Truth be told, it seemed as if the cards were stacked against Tron: Ares from the very beginning. Of course, there was the controversial casting of Jared Leto in the lead role. However, even ignoring that, the movie had the difficult task of matching the legacy of the prior installments in the franchise. After a long 15 years between Legacy and Ares, I walked into the movie theater praying that this movie would be good.
Simply put, Tron: Ares does not deliver. Despite its clear reverence for the original films, it fails to understand what makes the franchise great. Ares barely even feels like a Tron movie; instead more like a generic Disney blockbuster.
To me, Tron: Ares is one of the biggest disappointments of the year. It is as basic and as formulaic as a blockbuster can get. Although it does have a handful of redeeming qualities, the negatives far outweigh the positives.
Automated to a fault
Tron: Ares follows Ares (Jared Leto), an AI program created by Dillinger Systems. He is designed to be the perfect soldier, but can only maintain his physical form in the real world for 29 minutes. However, as Ares becomes increasingly more “human” and develops emotions, things begin to go downhill.
I’ve tried to make my plot summary as brief and spoiler-free as possible, but you can likely see where the movie is going based off what I’ve described alone. Ares is unfortunately a very cliché and predictable movie and is dull and uninteresting to watch. Some may be okay with these clichés, but as a movie buff I lost interest almost immediately.
Because of how formulaic Ares is, the emotional beats simply do not register with me at all. I did not care about Ares or any of the other characters because they are walking cliches with no substance. This plot could work if they tried something more original or engaging.
Personally, I find the AI angle very interesting for Tron to tackle. After all, we are in a very AI-focused world nowadays because of ChatGPT, Grok, Sora, and various other AI programs. Tron is a franchise literally about these programs, so it should be a perfect fit; and yet, the commentary is extremely half-baked and shallow.
Off the grid
If Tron has been known for one thing, it has almost certainly been its impressive VFX work and aesthetics. Tron (1982) was revolutionary for the time, and Legacy was also a massive step forward for CGI technology in movies. However, Ares honestly feels like a big step back in almost every way.
The special effects simply aren’t all that impressive and even look bad in many areas. It’s certainly a step down from Legacy, a movie that released over a decade ago. Because this is the first Tron movie primarily set in the real world, Ares ditches the slick, neon environments of The Grid in favor of an unimpressive cityscape. It’s shockingly standard: something that Tron should never be.
The new Grid looks shockingly bad compared to Legacy or even the original Tron. The color grading and art direction are lacking, and the visual effects look rubbery and less defined. It simply lacks the visual spectacle of the other Grids in the franchise, and we barely get to see it.
Ares only has a handful of truly visually engaging sequences. Without spoiling, there is a scene that pays homage to the original movie, and that was arguably the best-looking part. Besides a handful of scenes, Ares simply lacks the intrigue, scale, and sense of discovery that makes the franchise what it is.
Glitches in the system
The action is hit or miss in this movie. There are certainly some standout sequences, but a lot of the action scenes just blend together. One action scene between two armies of programs that came the closest to what I wanted from this sort of movie, but the CGI is really underwhelming. There is another solid scene involving a boat chase that I found enjoyable, but outside of those sequences I found the action dull.
The action scenes I enjoyed mostly worked because of the soundtrack. Nine Inch Nails does a fantastic job with the score, in my opinion surpassing the iconic Daft Punk score for Tron: Legacy. The score genuinely sold me on some scenes that I wouldn’t have been huge on otherwise.
The incredible score can’t salvage the dreadful third act, however. The climax features some of the dullest action I’ve seen in a big-budget blockbuster in quite some time. It’s extremely anticlimactic and uninteresting unless you are a Tron superfan.
It really feels like they didn’t know how to make a new Tron film that acknowledges the past while also making a new story. The movie tries to appeal to die-hard fans and the general audience. Ares tries to be a jack of all trades blockbuster and ends up being a master of none.
Rebooting…
Despite not living up to the standards of the franchise, Ares clearly has a lot of reverence for the Tron universe. Eagle-eyed fans will notice easter eggs around every corner, and it’s clear from watching the movie that the filmmakers clearly have passion for Tron. However, despite its best efforts, it clearly doesn’t live up to what came before.
It’s clear that Ares is supposed to serve as a soft reboot for the franchise. Based on what is set up during the movie, it’s clear that a potential sequel may be in the works. To be entirely honest, I’m not very excited for any future prospects. Ares simply does not understand what made Tron such a beloved franchise.
Despite its flaws, I can tell that Ares isn’t a simple cash grab. There was clearly passion behind bringing Tron back after such a long time, and I really do think the people behind the movie cared. That said, it almost makes the disappointment even more crushing.
Tron: Ares isn’t the worst movie of the year, but it’s certainly one of the most disappointing. At every turn, the movie stumbles over itself in one way or another. One can only hope that a sequel or continuation can redeem this subset of the franchise, but as for now, Ares serves as a stain on the franchise’s legacy.
