Daft Punk's house-inspired grooves and futuristic aesthetics have inspired robotic dance moves since 1997's Homework, but 2010 marks their first move into movie scores. Tron: Legacy tells the tale of a man trapped inside his computer. An 85-piece orchestra brings gravitas to dark, dramatic tunes like "Disc Wars" and "Recognizer." But this somber mood sometimes oozes cheese, with hints of "Chariots of Fire" and traces of Enya in songs like "Sea of Simulation."
It's not until the final track that Daft Punk's cool, minimalist charm - clubby beats and vintage videogame sounds - emerges. Once the band discovers how to successfully integrate a full orchestra into this vision, it will have a truly futuristic formula to explore.