TL;DR – While it was not the complete disaster I feared, at no point (okay, maybe the music) did it reach the heights of the previous two films in this series.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Setting the Scene

Well, here we are, a place that I didn’t think we would see again, another Tron film. I am on the record as to how much I love it, and even more so, Tron: Legacy. They are films that live rent-free in my brain, and I was heartbroken when the original sequel to Tron: Legacy was canned in the wake of the disastrous Tomorrowland. But the wheels of time turn, and sometimes you get a second bite at the apple. Which means today we see if you can capture that Tron vibe in 2025? Also, can one casting choice torpedo your film?
 
So, to set the scene, in the years since Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) disappeared, the world has changed, and two tech companies have risen to prominence. ENCOM is led by their new CEO, Eve Kim (Greta Lee) and Dillinger Systems is run by CEO Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters). Both companies are in a race to find the code that will let items and programs from the digital world stay in the physical world for more than 29 minutes. While Eve goes looking into the past, Julian is not beyond a little dirty underhandedness and sends his chief security AI, Ares (Jared Leto), into the ENCOM systems to find out what they know so that they can steal it first.   

Production

There is a lot to break down with this film, and I want to start with one of Tron’s strengths, its production. Daft Punk was such a hard act to follow, but by gum, somehow Nine Inch Nails pulled it off. It took those familiar technological beats from the previous films and gave them a more grunge feel. Filled with drums, static, and dissonant harmonies. This perfectly counterpointed the vibe of the film and the murkier world we are working in. Also, a shout-out to all the digital artists who worked on the film, because those digital elements were spectacular. Tron always excels when it spends time on The Grid, and this film is no exception. They create a world that is so vibrant you almost want to reach out and touch it.

Action

Another area where the movie leaned heavily was the action that was interspersed from almost the opening moments. We get elaborate chase scenes through a city where you can feel the tension of predators hunting down their prey, which was a new feeling for the series. When it comes to the hand-to-hand battles, nothing quite tops the Disk Wars from Tron: Legacy, but it was a fun time watching disks fly through the air, and waves of light catching people unawares.

Cast

One area that I found myself pleasantly surprised by was the cast. Both Greta Lee & Evan Peters work really well as icons of the current state of the tech industry. The one that is trying to use new technology to benefit the world, and the other is trying to make a quick buck before we burn it all down. It helps that they link these two to the past of the series, so it gives the characters a touch more depth. Another strong point was Jodie Turner-Smith’s Athena. She might only be playing one note, but she is strumming the heck out of it. I would have liked a bit more from the supporting cast. Gillian Anderson is criminally underused, Cameron Monaghan is almost a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, and let’s face it, Jeff Bridges should have been a surprise and not part of the marketing.

Okay, and now that leads us to the elephant in the room wearing the red light-up suit: Jared Leto. I have not been a fan of his performances even before the double disasters that were Suicide Squad and Morbius. This was the biggest concern for me going in, and I can say after walking away that his performance is okay. Look, maybe being a slightly reserved and stilted computer program is the perfect fodder for how he approaches a role. Whatever the case, he didn’t torpedo the film as I feared.

Narrative

However, while his performance was just okay, that is emblematic of much of the film’s narrative. While I was glad that they didn’t just pretend Tron: Legacy didn’t happen, and the central premise of a permanence MacGuffin is a good starting point. It just felt like they took the safe options with the story for most of the runtime, which is a disappointment given where the film has come from. This is the first film to spend the majority of its runtime in the real world, and while the 29-minute gimmick is an interesting choice, I just don’t know if the real world is where these films triumph. It is a story that leans heavily on nostalgia to do a lot of the heavy lifting, and there are only so many exposition dumps that you can do to paper over that. Which meant by the end, when Tron: Ares was building to its big cataclysmic ending, I was detaching from the narrative, which made everything lose its impact.

Conclusion

In the end, do we recommend Tron: Ares? Look, it is not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination; it is just a very safe film in a series that had historically taken significant risks, and that does feel like a bit of a disappointment. Have you watched Tron: Ares? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Tron: Ares, we would recommend Tron: Legacy to you because it has more Tron in your life.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Tron: Ares
Directed by – Joachim Rønning
Story by – David DiGilio & Jesse Wigutow  
Screenplay by – Jesse Wigutow
Based on – Tron by Steven Lisberger & Bonnie MacBird
Music by – Nine Inch Nails
Cinematography by – Jeff Cronenweth
Edited by – Tyler Nelson
Production/Distribution Companies – Sean Bailey Productions & Walt Disney Pictures
Starring – Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jeff Bridges, Jared Leto, Gillian Anderson, Cameron Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Hasan Minhaj & Sarah Desjardins  
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13