It is unclear who exactly was asking for a Jared Leto-led Tron: Ares — the third installment in the series — nearly 20 years after legacy, but Disney and Joachim Rønning delivered it.
There are ho-hum sequels, and then there's Ares. There was no need for a third Tron movie, at least not one 15 years after the last one, and Ares does little to justify its existence.
Outside of the visuals and the score, composed by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, there's no reason for Tron: Ares to exist. It's mostly a slog, and it further proves that if any sci-fi series deserves a third installment years after the last, it's Blade Runner.
Tron: Ares review — what's it about?
Years after Legacy, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), CEO of Dillinger Systems and the grandson of Ed Dillinger, has created a new, never-before-seen advanced A.I. called Ares (Jared Leto). Julian sends Ares into the real world to invade ENCOM, which is led by his rival, Eve Kim (Greta Lee).
Ares marks the first installment to have significant time in the real world. It opens the lore up for future installments, should Disney be so bold as to green-light more.
However, this runs into the same problem some of the recent Godzilla and MonsterVerse movies face: the real-world storyline is not that interesting. In the case of the MonsterVerse, the audience is there to see big monsters destroy big things.
For all of his shortcomings, Rønning creates an interesting world. It's so engaging and immersive, especially given 2025's technology. So, it begs the question, why take us out of the digital world this much?
When it's set in the digital world, there may not be a more beautiful blockbuster released this year. Everything, from the colors to the landscapes, is gorgeous. Sure, there are some sequences in the real world that look good, but they always have to be at night. There are limitations that the digital world does not face.
The fact that there are stunning visuals should be no surprise. That is the one thing a Tron movie should deliver on, if nothing else. Even the best video game graphics on the best monitor wouldn't look this good.
There are some chase scenes on the glowing motorbikes that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Colors flash by as they race through what is presumably Los Angeles.
The real-world elements fail
Unfortunately, that does not amount to Ares being a good Tron movie, especially when so much time is devoted to Eve's story. Lee was a standout in Past Lives, but her character is sorely underwritten.
She is the emotional crux of the movie. Eve is still recovering from the death of her sister, something heavily discussed but still lacks weight. The death drives Eve's success, which is, conversely, rarely shown.
It's almost as if Tron: Ares is the culmination of two movies never made. There could be one about the real world's race over A.I. technology, and another about the digital world's development of Ares.
Instead, we're left with a movie that had too many holes to fill, given how long it has been since the last one.
Like Lee's character, Peters' Julian is underwritten. It's clear that he is an entitled nepo baby, as even his mother, Elisabeth Dillinger (Gillian Anderson), is trying to get him ousted.
But there is no character development. The responsibility of conveying these character traits is on the shoulders of Peters and Anderson, who rarely get more than a cutaway scene or two to do so.
The same can be said for Athena, played by Jodie Turner-Smith. Athena is the second-in-command to Ares, but the character has no defining traits besides her smoldering looks. There is an anecdote tacked in at the end that would have made for an interesting subplot, as the A.I.'s face their mortality. Unfortunately, it's never given time to develop.
It's almost like they told her to play the role with the ferocity of Danai Gurira's Okoye in the Black Panther series. Unlike Okoye, Athena, despite being an on-the-nose reference to the Greek goddess, never gets to show any personality.
Jared Leto's Barbie problem
As for Leto, his performance is par for the course. Ares has a stoic presence, and Leto is able to play the almost lifeless character well. Over time, Ares develops some emotions, but it's all ham-fisted.
For example, Tron: Ares has a lot to say about how A.I. and their emotions (Leto's character even struggles to put his love for Depeche Mode into words). The sentiment is nice, but it's been done before and better (watch Blade Runner).
Ares faces the Barbie conundrum of questioning his existence. From the moment he is created, he is led to believe he is meant to serve Julian. He slowly realizes he may be on the wrong side of the fight, leading him on a redemption arc of sorts.
Should you watch Tron: Ares?
There are simply too many ideas for one movie. It's somewhat understandable — perhaps the filmmakers were unsure if it'd take another 15 years for a fourth installment, so they squeezed as much into Tron: Ares as possible — but it still lacks cohesion.
A lot of praise will go to the visuals, and deservingly so. However, the score will also receive praise. Nine Inch Nails' Reznor and Ross do an admirable job picking up where Daft Punk left off in Tron: Legacy. But their score can sometimes overstep its boundaries. A good score never has to hit you in the face; Reznor and Ross' beats you over the head repeatedly.
Tron: Ares is a painfully average installment in a franchise Disney seemingly overvalues. It lacks the boldness required of a sci-fi flick to stand out, and it over-relies on visuals.
Leto has once again struck out with his latest franchise endeavor. At least Tron: Ares is fun to look at, unlike some of his other recent projects, like Morbius.
Grade: C
Tron: Ares will be released on October 10.
