Tron, 1982, looks like an extended game of Tetris compared with this 21st century remake, Tron: Legacy. The 2D landscape has been exchanged for a slick and holographic three dimensional terrain (2:03), more akin to scenes from The Matrix and Independence Day. And most notably the combat scene has been transformed from a split-screen arcade style version of bat and ball, to a face-to-face fight to the death.

But the differences don't stop at the aesthetics. Tron was the vocalisation of a growing fear of technology. This modern fear is a burden of the baby-boomers, which would have little or no relevence to the tech-savvy millenials.  

The post-modern treatment of the light-cycle sequence highlights this difference, where the mechanics of the 2010 bikes adhere to real-time physics, and the vehicles of the 1982 version adhere to the rules of the computer.

 

Safety

1983

 Who would have thought that a Disney movie targeted at children would see so many riders on motorcycles sans helmet? Sure, they're computer programs, not real people, and the rider is entirely encapsulated within the lightcycle. But other than the cycle bar, you go in with what you're wearing.

2010

How things have changed! Not only are these guys wearing helmets, but they're wearing full face helmets and what looks like the head-to-toe recommendations of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Helmet, padded gloves, over-the-ankle boots, eye protection, a body suit with pads on the shoulders, elbows and knees. Additionally, the suit lights up for maximum visibility whenever you're on the cycle. Other safety features include a nice bright headlight on the front of the cycle. There's a light on the back, but as with the original, close-up viewing can be terminal.

Acceleration and Power Curve

1983

The original lightcycles seem to have a drive system that delivers power directly to the ground without the wheels acting as mediators, causing instantaneous forward momentum. You grab the cycle bars, get down into position and you're off like a shot without the need to accelerate over time. You can go faster than this, but you already start a good clip.

2010

You can form your lightcycle in mid-air, but the trailer shows the lightcycle hitting the ground rear wheel first with a bounce. This indicates a nod to real-world physics, in terms of the power being delivered to the rear wheel, driving the cycle forward. It seems as though you can get a boost of speed by changing the cycle's configuration on the fly into a longer, lower machine. This is the only lightcycle indication of something analogous to shifting a real motorcycle. There's a simple click, but once the cycle is down you can power into what looks like the next-highest gear.

Turning

1983

When the lightcycles are on the game grid, it's nothing but forward velocity and right-angle turns. From the sound they make, it seems as though while no momentum is lost in the turn, the engine slows down a touch to let you power out of the turn, with the sound of the engine rising. When the lightcycles are out of the game grid, they can turn at much softer angles, but it's a slower motion that seems gimballed.

2010

Unfortunately, we don't see these cycles on the game grid in existing footage. However, they turn like real motorcycles in a non-grid scenario. It's standard look-press-roll on these turns, and we even get to see a little textbook swerving out of these machines, pressing on the handles while keeping the body independent of cycle lean.

Braking

1983

Braking really isn't a feature of the original lightcycles, other than to proceed to a stop so you can pull your form out of the cycle itself.

2010

The new lightcycles feature a retractable 'wind brake' that appears to slow the cycle in record time. Unlike a real cycle, it doesn't seem to be linked to any kind of front-brake/rear-brake combination motion, but it's possible that the activation of the wind brake is automatically tied to a succession of downshifts for engine braking.

1982: computers make the rules

2010: safety first in a human world