StuckInPanels cartoon reviews: Tron Uprising Prologue: Beck’s begging
Hey there friends, there will be comic reviews this week. This review is a special review of the newly released Disney XD animated series Tron Uprising, a prequel to Tron Legacy. This episode was a special Prologue episode to introduce the viewers into the world properly. I do my review in a style similar to my comic reviews. A note, some slight spoilers are in this review.
Story: The prologue introduces us to a program named Beck, a mechanic by trade, who’s area on the grid gets occupied by the now tyrannical Clu. He is being interrogated by one of Clu’s henchmen. Beck witnesses the death of a friend, this causes him to change his appear to look like Tron, the hero of the Grid who is long said to be dead. He destroys statue of Clu and gets chased down by a femme fatale villainess. Everything comes full circle when Beck gets free from the henchman, who is revealed to be Tron. Beck tries to lay low but soon his friends are taken by the second main bad guy, Tesler. Beck dons the look of Tron once again and saves his friends but soon is greeted by Tesler and they have an epic battle. Beck manages to outmatch Tesler and lives to fight another day. Beck returns to Tron and swaps Identity discs, making Beck the new Tron and a new hope for the grid.
Review
-Story: The premiere episode of this series was fantastic; from start to finish the episode tells you everything you need to know. The plot is pretty basic at best, let me get that out of the way, this idea of a youth taking over the mantle has been done before (Batman Beyond). However they really take the idea and play it up differently with the story told in backstory then immediately continuing after the backstory where we see everything proper set up. The show has some pretty interesting set pieces and action beats, some of it better done that Earths Mightiest Heroes, the light cycle chase sequence are always a delight. Also the episode is pretty violent, we watch people DIE on screen, I know that in the Grid they call it Deresolution aka Derez, but it’s essentially them being killed, thus making this the most violent thing Disney XD has produced. In terms of it being a prequel series, it’s interesting of a concept since we know that Tron becomes Rinzler, the primary enforcer for CLU, and CLU has complete control over the grid. The great question is whether this show will end on a high note or be a dark ending that sets up for Legacy. So far I am impressed with what was shown.
-Animation: This is where the show has some really unique style of animation. It’s a CGI heavy series that takes the main aesthetic of Tron Legacy, due to its timeline of the grid. The look is very interesting, it’s somewhat hard to describe, the style takes some interesting liberties, Tron himself has a white outfit similar to the 80s movie, which Beck soon dons at the end of the episode. The looks of the villains are a great mixture of the old and new, Tesler himself looks to be the more interesting villain than Clu, thanks to his super extending hands. The best moments are the action beats and the light cycle chase sequences.
-Voice Acting: The show has some really great talent behind it, I’m impressed by the cast they have brought together. Elijah Wood is the voice of Beck, the main hero, and he does a good job with conveyor the character and emotion that Beck goes through. Lance Henrikshen as the main bad guy Tesler is just pure awesome, he always sounds menacing. The voice actor they got for CLU does a really great Jeff Bridges. The other voice actors do a fair job.
-Soundtrack: The music is heavily influenced by the Tron Legacy soundtrack which means these are Daft Punk tracks, that makes this series that more awesome.
-Summary: Overall this was a well done, well-paced, well-acted, uniquely animated, action heavy, dark, science fiction show that shouldn’t be missed. If you are a Tron fan, this show will cater to you, if you are new to Tron; watch the original, then this, then Legacy for an effective tale to be told. I think Disney has a real hit on their hands.
-Grade: I give this episode an A+
Catch you all later when I have my comic reviews posted. A nice batch of comics are coming out this week.
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