Tron
A renegade arcade developer becomes trapped inside a dazzling computer world where he must resist an authoritarian program through gladiatorial games and digital rebellion.
Overview
A hacker's journey through a digital universe where survival means outsmarting a malevolent force.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- neon-lit
- playful
- propulsive
- retro sci-fi night
- video game movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the film delivers dazzling, innovative technological spectacle and entertaining action while weakening its impact with a thin, emotionally distant story.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The cyberspace sequences use fluorescent grids, lightcycles, illuminated discs, and abstract computer landscapes as their defining imagery.
Kevin Flynn is broken down into data and reconstituted inside the computer system, where the action follows game-like digital rules.
The Master Control Program holds digital beings captive and governs the computer world through coercion and surveillance.
The film draws directly on early-1980s computer systems, video games, hackers, and the cultural excitement surrounding new digital tools.
Films like Tron, and why
The Matrix
Shares pioneering computer-generated spectacle, cyberpunk-inflected virtual worlds, artificial intelligence, and accessible action-adventure.
Ready Player One
Shares neon-lit technological dystopia, digitally mediated identity, and a protagonist navigating a hostile artificial environment.
WarGames
Shares colorful electronic design, machine-centered adventure, and a human protagonist confronting an emergent computer intelligence.
Movie Details
- Director
- Steven Lisberger
- Release Date
- 1982-07-09
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (2879)
Cast
- Jeff Bridges
- Bruce Boxleitner
- David Warner
- Cindy Morgan
- Barnard Hughes
- Dan Shor
- Peter Jurasik
- Tony Stephano
- Craig Chudy
- Vince Deadrick Jr.
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Disney Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Tron about?
- A renegade arcade developer becomes trapped inside a dazzling computer world where he must resist an authoritarian program through gladiatorial games and digital rebellion.
- What is Tron like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Tron as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Tron violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Tron as mild.
- What did critics think of Tron?
- Critics broadly agreed that the film delivers dazzling, innovative technological spectacle and entertaining action while weakening its impact with a thin, emotionally distant story.
- Which films are like Tron?
- Films with a similar feel include The Matrix, Ready Player One, and WarGames.
- How long is Tron?
- Tron runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Tron?
- In United States, Tron streams on Disney Plus.
