TRON: Ares – A Flawed Yet Enthralling Experience (Early Review)

It’s been 15 years since audiences last entered The Grid and the world of Tron with Joseph Kosinski’s “Tron: Legacy.” While it received a divided response at the time from critics and audiences, the film eventually did find its audience, becoming a cult favorite much in the vein of the 1982 original, which received a mixed response before finding fans over the next 20 years. However, in 2025, technology has never been more advanced and under a more careful microscope as AI becomes more and more prevalent in our world. Through Tron: Ares, director Joachim Rønning tackles those aspects, but also does something the last two Tron installments have only hinted at as a possibility: bringing the Grid to our world.

The plot of Tron: Ares is pretty straightforward: at the height of AI advances and technological breakthroughs, Ares (Leto) is a superpowered program brought to life with all the defense capabilities needed to take on an army by himself. He is completely expendable in the battlefield, but can also be rebuilt instantly if he goes down in battle. However, as he receives more directives and begins acting on them, he begins to wonder if everything he is doing is worth it, and also what his place in the universe is, and if he has a grander purpose beyond being a program. However, as the digital world begins to enters reality, disastrous consequences unfold. All of this is taking place at a time when two major tech conglomerates are going head-to-head, as they try desperately to find something that could hopefully help them crack the code to making the digital world real.

The first two ‘Tron’ films are often discussed as being pioneers on a technical level upon release. From the visual effects advances made with the original, to the IMAX and VFX upgrades achieved in Tron: Legacy, both are highly successful in those departments and are still highly regarded to this day, as well as their soundtracks, particularly Daft Punk’s score for ‘Legacy,’ one that is still regarded as one of the best of the 21st century. ‘Ares’ builds upon that legacy in very successful ways. From seeing Ares being constructed in the Grid, to light cycles on the streets of Culver City ripping through a police car, to a Recognizer flying above the skyline launching light jets, the film is a visual marvel from start to finish. Boasting some of the best effects of the year, they are further powered by a booming sound design that brings these digital vehicles to roaring life and a thunderous, phenomenally composed score by Nine Inch Nails that comes very, very close to matching the heights of Tron: Legacy. Rønning’s direction is also mostly solid, effectively capturing the vast scale and scope of the Grid, and making the different programs and vehicles that emerge from it feel like a threat, particularly when a Recognizer towers over people on the street and fires upon incoming F-18s.

As Ares, Leto plays the part fairly decently, bringing to life an AI that is beginning to think for itself and realize there is more to the world than being an expendable asset. His actions are often without much emotion, until he begins to meet more people in the real world, like Eve Kim (Lee), who is the real star of the film and plays a very pivotal role in how its events go down. As she learns more about the AI program, and even glimpse the digital frontier where programs and data streams are personified, Lee delivers a solid performance and adds some emotional gravitas to the storyline. Meanwhile, Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger is over-the-top in (mostly) the best ways, playing a tech billionaire heir who cannot stop tampering with technology that is beyond his control, and on that tech front, the Athena program (Jodie Turner-Smith) matches Ares’ functioning with a few menacing moments of her own once let loose on the world. Bringing it all together is Bridges, who returns as Kevin Flynn for a moment that harkens back to the 1982 original and its Grid, and even has a few nostalgic callbacks that will please ‘Tron’ fans. In doing so, the film also establishes itself as more a sequel to the first installment, although the DNA of Legacy is sprinkled in throughout, particularly in the visual aesthetic and updates to the Grid.

As a purely visually enthralling experience, Tron: Ares does succeed in being worthy of the big screen treatment. It is unfortunate then, that despite all its merits on those fronts, the writing and storytelling is not nearly as effective. Much of the film is rather predictable, with many character choices and plot developments that can be seen coming from a mile away, down to events that take place in its final act. It makes the viewing suffer somewhat as a result, because in moments of crisis, the solutions on hand often seem like the obvious ones. Where the writing is weakest, however, is in its handling of bigger and more serious themes, like its AI-related premise. At a time when AI is so hotly debated and the pros and cons of it continue to divide people, the arrival of Ares and how the AI-generated programs and vehicles will affect the real world are sparsely discussed, and often do not provide more than some awe-inspiring special effects. By the end, Ares does not add much more to the conversation around AI except that it could potentially get out of control. The characterization, beyond Ares and Eve, is also paper thin, as most of the supporting cast is mainly relegated to popping in every now and then to deliver some exposition, and not much else.

Many of Tron: Ares critiques are similar to the first two films to a degree, which is why it would be fascinating to see what its legacy will be in the future. Both previous installments took around 10-15 years each to finally be embraced by audiences and critics alike, as some aspects landed more effectively as the world turns. Will the same happen here or will it have its fans after opening weekend itself? Time will tell. For now, the film offers a thrilling, visually wonderful experience that makes up for some of its shortcomings, and even sets up a future for the franchise that will be interesting to explore. Hopefully it arrives before another 15 years go by.

still courtesy of Disney

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Shaurya Chawla