Zanobard Reviews

The spellbinding synthy soundscape of Daft Punk’s epic Tron: Legacy score is its heart, but the heroic main theme showcased no better than through the impeccably boppy “End Titles” is the soul that makes this album one of the better electronic film soundtracks around.

A curious sense of nobility opens Daft Punk’s score for Tron: Legacy, as first track Overture starts to play. Low-pitched, gently rising brass builds against a background of quiet electronics and strings for the first minute or so, hinting toward the main theme that then introduces itself proper at 00:50. Now credit where credit’s due, this is one hell of a theme; it’s grand and heroic, and catchy to the point where one listen has it stuck firmly in your mind. It’s introduction here is quiet at first before then exploding with sheer orchestral grandiosity, playing loudly and proudly until a thunderous percussive crescendo closes out this opening cue. With album expectations now firmly hitting the roof as a result, “The Grid” leans much more into the electronic style that the band is known for, playing atmospherically against Jeff Bridges’ opening speech from the film (but dialogue in a film score… why) until a proudly electronic rendition of the main theme bursts free to majestically close out the track alongside similarly emphatic strings. Fluttering bursts of upbeat electronics then open “The Son Of Flynn”, starting quietly before then gently building in volume and intensity with brass also appearing in the back half until the music simply fades away at the ninety second mark.

A tense percussive undercurrent kicks off “Recognizer”, with moody bursts of aggressive brass and anxious strings furthering this dramatic tone until hints toward the grandiose main theme start to emerge at the halfway point, and the track then surges toward heroism right up until its end. Moody electronic ambience is then centre stage for the two minute “Armory”, before “Arena” builds to a near-deafeningly emphatic crescendo with imposing electronics and pounding drums abound. A crashing of imposing percussion then opens “Rinzler”, with the music simmering back down into electronic ambience for a short while before building back up to a deafening percussive crescendo. The more upbeat electronics style from “The Grid” then reprises in “The Game Has Changed” alongside the imposing percussion from the prior cue and bursts of in-your-face brass, with the subsequent “Outlands” then leaping into tense action with fast-paced strings rising to a powerfully epic crescendo. “Adagio For TRON” then introduces another new theme for the album, this time a slower, much more sombre and mournful piece on sweeping strings – a theme for Tron himself. Gotta say, the way the motif swells and leaps across this frankly gorgeously serene four minute setpiece is spellbinding to listen to – another absolute thematic win from Daft Punk there.

Sombre, melancholic strings are the centre of attention in the short and rather withdrawn “Nocturne”, before the tone then switches up dramatically for the decidedly more upbeat “End Of Line” to represent the titular club in the film, with enthusiastic electronic beats hitting a funky ’80s stride throughout this entertaining cue’s almost three minute runtime. “Derezzed” straight afterward then hits a similarly party-esque vibe but now with an action twist, as loudly in-your-face synth beats thunder continually along at a rapid pace. Orchestral elements then start to re-enter the fray for “Fall”, with worrisome strings playing alongside some loud and increasingly ear-piercing electronics, though thankfully this calms back down for the much more enjoyable “Solar Sailer” with some much more relaxed electronic beats, hopeful strings and rising synth making for a rather atmospheric and indeed optimistic track overall. Ominous strings then overtake for the decidedly sinister-sounding “Rectifier”, with the aforementioned instrumentation continually building in pitch and indeed malevolence alongside surges of dramatic brass for much of the track. The rising tensions then practically explode with orchestral/electronic grandiosity in the back half of action setpiece “Disc Wars”, as building volume and intensity reach a thunderous and rather heroic fever pitch.

An eerie sense of dramatic villainy overtakes the album for “C.L.U.”, with pulsating electronics playing alongside frantic strings and infrequent bursts of loud brass that then build to a particularly intense crescendo. With the end of the score approaching, “Arrival” hints back toward the main theme (for the first time in a while actually) with noble brass and electronics cementing a rather grand yet also kind of forlorn tone. This doesn’t last for long though as the subsequent “Flynn Lives” dials up the orchestral hope quite rapidly with rising strings and further hints toward the main theme in its first half, which then culminate in a particularly grandiose full rendition of said theme on powerfully heroic brass in the second. And then as if things couldn’t get any more interesting, Standout Cue “End Titles” arrives – and what a track it is. Electronics and orchestra come together to impeccable effect here, with swelling hope and dramatic heroism firmly in centre stage as the main theme practically soars, first on the spellbinding orchestral/electronic mix before crescendoing out at the end with exquisite brassy enthusiasm. What. A. track. “Finale” then closes the score proper, starting off quietly and moodily before building to a grand orchestral flourish of the main theme.

The Complete Edition of the soundtrack then has a few bonus cues in store, starting with “Sea Of Simulation”; this track is chock full of electronic wonder, with atmospheric synthy soundscapes being the focal point. “Encom” parts II and I then heads in a somewhat similar ambient vein with the former building emphatically with strings and brass alongside the electronics, and the latter leaning into almost espionage-sounding territory with tense strings at the forefront. “Round One” then recalls the dramatic electronics from “The Grid”, with “Castor” afterward leaning into much funkier territory with loud synth beats rocking a proper ’80s vibe. The mood then turns rather dour again for the more orchestral/electronic “Reflections”, before “Sunrise Prelude” finally starts to evoke hope again as grander strings and brass hint toward the main theme. Gentle synthy piano notes and later strings then reprise the main theme fully in “Father And Son” for several rather heartfelt renditions, with final track “Outlands, Part II” harkening back to the tense strings-heavy action style of the original “Outlands” setpiece from earlier. All-in, a curious set of mostly atmospheric bonus tracks.

Overall, Daft Punk’s score for Tron: Legacy is an absolutely magnetic experience. The band’s ever-enthusiastic compositional style is of course the best thing about it, with electronic cues like the grandiose “The Grid” or the funk-infused “End Of Line” being pretty stellar (the latter in particular for its unapologetic upbeatness throughout) and the stylistic wonder doesn’t end there as the band also make extensive and indeed excellent use of orchestra, with “Adagio For TRON” being the absolute best of the dramatic bunch there. The brightest highlights of the score are then when these two styles are brought together (and the impeccably catchy main theme flies happily alongside), with standout tracks like the sublimely heroic “Flynn Lives” or the frankly phenomenal “End Titles” showcasing just how uniquely entertaining Daft Punk’s work here is. The band’s synthy soundscapes also pretty perfectly encapsulate the intense wonder of the Grid in the film itself too, to the point where I don’t think the movie would be half as entertaining without it – and that’s no small feat.

All-in it’s rare to hear a film score that so effortlessly holds up and emboldens the film it’s made for and is immensely entertaining to boot, but Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy simply does both in soaring spades. Now let’s see Nine Inch Nails’ Tron: Ares.

Score: 9/10

Standout Cues: Flynn Lives, End Titles

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