28 years ago, Tron hit theaters to generally negative reviews and disappointing box office returns. By all measures, it was a flop. However, it was visually stunning and computer-heavy in a time when the few tech-savvy users around were still clacking away on text terminals. It became a cult hit, beloved by geeks everywhere. Now, almost 3 decades, several video games, a handful of online memes, and a few terrible Korean rip-off animations, Tron finally gets a sequel in the form of Tron: Legacy.

Reactions have been mixed, but the best I can say about this film is that it suffers and benefits from the Starship Troopers effect. It’s not a good movie, but it’s entertaining as hell if you switch your brain off and just stare at it. If you like eye and ear candy and don’t care about things like “acting” and ‘storytelling,” Tron: Legacy is freaking awesome. That should tell you all you need to know, but for a more in-depth look at the film, hit the jump.

Tron: Legacy looks amazing. The Grid really looks like the world of Tron, updated with 2010 computer graphics and special effects technology. While everything that was white (the body suits, the helmets, the light cycles) is a glossy PlayStation 3-like black now, the aesthetic is completely Tron. While so much is obviously green screened, it’s seamless and smooth, making it easy to turn off your brain and enjoy the light show.

The special effects are gorgeous, especially during the disc combat and vehicle scenes. Everything from the rendering of the light cycles to the shattering glass-like de-rezzing of programs looks mind-blowing. From a purely visual perspective, Tron: Legacy is the Avatar of 2010.

Aurally, Tron: Legacy is much more cohesive than the vast majority of action and sci-fi movies out there. Daft Punk’s score fits perfectly with the theme and mood of the film, with just enough pounding beats to offset the otherwise laid back trance feel of the soundtrack. If you want a generic techno-heavy soundtrack like The Matrix or Blade, you’ll be disappointed. If you loved The Dust Brothers’ pitch-perfect treatment of Fight Club, you’ll love the Tron: Legacy soundtrack.

Unfortunately, for all the great visuals and music, Tron: Legacy is held back by terrible acting and a scattershot plot. Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner bring the bulk of the film’s talent. Unfortunately, Bruce gets maybe 10 minutes of screentime, and Jeff seems to be channeling Jeffrey Lebowski a lot more than Kevin Flynn in his portrayal of the decades-stranded user-turned-pseudo-zen-master. It doesn’t help that he spends most of the film in a neon bathrobe. His acting as CLU-2 is excellent, however, with a convincing rage that not only set him apart from Kevin Flynn’s character, but really gave the impression of a betrayed, obsessive program fighting against what he sees to be a living god who wronged him.

Everyone else in the movie bites hard. Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde’s Sam Flynn and Quorra are uninteresting, cardboard cutouts who somehow are held forth as the film’s protagonists. Michael Sheen plays Zuse, a ridiculously hammy “wild card” character who acts like David Bowie on nitrous oxide and who will either grate on you, or amuse you and then grate on you.

Tron: Legacy’s plot is perhaps its biggest failing, simply because of the seemingly endless wasted narrative. While the film doggedly follows its “A” plot, it manages to pick up and immediately drop potential “B,” “C,” “D,” “E,” “F,” and “G” plots in the process. Hey, that character looks interesting- no, wait, he just died. Hey, they mentioned something deep and fascinating- no, I guess we’re not going to talk about it again. Wait, so there are these magical things- wait, they were gone before the movie started. Holy crap, thats- wait, no, nevermind. Besides the basic plot of “Sam’s on the computer. He has to get home!” there really isn’t anything beyond Tron: Legacy’s story despite its own noble attempts to introduce other elements. There simply isn’t any follow-through or real exploration of the fascinating concepts the film constantly rushes past.

This is the biggest weakness of Tron: Legacy. It doesn’t stop long enough to actually look at the ideas it brings up. CLU-2 is the villian, but he was betrayed by his creator. Kevin Flynn discovered that there’s an entire universe in computers. Sam Flynn reunites with his dad after more than 20 years. Even Tron himself is wasted, another concept barely touched on when it should have been a significant part of the film. Disney could have done so much more with the story, and instead it falls flat.

I liked Tron. It looked great, sounded great, and was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t a good movie, squandering its potential and offering acting that George Lucas could have directed last decade. Tron: Legacy is strictly a guilty pleasure, like The Fifth Element or Starship Troopers. Enjoy it, but don’t expect it to be very good.