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Buy Your Own Tron Lightcycle For $35,000
ElectricSteve writes "The lightcycle scene was probably the most memorable part of an absolutely jaw-dropping movie when Tron was released in 1982. One of the first films to use the kinds of computer-generated special effects that later become commonplace, it was a glimpse into a whole new world that left an indelible impression on most who saw it. Now, as Disney prepares to release Tron Legacy, a sequel some 28 years after the original, the lightcycles are back and looking meaner than ever. Built by the same guys who did the memorable Batpod replica, the new lightcycles feature massive dual hubless wheels, carbon fiber/fiberglass bodies, and all the lashings of neon that you'd expect. And there will be five running models built — all of which are now up for sale on eBay for a cool $35,000."
Yeah, there are way too many movies which use CGI as a substitute for decent plot, but it sort of irks me when people (typically artsy snobs) generalize this to say that CGI alone is always insufficient to make a film. I won't pretend there aren't movies that I enjoy just for the eye candy, if it's good enough; film is a sensory experience, after all. Avatar had no plot to speak of, and was carried along just by the visuals, but I felt I got my money's worth. You're of course welcome to disagree, but try to understand that movies are entertainment, and can qualify as "entertainment" for different reasons, including looking really pretty. Tron Legacy might be like that.
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Your UID suggests you should get off my lawn. :D
Those of us who were kids when it came out loved it, and the sequel (not a remake) seems well timed, to me. The movie was not a plotless dud, it was a kinda-confusing people-didn't-get-it (and a couple of plot holes didn't help) dud in the box office. TRON was redeemed by cable TV, VHS, and DVD.
And the cycles kick ass. So, get off my lawn :D
I don't know about you, but my servers run on the power of cotton candy and happy thoughts. -Anonymous Coward
Now, I'm not saying you're wrong or anything, but be grateful the mods don't have at their disposal an option for "-1, Heresy". [aforementioned option would also likely be liberally applied within comments on stories about Linux]
I only post comments when someone on the internet is wrong.
For me, a big part of it was that it was a movie about computers, back when computers didn't really enter most people's consciousnesses. As someone who was totally obsessed with them (I'm about a decade younger than you), I was completely captivated by it. It also didn't hurt that frisbee was my favorite sport at the time.