The film’s extreme stylization — dark backgrounds, glowing neon colors, polygonal landscapes, geometric vehicles, and an absence of external lighting — was an aesthetic decision that embraced the limitations of computer-generated imagery. “The actual process of making something out of polygons, then shading it, became a design influence,” explains Taylor. “Not only was the film made with computers, but it was about cyberspace.”
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Tron’s story of humans interacting with sentient computer programs in an electronic world placed the narrative ahead of its time as well. In 1982, the term “cyberspace” had just been coined by science fiction author William Gibson. In another two years, Gibson’s seminal work Neuromancer would launch the cyberpunk genre. —Mike Winder —You Down with MCP? Twenty-five years later, ‘Tron’ and other ‘geek’ classics are more compelling than ever (LA City Beat)