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Parents' Guide to

TRON

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Dated and mediocre but kid-friendly sci-fi from Disney.

Movie PG 1982 96 minutes
TRON Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 10+

Tron Movie Review By Logan Strohl

While it may not be the best video game movie from Disney. Tron is still a pretty great disney movie. Great cast, story and score. Fun for video game fans and moviegoers.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
age 8+

Dated, But Still Worth The Watch

Although nobody ever talks about this movie, it is definitely worth mentioning. I watched it after seeing Tron: Legacy, and even though I was disappointed in how dated it was, I still enjoyed it as a lead up to Legacy's story line. Another good thing about it is that many of the same actors were used for both films, so it is a fairly seamless transition. As for the movie itself, yes, it is a little cheesy. And yes, the effects are beyond horrible, but if you can get past that, you might find it worth your time. And for kids, it is still suitable, with only a couple "damn"s and some light sci-fi action. That's why my recommendation is, don't sleep on it, especially if you like Tron: Legacy and want to see where it all started.

This title has:

Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (18 ):

TRON offers mediocre sci-fi, but is agreeably kid-friendly, for the most part. It boasted revolutionary CGI special effects in the early 80s, although it probably will not impress modern kids. The basic premise is something out of The Flintstones: inside computers dwell little guys, who do tasks assigned to them as programs. For audiences of 1982, many of whom had never touched a keyboard or mouse, that seemed easier to accept than it might for later, PC-savvy generations.

As in many f/x spectacles, characters aren't too interesting. Flynn, as a mighty "user" incarnated as a fragile program (the unexpected Christian angle is one of the more inventive things about the predictable plot) wields ill-defined, demi-godlike powers. In other words, he's a cheat code. Though it failed to captivate viewers of all ages the way Star Wars or even 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea did, Tron maintained enough interest to generate a sequel a quarter-century later.

Movie Details

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