Let’s do another one of these… Do you think Tron is cyberpunk?

The majority of the movie takes place inside a computer and the bad guy is near the head of an evil corporation, but is that enough? The characters in the movie range from scientist to a computer programmer who owns his own arcade. Not exactly low-lifes. And the only thing that could be considered high-tech is a prototype laser in a laboratory currently under research. Otherwise, it’s a perfectly ordinary modern-day setting. There’s no breakdown in society, there’s no massive wealth gap on display (unless you count someone not getting recognition for a video game he wrote).

So are the visuals of a world inside a computer enough to call it cyberpunk?

You can watch Tron on Disney+ if you haven’t seen it before: https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/tron/4MFq1JeXEe1z

(On a side note, I’m tempted to make a weekly “is this cyberpunk?” post just to help grow the community and drive discussion)

  • Frank [he/him, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Hmm…

    On the one hand a plucky band of programmers hacking the system to stick it to the man is pretty cyberpunk, on the other hand nothing about the frame setting is.

    I’d say it’s a toss up. It’s a great depiction of a decker hacking the matrix Shadowrun style.

  • Steve@compuverse.ukEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Yes. Absolutely. No question.

    The story is about a little guy, fighting the big corporate power that already beat him once, and is trying take over everything. It also explores trans-humanist themes of person-hood, and AI.