonder Woman, mainly because their most thrilling moments are a bit stronger and/or their plots are a bit richer, and/or their downsides are less of an issue – but there’s not much in it. I rate Thor even higher. If we compare the best moments in Iron Man (such as when he makes his escape from the terrorists’ cave, and when he has a run-in with the F-22 raptors) vs the best moments in Thor (such as when Thor infiltrates the black site to go after his hammer, and when he regains his powers just in time to deal with the Destroyer robot that Loki is controlling) – they’re not massively dissimilar in terms of entertainment value. Thor’s scenes – especially the one where he goes after his hammer – may possibly be more credible, relatable and built up with better momentum, but the general entertainment value including good humour and healthy vibes throughout the movie Thor go a long way towards its ranking too.
Action Hero Movies