TRON 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

TRON 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 13, 2025

Note: With the impending theatrical release of Tron: Ares in about a month as of the writing of this review, Disney / Buena Vista is/are offering fans a chance to revisit the first two Tron films with new 4K SteelBook editions that also include, well, "legacy" 1080 discs. And for those already up in arms about the no all caps on both the link to the new movie and mention of the other two films, the thumbnail titles on those selfsame legacy 1080 discs have the same orthography, which may indicate the revisionist history about "the way it should be" or "has always been" may not be able to completely elude actual historical artifacts.

TRON (or Tron, as the case may be) probably seems hopelessly quaint to younger eyes in particular, with its supposedly "high tech" look "inside" a computer via what are no undeniably kind of clunky looking special effects. It may also be salient to remember that despite its ultimate reputation, TRON wasn't a box office bonanza back in the day, either despite or because of those aforementioned special effects. Still, the film deserves mention as a pioneering effort in combining CGI with live action, and while, yes, dated, it's still often a fun thrill ride.

TRON received a 1080 release (way?) back in 2011, and Ken Brown's TRON Blu-ray review provides a plot recap, list of supplements, and Ken's reaction to the technical presentation. In my ongoing mantra of "different reviewers means different opinions", I'm evidently a bit fonder of this first TRON outing than Ken was and my score for the film reflects that difference of opinion.

TRON 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

TRON is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.20:1. Kind of surprisingly, the people handling this release didn't provide a ton of background on what was evidently a rather long and elaborate restoration for this new 4K release. An accompanying press sheet does mention that the film "was digitally scanned and carefully restored by The Walt Disney Film Restoration team, who corrected dirt, warping, and other imperfections to ensure pristine image quality" and that "the work was supervised by director Steven Lisberger". What the press sheet fails to mention is that (according to all the internet sleuthing I was able to do) the live action elements were scanned in 8K from the original negative, with the CGI special effects being scanned at 6K. The cleanup and restoration effort reportedly took months. The result is really stunning looking, and perhaps somewhat ironically and even a little comically, it's those "quaint" special effects that really are the most impressive looking moments in the film, at least in terms of the added nuance of the HDR / Dolby Vision grades. While detail levels are probably understandably most "observable" in the actual "real world" sequences offering actual humans in actual practical locations, the palette in those moments is frankly a bit dowdy looking when stacked up to all of the "inside the computer" bits. The film's emphasis on blue and red tones offers some sumptuous highlights in the 4K presentation, and black levels are also consistently impressive. Best of all, at least for those who, like I tend to do, don't always like the look of how grain resolves in 4K, the grain field is very tight and consistent throughout the presentation.

TRON 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

TRON gets an equally impressive upgrade in the audio department with a new Dolby Atmos track. Wafting surround activity is noticeable from the first moments, with a wash of effects that is probably admittedly subtle when compared to some of the bombastic goings on later in the film, but which clearly establishes uses of the surround channels. Both some of the crowd material at Flynn's as well as the more action oriented scenes in the computer have some absolutely fantastic engagement of the side and rear channels, and the light cycle sequence also offers some really fun panning effects. The perceived "cave" of the interior of the computer also offers some interesting differences in general hall ambience when compared to the "outside world" moments in this Atmos track that I never really noticed before on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the old 1080 disc. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

TRON 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K disc in this package offers no supplementary content. See Ken's review linked to above for the bonus content available on the 1080 disc. Along with its "sibling", this first TRON film is being packaged in an appealing looking SteelBook that offers Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan on the front panel (with, maybe surprisingly, a much smaller Jeff Bridges), and with the rear panel offering the iconic image of an Identity Disc being raised up. The interior panels offer the iconic light cycles. A digital copy is enclosed. The score above is based on the supplements available on the 1080 disc plus the added allure of the SteelBook.

TRON 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As a historical curio, TRON is unmatched. As an actual story and with regard to seemingly "timeless" special effects, things may be a bit less stellar. I actually love the film for all its now dated elements, and frankly maybe because of those dated elements. Technical merits on the 4K presentation are first rate, and collectors should certainly like the SteelBook design. Highly recommended.