Tron: Ares

Greetings User! Tron is a... unique IP, to say the least. When it released in 1982 there was nothing like it. Rotoscoping, green screen, hand drawn backgrounds and CGI mixed in with live action footage? It hadn't been done, not on that level, and it released to... middling reviews. Many praised its visuals and soundtrack whilst others complained that the narrative was flawed; some said it was too complex, others claimed it was too shallow. Whatever the case, the movie has since garnered a pretty significant cult following and is considered a classic in its own right. Then... it happened again. Tron: Legacy. Visually stunning, excellent soundtrack (many consider it to be the GOAT) but again it was found lacking in its script and was met with middling reviews and has since grown exponentially in popularity, many remembering it as on par or even better than the 82' original. Jump forward another fifteen years or so and here we are, with another gorgeous neon bathed movie with an excellent soundtrack that people can't seem to be able to make their minds up on how they feel about the contents of its script. It almost seems a right of passage at this point, but I imagine Tron: Ares like its predecessors will enjoy its fare share of devotees. The movie features a whole bunch of nods to 82' and Legacy, some of these are more welcome than others and I feel like it can sometimes feel a bit caught up in the past but it's clear at least that these people respect the series and that's more than can be said for a lot of blockbuster sequels released by major corporations in recent years. As I said, the visuals and soundtrack are sublime and though I didn't really connect with any of the users and programs in Ares the way I did with Kevin, Sam, Tron, etc. Nobody was egregious enough to stop me enjoying this movie. If you enjoy Tron as a franchise there will be things for you to enjoy here. I'm giving Tron: Ares a strong 6 to a light 7/10.

Hope you enjoyed reading this review, I'm hoping to do a deep dive of reviews for entire franchise (games and shows included) so if you're interested in those, check them out. End of Line.

I don't write reviews often, but I feel like I need to on this one. After seeing the critic reviews for TRON: Ares, I thought it would be a boring (or at least empty) movie. However, I found the storyline interesting, and found myself paying attention for the duration of the film.

As some might remember, TRON: Legacy was met with terrible reviews when it came out back in 2010, and audiences received it poorly as well, making it a box office flop. Now, however, I think most will agree that it's a classic. Unfortunately, I fear the same may happen with TRON: Ares. Just to be clear: I liked it a lot. The soundtrack was good, the visuals were stunning, and the acting was solid. Could it have been "better"? Sure, but a movie of this nature could realistically only peak at about an 8/10, so being a 7/10 is really good. GO SEE IT! It's absolutely worth the ticket price to see it in 3D or IMAX.

In anticipation of Tron: Ares, I rewatched the original Tron (it definitely shows its age, but still earns a solid 8/10 from me for the impact it had on the genre) and Tron: Legacy (still my favorite of the three). Naturally, my expectations for Ares were high.

When I heard Jared Leto had been cast as one of the leads, I was disappointed-he's never really delivered for me, with his Joker performance being the low point. Surprisingly, though, he impressed this time. He was convincing, grounded, and even held his own in scenes with Jeff Bridges.

What Tron: Ares ultimately lacks, however, is soul. Unlike the previous films, I couldn't connect or empathize with any of the characters. What's left is a dazzling visual experience-absolutely worth seeing in IMAX 3D-with a pulsing, energetic soundtrack.

But once the credits roll and you step out of the theater, it's completely forgettable.

The visuals in Tron: Ares are absolutely stunning - every frame feels like a piece of digital art. But sadly, the writing doesn't live up to the visuals. The story feels rushed and underdeveloped, like the project was pushed out too soon. Despite the massive budget and strong cast, weak writing drags everything down - even great actors can't shine when the script lacks depth.

TRON Ares was pretty good all things considered and a fresh take on the series. Don't really understand the backlash behind the film apart from the red carpet being used as marketing for Grok AI and Tesla Optimus, which I guess makes sense seeing as TRON Ares delves into the meat of modern AI. Definitely the main highlight of the film had to be the stunning visuals, every scene was breathtaking and fully captures the feel of TRON in the real world with some immaculate sound design. Definitely one of Jared Leto's better performances as Ares, guess he's really good at playing the role of an AI than any actual human being, the rest of the cast was fine. The soundtrack was an absolute banger, couldn't stop bopping my head throughout the film. Their are some cool concepts that would have been interesting to explore, but the story is rather basic with the whole AI premise serving as the main focus along with Ares wanting to obtain permanence, there's also some nods to the original films that fans will enjoy. Overall, TRON Ares was a lot better than I was expecting and definitely worth checking out, wouldn't mind seeing a sequel if they were open to it.