Disney’s Tron: Ares Brings Users Back to the Grid in Spectacular Fashion! 

Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures  

By Luis Zonenberg

The last 15 years have seen a stark change in Disney’s repertoire, from acquiring iconic franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, to then nearly driving them into the gutter. The last few years have not been kind to the company, forcing them to look for other ways  to entertain audiences and regain their goodwill. This is where Tron: Ares comes in, delivering a sequel fans have been patiently awaiting  for the last 15 years. The film returns users to the Grid once more and, thankfully, does so with gusto!

The story focuses on an intelligent program named Ares (Jared Leto) who serves as the Master Control program for Dillinger Systems, run by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters). He is competing against the CEO of ENCOM, Eve Kim (Greta Lee), who is on the verge of a massive technological breakthrough. Fearing this could put his company out of business, Dillinger assigns Ares to hunt down Eve and retrieve something called “the Permanence Code” which can fully integrate programs into the real world.

Whether fans like it or not, this is a stand-alone sequel that does not fully follow up on the storylines that its predecessor, Tron: Legacy, established. Thankfully, it does not fully  abandon the previous themes or established characters, instead cleverly reworking the film to feel like a combination of Tron: Legacy and the original 1982 Tron film. The film feels like it exists within the same world and continuity, showing much more respect and love for these stories than compared to other Disney franchises. 

The film also brings up strikingly current themes of artificial intelligence and how it could potentially be weaponized. The film plays into how the lingering fear today could impact the world of Tron, creating a more punk-rock version of films like Robocop or The Terminator. It brings up themes of how programs can continuously evolve or can fall into a rut of what their programming commands them to do. While I feel these themes were explored better in films like The Creator or The Wild Robot, I do feel it gives the film a much needed edge that helps it compliment the previous Tron films. 

The cast were overall pretty entertaining to watch, with Jared Leto’s compelling performance driving the film forward with ease. His deadpan delivery and straightforward personality reflects what his character goes through, easily bringing the most complex performance to the table. Evan Peters was an absolute standout as Julian Dillinger, who plays the tech-bro archetype with ease and has a lot of fun doing it. It was also nice to see Jeff Bridges reprise his role, if briefly, as Kevin Flynn, delivering all the heart and humor fans could want from his time on-screen. 

There are two real big winners here, one of which is the soundtrack. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the music under their Nine Inch Nails (NIN) label, bringing a lot of synth energy and grit into the movie. It really compliments the Daft Punk soundtrack composed for the previous film, helping serve as a connecting tissue that makes it feel part of the same universe. The soundtrack is reminiscent of the band’s earlier works, bringing a darker tone that compliments the character arcs. 

The other big winner here was the VFX, which was absolutely incredible to watch in IMAX 3D! The visuals are vibrant and pop, working in a good balance of CGI and practical effects. The cinematography certainly helps as well, with some impressive landscape shots complimenting the grand scale and overall tone of the film. These elements create such an immersive experience for the viewer, tailor-made to be seen in 3D on the biggest screens available! 

The franchise has been described as more “style over substance,” which I feel is greatly mislabeled. The Tron films have always offered interesting commentary on the evolution of technology and how it parallels the real world today. While this latest entry may not be as thought provoking when compared to other recent films, it does compliment the previous films and offers an incredible cinematic experience that should not be ignored! Tron: Ares brings users back to the Grid with gusto, with NIN’s soundtrack supercharging the film to deliver all the visual thrills fans could want. 

Tron: Ares is now playing in theaters. 

Rating: ★★★★☆