I’ve had fond memories watching Disney’s high-concept scifi films Tron and Tron: Legacy. The first Tron in 1982 was a start of something unique and groundbreaking -game maker entering his own digital creation and dealing with corporate theft- while 2010’s Tron: Legacy fleshed out the universe, made logical story progressions while still bedazzling viewers with pretty graphics. And also have one of Daft Punk’s finest musical works since Interstellar 5555/Discovery.

15 years later and completely missing the chance to strike the hot Tron iron (probably due to the film’s low sales and eventual cult following), Disney is taking another stab at a big budget scifi movie in the Tron universe. The results? Yet another flashy and lovely-sounding film that arguably feels hollow due to the cast not given a good direction, coupled with some cool action scenes you’ll probably forget about after a weekend.

Welcome, Program

Tron: Ares does a standard summary of the events of the past two films and goes straight to establishing the scene: two companies -ENCOM and Dillinger Systems- are secretly competing to see who can get the fabled Permanence Code (made by Tron protagonist Kevin Flynn) for their own needs. ENCOM wants to help the world and break away from its video game-making roots while Dillinger Systems just want to make weapons and armies for customers willing to buy. All this ties to the Grid, the place where CEO Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) can recreate and respawn loyal high-level soldier Ares (Jared Leto) who fights good and looks badass. Also, the film centers on him having a life crisis -he’s a program who is given life, is able to go to the outside world, and develops emotion and feelings for the first time and not sure how to process it.

On the ENCOM side, we have CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) who is in search of the Permanence Code and gets assist from colleague Seth Flores (Arturo Castro) and CTO Ajay Singh (Hasan Minhaj), going through the motions as Eve tries to chase her dead sister’s dream of bettering the world through ENCOM. And that’s pretty much the film: a MacGuffin-chasing sequence after sequence with action bits and lovely CGI work from Disney’s animation studios showcasing how cool and dangerous the Grid is, and how its creations would interact in the real world. Usually leading to a lot of destruction and property damage. The show’s technological and graphical showcase is stellar and especially a feast for the eyes, be it 2D or 3D. But do make it IMAX 3D as the gorgeous light cycle bits, the Grid scenes, and a nod to the 80s (as Jared Leto’s character alludes to in the second half of the film) are worth paying a crystal-clear screen viewing for.

The acting and characterization? They’re clearly not Tron: Ares’ strongest points. They don’t break immersion and they don’t degrade the film, but the acting works of Jared Leto post-Morbius, Evan Peters, and Greta Lee as conflicted soldier, conflicted bad guy, and overachieving hero respectively are just stock blockbuster Hollywood cut-outs. They just blend in with the visuals on tap. Having said that, the plot here is a bit easier to follow than the second half of Tron: Legacy, but the whole “AI program gaining a soul and feeling life while disobeying bad guy mandate & doing what’s right” schtick is a trope used over and over. Tron: Ares isn’t doing much to elevate it beyond just pretty visuals and stunning portrayals of The Grid in the year of our lord 2025.

Reboot? More Like Retry…

As I said time and again, Tron: Ares impresses with its lovely visuals, shots, and soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails that encapsulate the feels and tone of the 2010 film and nostalgic grooves of the 80s original. One could argue that it’s a brand-new Nine-Inch Nails album tacked onto a less-than-two-hour video montage with forgettable characters and stock plot (in the series’ context).

The fact that Disney is 15 years too late in following up with Tron: Legacy doesn’t really help matters as only die-hard fans of the niche series will only care, and even then they’ll be left wanting more out of its characters and lore (like me). Newcomers will enjoy the sights and sounds, but that’s about it.

Final Score: 60/100