Saw this two weeks ago and forgot to post my thoughts, which is strange, cause I really liked the movie. I had a lot, a lot of fun. I was kinda surprised, as I figured with all the negative reports, it would mostly be an unenjoyable, mindless action film. I guess one can call it mindless action to an extent, but for me, it actually had some heart to it. I didn't really have any problems with Hedlund, and I actually found myself invested in his relationship with Flynn. There was a bit of substance there, and it was enough I think to make me at least care about their reunion and subsequent separation. I loved Quorra too. She was a fun character to watch, and the ending with her experiencing the sun was fairly touching. I really liked that. It also helps that Olivia Wilde was freakin beautiful as all hell in the movie. I was never a huge fan of hers (haven't seen enough of her work to be honest) but I think I might become one after this.
On a purely audio-visual level...wow. I saw it in IMAX 3D, and while the 3D wasn't particularly existent, the IMAX presentation was frackin awesome.
I was kinda shocked that the fact that a large portion of the film took up the entire IMAX screen hasn't been talked about too much. That was pretty revolutionary when TDK did it, and Legacy used it fairly frequently when in the Grid. In conjunction with the awesome production design and popping colors, I found this to be one of the more immersive theater experiences I've had in a while.
And Daft Punk. A-W-E-S-O-M-E! This was probably the first time I've ever gone into a movie after already listening to the score countless times, and that in no way ruined the experience. In some ways, I think it added to it. I'd be lying if I said that there weren't any times when I was bopping my head or tapping my feet during the film. The fight in Castor's club set to 'Derezzed,' and then transitioning into 'The Fall' when Flynn lands on the dance floor... F YEAH! Wanted to pump my fist in the air. LOL. One of my fave sequences of events (in terms of strictly audio and visual collaboration) of the year.
Anyhow, I can certainly understand the complaints about the film, but I dunno, somehow I ended up really enjoying it, and I really want to make an effort to catch it in IMAX again before it leaves. It was just a really cool and fun experience.