When it was announced that the sequel to TRON: Legacy was canceled, I was upset. The reasoning behind the cancellation didn’t help either. So I dug deep, searching for more TRON to fill the TRON-shaped void in my life. And without having to look much, I found out about the TV series TRON: Uprising. As always, I checked how many seasons it got, that was usually my furthest in measuring how good a show is, I rarely check critics because usually they have different opinions than mine anyway. And after seeing that it only got one season, I honestly wasn’t expecting much from the show. Knowing the fact that’s it was on Disney XD didn’t really raise my confidence either. But still, I decided to give it a try. And boy, I’m glad I did.
First of all, the cast’s performances are great. Elijah Wood did a great job as Beck, the rebellious main character. And Bruce Boxleitner reprised his role as Tron, the original protector of the Grid. While the character Tron himself was mostly just the usual grumpy mentor archetype, Bruce brought the authority needed for the role. Lance Henriksen(Bishop from Aliens)’s voice was threatening enough as General Tesler, who was the main antagonist in the show. Emmanuelle Chriqui’s stern-yet-sometimes-vulnerable portrayal of Tesler’s underling, Paige was another great casting choice. Meanwhile, her competitor in getting Tesler’s attention, Pavel, was voiced by Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman), he brought a menacing and sometimes comedic aspect to the character. Last but not least, there’s Mara and Zed, two of Beck’s best friends, voiced by Mandy Moore and Nate Corddry respectively.
Not only that, the story itself was… coherent, while TRON: Legacy was often criticized as having weak story and characters, and saved only by the breathtaking visuals and Daft Punk’s magnificent soundtrack, I can safely say that with Uprising, it’s different.
Set between the events of the original TRON and TRON: Legacy, Uprising follows the journey of Beck, a young program from the city Argon who is seeking to spark a revolution among his fellow programs after one of his friends was killed by the Occupation. In one of his outings, he encounters Tron, the greatest warrior known to the Grid who everyone thought was long-dead. Since Tron himself is no longer in perfect condition, he trains Beck to become Tron. The series tells the story of Beck as he adopt Tron’s identity and tries to stop General Tesler and the Opposition forces. The story flows well and never linger on one scene for too long. One of the things that I love about Uprising is that unlike TRON and Legacy, Uprising shows the Grid from the perspective of the programs, not the users. And while both TRON and Legacy suffered from overly-complex ideas (especially TRON, since it was released in 80s) with unsatisfying resolutions, Uprising has the advantage of the TV format. As it can delve deeper into the backstory of each characters and the world without seeming too rushed.
Uprising takes the two best things out of Legacy and takes it up to another level. Obviously, nothing beats the live action Grid as we’ve seen in Legacy. But the fact that this series consists of 19 episodes and all of them taking place inside the Grid means that there are far more opportunities to explore the Grid than the two movies combined. In the series, we see the sides of the Grid that we’ve never seen before. From the mountainous hideaways to the neon-filled towering landscapes. And for the music, sure, this is not Daft Punk, but it was composed by Joseph Trapanese, who collaborated with Daft Punk in Legacy. The epicness and the synthwave influence of the music was still there, but I think it had better scores for the more “emotional” scenes. And while some people say that Legacy is basically just an expensive Daft Punk music video, no one would say that Legacy is an expensive Joseph Trapanese music video. Because the soundtrack is more in the background, while sometimes in Legacy, Daft Punk’s score would take the central stage and sort of distract you from the movie. This may be a good or bad thing, depending on the person. For me, I liked this change, it gives the story and the characters more room to breathe but it definitely shines when it needs to.
Still, I have a few gripes about Uprising. First, the character design can sometimes look… a bit off, like some of the female characters has insanely long limbs, now I know that this is a science fiction/fantasy show, and of course, there’s going to be suspension of disbelief, but sometimes things like that just annoys me. Thankfully, I overlooked that specific problem quickly. Secondly, like all great shows, my main problem with Uprising is that I need more of it. To elaborate further, the season ended with a pretty significant cliffhanger and quite a few unfinished story arcs. I usually don’t mind cliffhanger and unfinished story arcs at the end of the seasons, but that usually coupled with another season following it. With Uprising, I feel like there’s so much more story to tell to bridge the gap between TRON and TRON: Legacy that is probably never going to be told. But who knows, Young Justice was in a similar position for quite a while, before the overwhelming fan demand causes WB to renew the series and make season 3.
Overall, TRON: Uprising is a fresh take on the TRON world, filled with likable characters and engaging plot, not to mention the stunning visuals and immersive soundtrack. It’s one of the best science fiction TV series I’ve ever watched, animated or otherwise. Definitely a must watch, especially if you like any of the TRON movies.
