Film Review: Tron: Ares

Back in 1982 when video gaming was still in its infancy a little film from Disney came out about a video game which you can go inside virtually and interact with artificial beings. The film in question was Tron and it was very progressive and ahead of its time. The visual efforts and story set a benchmark for the industry and the story could never be topped or upgraded due to the advancement of technology at the time. Flash forward to 2011 and the technology had finally caught up and the video game landscape had changed and the result in that was the sequel, Tron: Legacy. With a killer soundtrack from Daft Punk, some insane action sequences and light cycle sequences it looked as if the franchise was back in full glory. Fourteen years later we finally get the third film in the series, Tron: Ares, but the question is does it match the same level as the previous two films?

Tron: Ares arrives in a time where Artificial Intelligence is talked about almost daily in the news and in everyday lives. Creating a film that reflects that should have been an enticing premise but sadly the story in Tron: Ares never quite fully fulfils this concept. The characters from this film are all new and separate from the previous two films except for one minor exception that I will not detail due to spoilers. Jared Leto plays Ares, an artificial being created by Julian Dillinger who is played by Evan Peters. Greta Lee plays Eve Kim who is the owner or Encom, and the two companies Dillinger and Encom are basically at odds with each other in terms of progressing artificial intelligence to the point where they can bring people made in a game to the real world. It may sound convoluted but it really isn’t.

The visuals from the Legacy are retained for this film. There are few moments set in the Grid, the artificial location where the Tron game resides. Instead, the emphasis is on the real world, and honestly seeing the light cycles and action scenes from the Grid in the streets and buildings is a sight to behold. It isn’t just the visuals that are returning but the soundtrack is also just as electric as the second film but this time it is Nine Inch Nails providing the score. There are some early moments where you really do feel invested and immersed within the film thanks to the marriage of music and visuals, but it is the script where the weaknesses lie.

Greta Lee does a great job as Eve Kim but she is sidelined a lot in favour of Ares. Jared Leto provides a very bland performance with little emotion and he doesn’t convey any much-needed humanity that the film desperately needs. Evan Peters goes a little overboard as the villain of the film, Dillinger, and then the other supporting cast members such as Gillian Anderson just stand around doing nothing. Filmmaker Joachim Rønning is known for not being the best at narrative, but his previous Maleficent and Pirates of the Caribbean films prove he knows a lot about visual effects and that is the strength the film carries. Despite its shortfalls it still is entertaining and provides a fun but inferior entry in the Tron franchise.

★★★☆☆

3/5

Final Verdict:

Tron: Ares retains the visual identity and atmosphere on Legacy, as well as honouring the original film as well. By doing this it doesn’t add much to the lore or the world instead of bringing the A.I. characters to the real world. The message and themes are very relevant in today’s society but the story lacks any depth or substance. Jared Leto doesn’t bring enough charisma as the mysterious Ares and the human characters all feel a bit too dramatic. Saying that though the action elements and the visual effects are fantastic with thanks going to filmmaker Joachim Rønning. Tron: Ares is entertaining but sadly doesn’t deliver quite the same highs as its predecessors, but it is an admirable effort.

Thanks for reading today’s blog!

Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions