Tron: Ares Review: Visuals and Music Make Up For Bland Plot

Director Joachim Rønning (Young Woman and The Sea) brings the "Tron" franchise back with Tron: Ares, starring Jared Leto (American Pyscho, Blade Runner 2049) as an AI who wants to become human.

Synopsis:

Mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated programme, Ares (Leto), leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world.

Cast: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeff Bridges, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Sarah Desjardins

Release Date: In Theaters Now

Stunning Visuals and Score

Credit: DIsney

The one thing that absolutley no one can deny about Tron: Ares is that it's incredibly visually appealing. Without top notch visuals, this franchise really doesn't have much to stand on. The first "Tron" movie had lots of potential with an interesting plot line, but it just got crushed by an inability to make the proper VFX for a film of that scale. Tron: Legacy was received much better because it improved on that problem and Ares is the pinnacle of effects for this franchise. You can give all the praise in the world to how the scenes in the grid look, but it's really about the visuals when characters from the grid come into the real world. Scenes featuring real world objects and grid objects side by side are seamless. That includes the AIs from the grid, specifically Leto's character, who spend a lot of the movie alongside humans and there's not a time where it looks unnatural. But just generally, it's a beautiful movie to watch and it wouldn't have had many legs to stand on if it wasn't. I totally understand why Disney has quietly already started campaigning this for VFX awards, even if I was still more impressed by their other 2025 candidate (The Fantastic Four: First Steps).

These visuals are paired with an incredible score by the legendary Nine Inch Nails. Score is another thing that's really important for this franchise, with the task of preceding Daft Punk's score from Legacy being a challenging one. NIN somehow matches and even in some instances, surpasses that Daft Punk score. You can tell from the opening scene that the score is its own character in the film, bringing levels of intensity every time it begins to build up. The score and visuals matched together for a really action-packed 2 hours, with there not really being a boring moment throughout. There's a handful of chase sequences in this, both in the grid and the real world, that become really entertaining because of all of these elements. Even when there are more slow and emotional scenes, the score holds its weight. I've got my problems with the ending, but it does feature a really hopeful beat that I found myself appreciating. This is one of those movies where I just couldn't recommend seeing it in IMAX enough. It made the experience infinitely better for me and I know it would for everyone else. This film is not without its problems, but the score and visuals will make for an entertaining watch regardless.

Enjoyable Supporting Cast

Credit: Disney

Another big positive out of this film is the cast of characters. I specifically found myself enjoying Greta Lee's character, as she's basically our other lead next to Leto. She's really the only character bringing some serious emotional weight to the story, due to a detail we learn very early on about one of her family members' connection to the world of Tron. I've become of fan of Lee ever since her amazing performance in Past Lives and it was cool to see her join a large franchise like this. You also get some enjoyable moments from Evan Peters playing a greedy tech billionaire. He totally sells that role and makes you hate him from the first moment you see him on screen. Jodie Turner-Smith plays as close to a villain role that you'll see in this film and I thought she played it out successfully. There's a lot of aggression when it comes to her role as an AI, something that I would've appreciated a little more of from the other AIs in this story. Jeff Bridges has a glorified cameo in this one, but it's always fun seeing him and getting some connections to the prior installments. You also do get some very funny moments from Arturo Castro. Sarah Desjardins has an incredibly small role in this film, but as a Yellowjackets fan it was just awesome seeing her in a film of this scale!

More Backstory Needed

Credit: Disney

My main issues with this film stem from the fact that it was just a little rough around the edges, plot-wise. We jump into the story pretty quickly and it's very fast paced, which doesn't allow for us to really take in the backdrop of the story. We get certain lore drops relating to Greta Lee's character, but they introduce her in a way that makes it seem like we've seen her in a prior project. When it comes to the ENCOM and DIllinger rivalry, we get some backstory but not enough. I think Peters' presentation at the beginning at the movie was a creative scene of exposition dropping and the movie really could have used more of that. Since this movie tries to be as disconnected from Legacy as possible, we needed at least 20-30 minutes to delve into what has happened to both rival companies in the years since the previous movie. Instead, there's a couple throw away lines and the characters just move on. I get that they are trying to make the story contained, but if you are doing that you need to give more time with these new characters that you've introduced. It's hard to stay super invested into the story when you don't know much about the main players and why you should be rooting for or against them.

Lack of Real Character Development

Credit: Disney

That prior concern plays right into the problem of character development in this movie. It's seen across the whole cast of characters, but I specifically noticed it with Jared Leto's character. They start the movie explaining that he's the most advanced AI of all time and that he's programmed to be a soldier above all else. But from the first time we see him in the film, it's clear that he's malfunctioning and there's a sense of humanity in him. Why? Well, we never really get an explanation. I know that the head of the company is clearly desperate, but at the same time they explain he's a genius who has been working on this AI for years. Not to mention, Jodie Turner-Smith's AI character follows every directive Peters gives her and doesn't show any sign of human emotion until way later in the film. I just think we could've used a slower turn for Leto's character and it would've made the development feel more natural.

As I said earlier, we never really delve deep into any of the supporting cast outside of Lee. Even in that case, I never was totally sold on the friendship/relationship between her and Leto. That's a big plot line they attempt to build throughout the film and it plays right into the ending, which I didn't enjoy as much because I wasn't invested in their relationship. Another thing is that they establish a dynamic between Peters and Anderson's characters very early on, but it's just completely undercooked. The tension between them doesn't feel rooted in anything natural and the climax of their relationship just wasn't executed in a way that was interesting in any way. There's also this whole cast of characters from ENCOM: Minhaj, Desjardins and Castro. However, we never really get into their roles enough to make them anymore than glorified cameos. I just would've appreciated more of an in depth look into the battle between corporations, but we never got anything close to it. All that to say, the shorter runtime and focus on action just never allows for anything super interesting plot wise.

Final Thoughts

Tron: Ares clearly sacrifices an interesting story for good visual elements, which will work for some people and not so much for others. This storytelling choice makes it hard to rate this movie towards the top of 2025, but it does make for an enjoyable watch on the big screen. If you are going to see this movie, see it in IMAX! Also, stay for the credits!

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Tron: Ares is currently ranked 29th out of the 75 new releases that I've seen this year.

Editor's Note: I've included the top 20 from my 2025 new releases list, for editing purposes.