Tron: Ares

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.

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 really enjoyed Tron: Ares, despite the mixed reviews. Experiencing it in IMAX definitely enhanced the film - the visuals and soundtrack were truly impressive. The CGI and overall visual design were stunning, and the music perfectly complemented the atmosphere. Without the IMAX experience, I can see how some might rate it lower, but you can't deny the film's visual beauty and strong audio presentation.

Tron: Ares is the latest film in the Tron series revolving around two tech billionaires fighting to find a mysterious code while a AI soldier goes rogue as he starts to gain sentience. I haven't actually watched the previous Tron movies but I am aware of them and know generally what happens which was fine as the movie isn't a direct sequel. Visually the movie can be stunning when you get to the Grid world and when the Grid elements start to move into our world. The music is also phenomenal as Nine Inch Nails provides the soundtrack. I saw the movie in Dolby and it made it a great experience because I was just jamming to the music and just enjoying the visuals...... which is good because the movie is pretty bland. The story is extremely uninspired. Jared Leto plays Ares, the rogue Ai trying to gain sentience which goes exactly how all Sci-fi stories go with Ai. Leto isn't bad but he plays stoic the entire time so you don't really get emotionally invested in him. The other characters are also pretty bland stereotypes of what you see in Sci-fi movies. The mechanics of the technology also make zero sense and there is a lot of dumb moments the characters do throughout. You could enjoy the movie on the background while jamming out to its soundtrack.

I guess I got what I was expecting from the film when I watched it on the big screen. I was just hoping it would exceed my expectations, that it would build on and progress further from the preceding 2010 film, which already had the great potential or foundation of not relying on the visuals/aesthetics alone.

I echo the same sentiments from early reviews that the film lacked much from the character depth perspective. It does not serve emotionally, but delivers on the visuals. What I love most is when it took the prior Tron films' aesthetics in a different setting - that was really cool! Love the soundtrack as well!

Overall, mostly the visuals and sound kept my attention, but all other aspects were kind of flat.

Looking forward to the next one, which I hope would not solely rely on visuals/aesthetics.