Beck's Beginning (Tron: Uprising Episode 1 Review)

Tron: Uprising has just premiered and I enjoyed it.  Now I know that I've said in the past that I have not seen the original Tron and that same is true for Tron: Legacy but I'm of the belief that a show should be able to stand on it's own and thankfully, the intro sums up what happened in the first film and the events that led to Tron: Legacy and for viewers such as myself who aren't familiar with this universe, this is a nice touch but I hope that isn't an every episode deal because that would get boring.  Now I'll admit that there are some qualms such as the character designs which reminded of Iron Man: Armored Adventures, and that is not a good thing.  

Episode Title

Beck's Beginning


I don't know what it is about this title but I really like it because I just feel that it is a rather simple title that drew me in and it gets the basic idea of episode down pat without spoiling it.  That was one of my big worries about this show but I liked it.




The Plot



I swear watching this first episode,  I kept on thinking of Batman: Beyond.   It got to the point  that in my head that I started to nickname this show Tron: Beyond but I'll get when I talk about the characters later on in the review. I think this plot can best be summed by saying that we follow Beck, who after seeing one of his friends being derezzed.  (I don't know if that's right)  but the thing is that I wouldn't say that he wanted revenge but rather he wanted right the wrongs that Clu 2 has caused to his friends and the fellow programs.   For that reason alone, I was sold on Beck as a character and I want him to succeed in his journey.




The Look




Before I get to the characters,  I want to the look of Argon City and the vehicles because they look great.


Argon City

I gotta say that I really loved the look of Argon City. I don't know what it is but I love the look of Argon City, if this only just half of what the show has to offer in store of what The Grid looks like, I'm there because this location is just so gorgeous and I can't wait to explore The Grid more in this show to see what it looks like.




Light Cycle

Okay, this is going to get me some flak but I think the  Light Cycle in Uprising looks better than what I've seen of them in either film.  Again, I can't explain why but it awesome and I would love to ride one of these things.  I like the design and yeah, the vehicle may be a bi uncomfortable but I still think it would be really fun.



Light Crawler

I believe this was Beck's main vehicle and at first, I wasn't sure to make of it.  It looks weird but it's not bad.   It is a lot of fun to look at and it does some nice work but I think it is the least appealing vehicle in terms of looks.  Not a hit on it but I think the wheels being so big turn me off.



Light Cycle (Rough Terrain)

I must say that I think the design of the rough terrain Light Cycle is perhaps one of the best looking vehicles in this show.  Just something about the chain and the I think the big wheel in the back works for this vehicle, although that has to be uncomfortable to ride.








Light Copter

This has to be the best looking vehicle in the entire show. Why is the villains always get the cool looking stuff?  Tessler's Light Copter while it may look like a regular helicopter but I just love how it contrast from the rest of The Grid and while others may say that it sticks out like a sore thumb but I don't think so.   I think the different colors make it stand out and makes the presence of the villains  much more interesting.









Characters




I'll be breaking this down into Important, Supporting, & Villains With that out of the way, let's begin.



Important Characters




Beck voiced by Elijah Wood

With Beck,  he's not a bad character. In some instances, a little bland but he was a good character and had a righteous cause that I could get behind and when he took up the mantle of Tron and was fighting the villains  especially Paige, he reminded of Spidey with how fast he was with his quips.  I also have to say that he was quite strong when the original Tron was testing him, it showed how strong he was and how he was willing to stand up for what he believed is right.   I liked that and as I said throughout, he is a character that I can get behind his cause because he has given me enough reason to support him.



Tron voiced by Bruce Boxletiner

As I said earlier in the review, this show kept on reminding me of Batman: Beyond and that mostly comes from the interaction between Tron and Beck. It's not exactly the same as Bruce and Terry but the core idea of a former hero training his replacement is what made think of that and to me that is a good thing and I liked all Tron tested Beck to see if he was enough good enough to take his place and Tron saw something special in him that told him he was the right one.  Though, I have to admit there is one thing that did confuse me and that may come from the fact that I have not watched either movie but Tron states that he thinks The Grid needs Tron but he can't go out but isn't that leading the programs to believe he is still dead because most of the programs  figured out the Tron that was seen at the beginning was someone new.   I just don't understand his motive behind that, I  get that he can't fight because Clu has left him too badly damaged but why does he need to stay in hiding otherwise?

Supporting Characters






Mara voiced by Mandy Moore

Mara, one of  Beck's friends was an alright character but I'll admit that she was perhaps one of the more annoying characters. Not overly annoying but just felt out of place and her infatuation with the new Tron was a little grating. I mean when  Beck as Tron saved the programs that  were volunteered for the games, she wanted to shake his hand.   I was thinking there's no time for that run, your not safe.  Thankfully, I wasn't the only one thinking that. I will say though Mandy Moore does a good job voicing her.



Zed voiced by  Nate Corddry

Okay, the biggest character design that I hate is the design of Zed. I don't know why but I just hate the way he looks.   As for Zed, he's an okay character if not too memorable but I did agree with him when he told Mara to run.



Able voiced by Reginald VelJohnson

Now, while we didn't spend that much time with Able, I did like the time that we spent with him as he came across as the caring elder that looked after the younger programs and wanted to protect them.    It may not have been much time but I liked him.



Villains




Pavel voiced by Paul Reubens

To be honest with Pavel, I can't recall a single thing about him.  Though I think part of that comes from the fact that he is outshined by Paige who is just an awesome character and Pavel is nothing compared to her.



Paige voiced by Emmanuelle Chriqui

This character was awesome, she is a bad ass and  the best of the villains and I would go so far as to say that she's the best character in the show. I'm not one that normally likes bad ass characters but something about Paige just made her so awesome to me and I'll admit at times, when her and Beck were fighting I wanted her to win.  I just have one request regarding this character if this show does last, please keep her a villain because she is so cool as a villain but I just got the feeling during the show that later on in the show that they might make her a good guy and I hope to God, that I'm wrong because that would ruin her character as she works better as a villain.




General Tessler  voiced by Lance Henriksen

Tessler was an okay villain and I can't wait to see what else he has in store and his fight with Beck was fun but again I feel that Paige outshined him.   Though his voice actor did a great job making him feel evil and as if he were a threat.   I also like that he didn't feel campy but rather serious, that was a major concern with this show. I was afraid that the villains were going to come off as being campy but that was not the case at all.


My Final Thoughts




At the end of the day, this was a  pretty decent episode and for a non Tron fan, I feel that this was good introduction the universe. I may check out some future episodes because this was really good. Will I check out the films? Perhaps in the future but I'm still undetermined on those but  I had a blast watching this.