TRON: Ares Review
Some years after TRON: Legacy, Sam Flynn has disappeared with Quorra and left Encom to be run by Eve Kim. While Encom has been known for its popular video games, Eve Kim has been working on something far more important. She has continued to build on Kevin Flynn’s work and has been developing a way to bring objects and even living things from the digital realm into the physical world.
The problem is that any digitally created item only lasts 29 minutes before turning into dust. Eve is convinced that Flynn has a workaround for it, called “The Permanence Code,” and she has been looking for it.
Meanwhile, Encom’s rival company, Dillinger, has also been searching for the Permanence Code, but for more nefarious purposes. Led by the daughter and grandson of TRON villain Ed Dillinger, they have military contracts in their sights and desperately need to solve the 29-minute problem to win the lucrative deals.
Julian Dillinger has written a program called “Ares” to lead his security and be his digital enforcer. Julian unleashes Ares in both the real world and the Grid to find out what Eve Kim knows. And Julian is willing to use any means necessary to win. But as Ares continues to learn and grow, he develops his own free will and begins to question the orders of his User.
If you are a fan of the TRON series, you’ll likely be pleased with the action in the film. It is beautifully choreographed and warrants seeing it on the biggest screen possible. As the digital world clashes with the physical world, we get unique action set pieces that TRON: Ares will be remembered for.
Most notable is a tense chase between the light cycles and a motorcycle through a city. Ares and Eve go head-to-head as she shows she’s a formidable rider on her own. When Eve eventually gets her hands on her own light cycle, she proves to be more than a match for Ares.
Also notable, as seen in the trailers, is the arrival of a Recognizer in the real world. The battle between it and jet fighters is a cool moment. There’s almost a Godzilla or kaiju feel to the whole scene that is even more impressive on an IMAX screen. Throw in some new disc battles and a digital jet ski in the Grid, and the final film overall will satisfy your action needs.
TRON: Ares also features several throwbacks to the previous films. Most notable is the moment when Ares enters an ’80s-era computer and is thrown into the original Grid. At that point, nostalgia kicks into overdrive as we see Bit again and the original light cycle. It’s a stark contrast to the modern Grid, yet it still stands as visually stunning on its own, even in its basic form.
TRON: Ares isn’t all action and graphic design. It explores some of the themes related to the interface between technology and humans. We see two sides to the morality of digitalization themes – it can be used to help the world or quickly militarize it.
There is also a little exploration into the use of social media. Ares learns all he can about Eve by reviewing her social media posts, videos, and texts. While it allows him to grow closer to Eve, I suspect most people’s social media would convince a program that they were a psychopath. What does your social media say about you?
The music by Nine Inch Nails generally fits well with the digital theme, blending seamlessly with the previous films. However, there are a few moments where it just feels like noise and can be rather grating on your nerves. Your enjoyment of it will probably depend on your overall musical tastes.
Be sure to stick around when the credits roll. There is an additional scene that will be crucial if they decide to make another TRON film.
TRON: Ares was seriously lacking in much-needed humor. There were a couple of moments that generated laughs, but they highlighted how humorless the rest of the film was. Arturo Castro was intended to be the comic relief as Seth Flores, but his screen time is limited, and his jokes were just so-so. You appreciate Jeff Bridges‘ comedic elements in the first TRON film more.
Jared Leto is also rather dull as Ares. It’s forgivable at the beginning of the film as he’s a program learning to be human. But there’s very little evidence of his progress evolving. He tells us how much he loves Depeche Mode, but that’s not really much evidence of him becoming human. He needed more. Leto is also very hairy for a program that has come to life. Some other look might have made more sense.
The rest of the cast is equally forgettable. Greta Lee doesn’t come across as particularly charismatic as Eve Kim. She is a surprising choice for the lead, but at least they didn’t cast Awkwafina. Jodie Turner-Smith is somewhat unengaging as Athena, but maybe that’s okay since she’s a program. But maybe a hint of jealousy or anger might have been a fun way to show she was evolving as well.
While TRON: Ares is worth checking out, I thought TRON: Legacy was better. It had better action scenes, a more dynamic cast, and better music. It will be interesting to see if this film is enough to keep the series going.
TRON: ARES REVIEW RATING: 6 OUT OF 10
The Walt Disney Studios will release TRON: Ares in theaters on Friday, October 10, 2025. The film is rated PG-13 for violence/action.
