I finally got around to watching Tron Legacy last Saturday. I rarely see films in the theater, and I feel that overall Legacy was worth it.
The graphics were very well done, especially when competing against the original's hand done rotoscoping. The stylistic cues were updated and streamlined to be quite pleasing. CLU didn't look too out of place... there were only a few point where I couldn't not think CGI! Even then, it could be considered fitting, given that he is a compute prrogram. The 3D effects were just a gimmick, as always. They didn't add anything to the experience. It was an interesting choice to only use them while in the Grid however, forcing the real world to be 2D and flat. It reminded me of the use of color film in the Wizard of Oz, actually.
The music stood out as being very well done. I had only heard of Daft Punk by name before.
Now as for the plot... It felt pretty generic for what it was. It wasn't bad, but it didn't feel as though it was really trying to cater to the first film's fanbase. Ideas were skimped over or shied away from to obviously keep a more casual appeal to the entire thing. There was no real manifestations or analogies to modern technology on the grid, and the religious aspects of the Users were barely touched. The plot device of the ISOs could have been intriguing, but wasn't given enough time or attention to make it worthwhile. To really have had worked, it would have had to be a central plot element throughout and it simply wasn't. CLU didn't make for nearly as interesting of an antagonist as Sark or the MCP, and I never really understood why him getting out into the real world would have been so catastrophic.
I would have much rather seen the film take a few cues from Tron 2.0 instead. Having ENCOM under fire from a hostile takeover and a virus quickly spreading through the Grid. This could have solved a lot of the problems I had with the film... It would have given CLU a better reason for being even more evil, and given him true intent to get out into the real world to take over all systems, such as missile silos and carrier ships. It would have allowed Tron to have a more plausible battle with his infection. It would have allowed for obvious Grid-based parallels to modern technology, such as physical firewalls or even making Quorra an anti-virus program.
Despite my complaining, I liked the film. It was worth watching. They did a great job of updating the visuals without loosing their charm, but the story was obviously watered down so as to not scare off the typical movie-going crowd. Disney was already disappointed enough with the original film for alienating entire audiences... it's obvious they didn't want it to happen again.