After more than four decades, Tron: Ares shifts the franchise’s premise: instead of humans entering the digital grid, programs cross back into reality. Directed by Joachim Rønning, this third entry picks up the saga years after Tron: Legacy, attempting to deepen the exploration of what digital consciousness means.
Unfortunately, this daring concept falls short of delivering a thought-provoking meditation, morphing instead into a fast-paced action spectacle resembling a tech commercial for 3D printers.
At the heart of the story is Ares (Jared Leto), a highly sophisticated AI created to be the perfect soldier. The film tracks his journey as he navigates the messy boundary between program and personhood.
Opposing him is Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), head of a rival corporation willing to exploit any means to seize control of a mysterious “permanence code,” the key to allowing digital entities to survive indefinitely in the real world.
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Supporting them is Eve Kim (Greta Lee), the cool-headed CEO of ENCOM, whose brilliance is motivated by the loss of her sister.
The Struggle to Humanize Ares
Jared Leto’s portrayal of Ares is one of the film’s greatest challenges. Tasked with embodying a machine’s awakening to human sensations, Leto delivers a visually striking presence, but his performance often feels detached and vacant.
Ares’ wonder at simple human experiences, raindrops on his arm, and the allure of music by Depeche Mode should be moments of transformation, yet Leto’s muted expressions create an emotional distance.
This detachment makes it difficult for audiences to root for Ares’ evolution or empathize with his developing conscience.
The film leans heavily on this classic Frankenstein narrative of a created being striving for autonomy. Ares encounters echoes of Kevin Flynn’s digital consciousness and wrestles with why he feels what he cannot fully understand.
While the philosophical groundwork is promising, it is hampered by a surface-level script and a frenetic editing style that often prioritizes spectacle over substance.
Visuals and Action: A Mixed Bag
One of Tron: Ares’s undeniable strengths is its visual design. With Jeff Cronenweth as cinematographer and editing by Pietro Scalia, the film boasts slick, neon-lit sequences, intense light-cycle chases, and futuristic battlegrounds that honor the original Tron’s geometric aesthetic while attempting a more modern, “naturalistic” feel.
Yet, the two realities, digital and physical, end up too similar, diluting the franchise’s trademark contrast and wonder.
Action scenes are plentiful, featuring everything from sophisticated hacking duels aboard airborne gliders to massive combat with units wielding advanced tech and weaponry. The addition of Nine Inch Nails’ pulse-pounding soundtrack promises energy but often overwhelms scenes with noise rather than momentum.
Conversational sequences during chase moments struggle to balance character development with escalating thrills, resulting in chaotic, sometimes incomprehensible exchanges.
Characters Lost in the Crossfire
Amid the action, human stories flicker but fail to fully ignite. Greta Lee’s Eve Kim brings warmth and intelligence to her role, providing the film’s emotional core, yet her motivations occasionally get buried under corporate intrigue and digital warfare.
The grief driving her efforts, losing a sister to technology’s shadow, is a missed opportunity for deeper emotional resonance.
Julian Dillinger, played by Evan Peters, embodies the reckless ambition of tech moguls but leans into villainy stereotypes without added complexity.
Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), a lethal digital program, is compelling as the embodiment of unflinching obedience, intensifying the threat against Eve and Ares. Still, the characters’ intimate struggles often feel sidelined by the film’s relentless action pacing.
Missed Opportunities and Franchise Fatigue
Tron: Ares rehashes many story beats from Legacy without expanding or critiquing the philosophical questions at the franchise’s core. Technology’s promise and peril have been central before, yet this film treats those themes more as a backdrop than driving narrative forces.
The mysterious “permanence code” symbolizes endless digital life but remains insufficiently explored beyond its plot functions.
The film’s climax revisits the original Tron grid, delivering a nostalgic visual moment that momentarily rekindles the spirit of adventure missing from much of the story. However, the scene feels more like a fleeting detour within an otherwise formulaic stretch of franchise filler.
Tron: Ares is an ambitious attempt to update a beloved sci-fi series, delivering visual dazzle and some intriguing ideas about consciousness and identity.
However, its overstuffed plot, underdeveloped characters, and lack of emotional engagement prevent it from truly resonating. Jared Leto’s Ares, while conceptually fascinating, lacks the charisma or complexity needed to anchor the film’s themes.
For long-time fans, the movie offers enough nods and high-tech spectacle to entertain in bursts. For newcomers, it may feel like a confusing, noisy action film found lacking in soul. Ultimately, Tron: Ares stands as a reminder that even the brightest neon lights cannot mask a story struggling to find its heart.
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