Disney surprised physical media fans by announcing 4K releases of two eagerly awaited films: the 1982 classic *Tron* and its 2010 sequel, *Tron: Legacy*. Both movies were visually groundbreaking for their time, and *Tron: Legacy* also boasts impressive sound design. Given their dedicated fanbase and the importance of the visual and audio experience, it’s surprising it took so long for 4K versions to become available.
Earlier this month, Disney announced limited edition 4K Blu-ray releases for both *Tron* and *Tron: Legacy*. However, like many Disney and Sony releases, the supply couldn’t meet the high demand. This meant it was hard to buy either film this week, with many pre-orders being cancelled and websites quickly selling out. Thankfully, the picture and sound quality on both releases are excellent, so hopefully more copies will become available soon to satisfy eager fans.
I received review copies of both movies and have included photos of the special SteelBook packaging in this review. If you’re interested in buying either 4K disc, you can check Walmart or Amazon, but availability has been inconsistent.
Now that I’ve shown you the photos, I won’t dwell on what the SteelBooks look like. The artwork for *Legacy* could have been a little more imaginative, but both films have visuals that naturally create striking posters and images. It would be difficult for either SteelBook to look dull, and thankfully, neither does. Personally, I think the original *Tron* has the more appealing packaging.
If you collect movies or are a big fan of the *Tron* films, these SteelBook editions are perfect for your collection. Currently, these are the only way to own the movies on 4K disc, as standard releases aren’t available yet.
Both films have been beautifully restored in 4K with stunning visuals thanks to DolbyVision and HDR10, and immersive sound with Dolby Atmos. However, the process of getting them to this high-quality 4K version was quite different for each one.
The classic film *Tron* recently underwent a complete restoration, carefully supervised by its director, Steven Lisberger. Using original negatives shot on various formats – including 35mm, 65mm, and VistaVision – the restoration is truly stunning. *Tron*’s visuals are better than ever, particularly the digital world of The Grid, while still retaining the film’s original texture and grain. This gives the film a wonderful, nostalgic quality – it looks like a pristine, high-quality film reel. The newly added Dolby Atmos soundtrack is also exceptional, as you’d expect. This restoration achieves the ideal balance: significant visual improvements that honor the film’s age and history.
The film *Tron: Legacy* also benefits from a 4K upgrade, with director Joseph Kosinski again supervising the process. However, *Legacy* was filmed using different techniques than the original *Tron*, reflecting the advancements in filmmaking over time, and this leads to a noticeably different visual experience.
Tron: Legacy was filmed digitally, giving it a polished and somewhat artificial look. For this release, the original digital footage, which was 2K, has been enhanced to 4K. While many collectors prefer film, upscaling Tron: Legacy actually improves the viewing experience, and is a justifiable choice in this case.
While the visuals in *Tron: Legacy* still hold up beautifully, the standout feature is truly the sound design. The audio, especially the memorable Daft Punk score, has always been the film’s biggest strength, and the 4K upgrade really showcases it. The music sounds fantastic on any home surround sound system, and thankfully, it doesn’t overpower the dialogue or other effects-though some might even say that would make the movie even better.
The biggest disappointment with the 4K releases of both *Tron* and *Tron: Legacy* is the lack of new bonus content. While the *Tron* 4K has a bit more than *Legacy*, it’s reasonable to expect limited new material for a film that’s four decades old. However, there’s no good reason why the *Legacy* disc offers so little – all the special features included were simply carried over from the older Blu-ray versions.
With the new *Tron: Ares* movie coming soon, it would have been a great time to revisit and promote the original *Tron*. Plus, since the first film was only released 15 years ago, many of the people who worked on it are still working in the movie industry. Even a short preview of *Tron: Ares* would have been a welcome addition for fans who are still buying physical copies of movies.
Despite a few shortcomings, these 4K SteelBook editions are the best way for fans to experience the *Tron* films. The original movie has never looked better, and likely won’t. The biggest problem right now is simply finding a copy to buy. Hopefully, Disney will follow Sony’s lead with these limited SteelBooks (like those for *Tombstone*, *Kingdom of Heaven*, and *Master and Commander*). Sony initially released expensive 4K sets as complete collections, then later made each film available individually. It would be great if Disney used a similar strategy, creating buzz and exclusivity with these SteelBooks before releasing standard 4K versions. We’re hoping for either a restock soon, or individual releases in the future.
Copies of Tron and Tron: Legacy were provided for the purpose of this review.
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2025-09-19 23:40