Unfortunately, I came to TRON: LEGACY predisposed to dislike it, as I saw the first TRON last year and I didn't like that either. Maybe if I saw it as a kid in the 1980s I would have liked it more, but it just felt cheesy and horribly dated. TRON: LEGACY offers more of the same with updated and more impressive CGI graphics, but it's equally soulless.

The problem with this film (and its predecessor) is a simple one: it's no fun watching other people play computer games. Playing yourself is fine, yeah - if you were the protagonist in this you'd be having a ball - but watching someone else? There's no fun. No danger, no excitement, just lots of endless chase and fight sequences all augmented by plentiful computer graphics. The graphics are pretty but soon become uninteresting, and the film gradually gets worse and worse as it goes on, only to end in the most perfunctory and unsurprising way imaginable.

Garrett Hedlund's protagonist is underwritten and the actor struggles to bring life to it, although Olivia Wilde isn't bad as the eye candy. As for Jeff Bridges, well, he's Jeff Bridges, and he's Jeff Bridges more often than not these days. His older character is okay, but the young, evil version of him is just a mildly impressive computer graphic with dead eyes; attempts to engage with him as a proper character fall flat. James Frain and Michael Sheen are unrecognisable beneath heavy makeup and both overact.

If you're a fan of CGI action, then you might just enjoy TRON: LEGACY. There are bloodless fights galore, people exploding into glass, and some cool-looking aerial combat. But after about an hour, I realised I'd had enough. The story quickly becomes as monotonous as the Daft Punk soundtrack, and once more I was left feeling dejected at the way Hollywood has once more pandered to the whims of its teenage boy audience.

I saw the first "Tron" film decades ago—and I must say I never exactly understood why it has risen to cult status. When I recently went to the New York Comic-con, the patrons were just salivating at the prospect of its long-anticipated sequel—it was obviously a film some looked at as akin to the second coming! So, I know that whatever I write, the truly dyed in the wool lovers of the franchise will hate what I have to say. Take my review as a review for the non-"Tron" lover—and especially 46 year-old guys who fall in this category.

My feeling is that the film is wonderful on some levels but poor in perhaps the most important area—the plot. If you don't mind a confusing plot and don't mind just turning off your brain and enjoying the film in all its 3-D glory, then you will have a good time. However, and this is important, I probably would NOT recommend you see it any other way—not on DVD and certainly not when it's come to cable. You miss so much—not just the 3-D but the immersive soundtrack by Daft Punk. Experience it…just don't try to think about the mind-bending and ultimately clichéd plot (wow, did I see the ending coming a bazillion miles away---you just know by formula and "The Hero's Journey" what MUST happen to Jeff Bridges at the end).

By the way, you may wonder WHY I saw the film in the first place. I am currently on a Disney cruise and this ship has a state of the art 3-D theater with Disney first-run films. My daughter saw it last night and said it was great but the plot was the worst part of the film. So, we both returned tonight and saw it and were pretty much in agreement about the film's merits and deficits. We loved the artistry but both felt the plot had HUGE holes.

Also, one thing that was cool but bothersome about the film is how good the CGI has become. Jeff Bridges is in the film in both his current look and a computer-enhanced 1980s Jeff Bridges. While the 1980s Jeff was not perfect (its face was a bit too smooth),it was so incredibly close that I worry that we'll soon see films with dead actors or using clips from various previous movies—creating something even worse than colorization!!

I actually wasn't expecting to enjoy TRON:Legacy, but coming from someone who is fond of the original 1982 film, I did. TRON:Legacy isn't a perfect movie though, then again neither was the original movie. The film thematically is deeper than the original, but there are some parts where it comes across as rather formulaic for my tastes. Also while the characters are likable, they aren't given that much depth, and again while the dialogue is intriguing at most some of it is weak and dare I say stilted.

That said, TRON:Legacy has a lot to redeem it. Jeff Bridges is great and Garett Hedlund is likable, but when it comes to the acting the film is stolen by a gleefully enjoyable Michael Sheen and a wonderfully edgy Olivia Wilde. The action sequences and chases are very exciting, and help keep the momentum of the pace and story going, and the soundtrack is just fantastic. But the real revelation is in the film's look. The film looks amazing and one of the most visually stylish films of the year- I just loved the cinematography and editing and the special effects and use of neons are outstanding.

In conclusion, a surprisingly enjoyable film that I wasn't expecting to like. 7/10 Bethany Cox