In 1982, I remember seeing “Tron” in a theater and being amazed at the graphics that had been generated by computers. Flash forward to 2025 and the arrival of “Tron: Ares” brings a visual spectacle to screens fueled by a pulsing soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails.
The movie follows the rivalry between companies headed by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) and Eve Kim (Greta Lee) , who has taken over after the disappearance of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges).
The rivals are racing to find a code that will allow a permanent existence to their digital constructs, as Dillinger is looking to sell his weapons and soldiers from the digital world, but has failed to disclose that they decompile at the 29-minute mark, making their use in the real world limited.
Eve is still dealing with the loss of her sister and the pending rollout of the company’s latest video game when a world-changing discovery is made. The arrival of which drives Dillinger into a frenzy as he dispatches his Master Control program Ares (Jared Leto), and soldier Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) to stop Eve from using it at all costs, including capturing and killing her.
The ever resourceful Eve intrigues Ares, who opts to defy his program to help her and sets into motion a series of events that endangers those in both the real and digital world in a race against time.
The visuals of the film are amazing, and experiencing them on an IMAX screen with the engaging soundtrack made for a rich experience. The advancement in digital technology is simply amazing, and the film still keeps nods to the original films with some very clever nods and recreations. There is also some interesting humor in the film, especially one where a program repeatedly expresses its interest in the music of a certain band, which has been a favorite of mine.
While some will say the film is light on plot and characters, it is important to note that this is a movie about digital creations, so I was not going in expecting boldly drawn characters with a range of emotions and complexity. Leto plays Ares as a stoic and muted individual, as that is how I would expect a program to be. The introduction of changes comes as the program learns and expands, but at the core, it is still a digital creation. I would not expect it to be emoting every chance it gets, as it is a creation of humans to serve at their whim and be deleted forever as such.
The supporting cast is effective, and it was nice to see Gillian Anderson in the film, as well as the connections to the original film included as part of the story rather than simply being fan service. There is a scene in the credits which sets up future adventures, which, while I saw it coming a ways off, fits very well within the context of the series.
The digital creations in a real-world setting were amazing, and the Light Cycle chase through city traffic and other sequences were the perfect combination of events that fans should enjoy.
Despite some flaws, “Tron: Ares” delivers an enjoyable and fun experience that fans should enjoy.
3.5 stars out of 5
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