By George & Josh Bate
Amidst the flurry of early ’80s sci-fi gems like Blade Runner and The Empire Strikes Back was Tron, a film whose initially mixed financial and critical reception eventually evolved into cult status. Over fourth years since its release, Tron is still regarded as a landmark in the sci-fi genre due to its ambitious and groundbreaking visuals, which were among the first extensive CGI in cinema history. Like its predecessor, the long awaited sequel Tron: Legacy was also met with mixed reviews upon release but gained a substantial following of its own in the 15 years since its release and has achieved cult status on its own. Now, after another 15 years, the third installment in the Tron franchise – Tron: Ares – triumphantly brings the grid back to the big screen for an adventure that can be best described as a modern sci-fi masterpiece.
Directed by Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), Tron: Ares stars Jared Leto as Ares, a highly intelligent security program designed to protect the interests of Dillinger Systems, led by CEO Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), from within the digital confines of the grid. Dillinger competes with ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) for groundbreaking technology that will allow them to bring their digital creations from the grid into the real world. So far, the two companies have only been able to bring their digital creations to life for 29 minutes at a time, although the elusive Permanence Code they seek may finally be within their grasp after an unexpected discovery.
For many, the Tron franchise is first and foremost a one-of-a-kind visual feast and, in this regard, Tron: Ares does not disappoint in the slightest. Rønning crafts a kinetic and electric aesthetic with stunning, epic visuals that demand to be seen in IMAX. The once-blue palette of the Grid in the previous films is largely replaced by a deep red hue that gives Ares a distinct and striking visual style. Marking another shift in aesthetic is a story that sees the digital world of the Grid and our real world clash, which provides the foundation for some of the film’s most breathtaking sequences. A particular standout is a pulsating chase sequence through the streets of a crowded city at nighttime in which Ares and his counterpart Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) pursue Eve on their light cycles. The chase sequence bursts at the seams with style, bolstering crisp visuals that are a delight to feast on. Seeing advanced technology from the grid interact with features our real world never ceases to amaze and gives the VFX team opportunities to show off just how far visual effects have come in the 15 years since Tron: Legacy‘s release. It’s sci-fi at its best, with a huge spectacle, cutting-edge visual effects, and the fluid choreography of digital action.
Inseparable from the spectacular visuals is an equally spectacular score from Nine Inch Nails, which plays such a significant role in the film that it is essentially a character unto itself. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ music unrelentingly pulses throughout the two-hour runtime, giving the film a real sense of rhythm that remains consistent throughout developments in the story and characters. It’s hard to separate the visuals from the score, such is the excellent continuity between the film’s two most essential elements. Seldom does a score elevate a film to new heights in the way that Nine Inch Nails amplify Tron: Ares.
Thankfully, Tron: Ares features a compelling story to match its aesthetic successes. Screenwriter Jesse Wigutow, who developed the story alongside David Digilio, find a clever re-entry point into this world that retains a reverence for the previous films while remaining completely approachable for those unfamiliar with the franchise. One could even go as far to say that Tron: Ares works just as well, if not better, as a standalone sci-fi epic than it does the third installment in a trilogy. This should go in Disney’s favor, especially as it’s been so many years in between entries in this franchise that some may be deterred from watching.
Rather than play it safe, Tron: Ares pushes this fictional world forward by boldly taking the story into uncharted territory. Again, the blend of the real world and the Grid is when the new film is at its compelling, both narratively and visually. The story also harbors an urgency to it due to the aforementioned 29 minute rule the film introduces. Jared Leto’s Ares is something of a ticking time bomb, as he only has 29 minutes on Earth before dying and reappearing in the grid. It’s this time crunch that gives every second with him a real sense of urgency and contributes significantly to the tension and high-stakes nature of the story.
Within this story, primarily through Leto’s Ares, the film attempts to explore potentially interesting questions about identity, morality, and creation, which, while especially relevant in our age of AI, fail to spark much interest. Ares begins as an intriguing character: he is a blank slate, with no memories, autonomy, or sentience of any kind, instead driven solely by the directives of his master. However, he quickly (and quite forcibly and predictably) becomes curious about humanity and his capacity to dictate his own actions, independent of Evan Peters’ villainous CEO overlord. Attempts are made to explore these more complex themes, but never are these conversations as profound or thought-provoking as the filmmakers intended. Things become a bit more interesting when Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn is re-introduced into the fold (for what is essentially a cameo appearance), although it’s a bit too little too late for Ares (both the character and the film more generally) to have something interesting and unique to say.
In part, this is due to a stiff and emotionally distant performance from Jared Leto. The Academy Award winner can be forgiven for his more robotic acting here given that he plays a computer program. However, as the story progresses and demands more of Leto, his performance comes up short. The growing warmth and complexity that our hero acquires rarely feels organic (even when the screenwriters work in a nice ode to Depeche Mode to help give Ares some much-needed personality). These difficulties impede upon the chemistry Leto has with Greta Lee as their dynamic ultimately feels more mechanical than meaningful. This in spite of what is a solid performance from the Past Lives actress, who effortlessly steps into big-budget blockbuster fare with confidence and grace and does what she can with a limited and rather routine backstory.
Meanwhile, Evan Peters proves far more successful as the film’s primary antagonist. Peters, who is arguably one of the most underappreciated and versatile actors working today (look no further than all the different performances he delivers in American Horror Story), gives his duplicitious CEO character a Mark Zuckerberg-esque intellect and menace that feed nicely into the ovearching corporate espionage narrative. The film seems disinterested in going further though to develop Peters’ character into a more fleshed out villain, which unfortunatley squanders some of the actor’s talent.
Similarly squandered is The X-Files alum Gillian Anderson, who goes woefully underused here. Anderson plays Elisabeth Dillinger, Julian’s mother whose entire role in the story is to voice concerns about her son’s increasingly reckless actions. Her character disappointingly adds little, if anything, to the story and highlights a larger issue with the film’s difficulties cultivating substantial, interesting characters.
VERDICT: 7.5/10
Tron: Ares is a modern sci-fi masterpiece that demands viewing in IMAX. Breathtaking visuals and stunning action sequences, in particular a mid-film chase through a crowded city, are accompanied by a pulsating score from Nine Inch Nails that gives the film a rhythm and plays such a significant role that it is essentially a character unto itself. A compelling corporate espionage narrative gives Ares an interesting and accessible re-entry point into the franchise that both has reverence for the previous films and remains extremely approachable for those who have never seen a Tron movie before. Attempts to explore themes of identity and mortality, however, fail to provoke the kind of contemplative questions and thoughts intended by the filmmakers. Similarly underdeveloped are the film’s array of characters, namely Ares, who is brought down by a stiff performance from Jared Leto. Greta Lee and Evan Peters, meanwhile, excel with the limited material they’re given, while Jodie Turner-Smith stands out as a committed and unsettling antagonist. Tron: Ares may not have the characters to back up its impressive visuals and sounds, but it triumphs as a dazzling, accessible sci-fi adventure that, after years of not being too interested in this franchise, has made us fans of Tron.