tron ares review
Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson and Jeff Bridges
Director: Joachim Rönning
Rating: ★★★
There are moments in Tron Ares that threaten to derail you from having a good time. These mainly include the bike chase sequence with spectacular VFX, Jeff Bridges’ cameo and some solid chemistry between Jared Leto and Greta Lee. But the story remains weak. What worked for the first Tron was that it had a good story, independent of the visual spectacle that came with it. Tron Ares relies on visuals and score to elevate what is essentially a banging average movie. Together, the decorations make it an even more watchable experience, but one that feels less than the sum of its parts.
Tron Ares takes place years after the events of the first two films, with both Encom and Dillinger Industries racing to find the Permanence Code, a programming code devised by Kevin Flynn that will allow digital objects to exist in the real world. Encom, led by Eve Kim (Greta Lee), wants to use technology to solve real issues like world hunger and lack of resources. On the other hand, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) wants to use it for military technology. He sends his AI assassin Ares (Jared Leto) after Eve, but as Ares discovers the real world, this Pinocchio wants to be a real boy, and wants the code for himself (himself?).
NIN Music Doesn’t Disappoint
Like its predecessor, Tron Legacy, the new film also puts emphasis on the background score and visuals. This has always been the USP of the Tron franchise. Daft Punk gives way to Nine Inch Nails here, and the musicians don’t disappoint. The score underlines the film’s 2025 setting and enlivens even the mediocre segments. There are some scenes where the score is the only thing that takes the scene above average.
The visual effects are also top-notch, a far cry from some of the lazy VFX seen in Hollywood’s recent summer blockbusters. A special throwback to the original Tron with visuals reminiscent of the 1980s is a particularly lovely touch. When it’s aided by Jeff Bridges’ charm, it’s full of nostalgia.
But nostalgia, visuals and music alone don’t make a good movie. One needs to feel for the characters, or at least care about aspects of the story. This is where Tron: Ares falls short. Ares’ ambition to be real and lasting in the real world needs to be made more relevant. Eve’s single-minded focus on making her late sister’s dream come true seems poor. And after 2 hours of relentless action the finale feels weak and repetitive.
Tron: Ares Wastes Good Talent
Tron: Ares wasted some very good actors like Gillian Anderson and Evan Peters by making them the good guy and the bad kid, which left little room for performances. Even Jared Leto, despite all his efforts, could barely rise above an average script. But Greta Lee does. Despite being given a raw deal in terms of character development, she is the emotional anchor of the film. Surprisingly, despite the presence of big names, Arturo Castro got the best lines and moments in the film, and the actor performed well.
Tron: Ares is an experience that is best seen in theaters, perhaps on the biggest screen you can find. Because that alone makes it enjoyable. It’s a throwback to some of the entertaining and visually stunning but emotionally hollow films we’ve seen from Hollywood in the past. It’s thrilling but once the job is done you can put it out of your mind.