Tron: Ares

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.

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.

'Tron: Ares' is the third film in the video-game/pre-'Matrix' series that revolves around "the Grid" (effectively cyberspace) and the competing companies controlling it, Encom and Dillinger (effectively Microsoft & Google) and their CEOs trying to take the next leap forward in AI - Eve Kim (Lee) and Julian Dillinger (Peters). I assume you don't need to have seen the 1982 original or 2010's 'Tron: Legacy', but there's plenty of throwbacks and linkages, even if this isn't a direct sequel.

So many cameos/supporting cast that all add something, but don't get heaps of time = Julian's mum, Elisabeth (Anderson), Eve's CTO Ajay (Minhaj) & COO Seth (Castro), and obviously Kevin Flynn (Bridges), which is handled quite well. The main plot revolves around a security program, Ares (Leto) that tries to obtain "permanence" in the real-world, and his other Dillinger program Athena (Turner-Smith). Leto is actually not bad, with his still-somehow-youthful face perfect for an AI, and he has a few lines that get a few chuckles.

While there's plenty of similarities to 'Blade Runner 2049' and 'Ready Player One', and arguably not as good, 'Tron: Ares' does deliver some very impressive CGI, with vivid colour, fast-paced action - especially on the motorbikes and jetski - and some engaging fight scenes. The final act set piece is pretty epic, especially when paired with the strong Reznor/Ross score. All wrapped-up in under 2 hours.

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.