‘TRON: Legacy’ was a fantastic sci-fi epic that really became one of the greatest films to utilise 3D to its full effect in theatres way back in 2010. Now 15 years later, we finally get a follow-up in ‘TRON: Ares’, directed by Joachim Rønning, who is no stranger to blockbuster spectacle having helmed ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge’ and ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’.
A highly sophisticated program named Ares (Jared Leto), is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission – something which could jeopardise the very existence of mankind. Warring tech companies Encom, headed by Eve Kim (Greta Lee), and Dillinger Systems spearheaded by third generation tech magnate Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) are in a race against time to bring the virtual world to ours, with Dillinger willing to risk it all to win.
Jared Leto does well as Ares, giving his character a real sense of soul. He is also great when it comes to the films many action sequences. Greta Lee is always solid onscreen and co-leads the film with plenty of verve and presence. Evan Peters’ bad guy Julian Dillinger is a bit too pantomime to really take seriously, and at times feels like he’s in a completely different movie to the others around him.
The supporting cast includes Jodie Turner-Smith as Athena, who will stop at nothing to capture and neutralise Eve Kim. Turner-Smith looks great in the role but lacks any real presence onscreen to set her aside from just another bad foot soldier. The brilliant Gillian Anderson is completely wasted here as Julian’s mother Elisabeth and isn’t given nearly enough material to sink her teeth into. This was a real wasted opportunity, especially as she shared a good onscreen chemistry with Evan Peters. The legendary Jeff Bridges cameo is wonderful though, and it’s fantastic to see him in this third instalment, even if it is briefly. Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro and Sarah Desjardins add a decent level of normality and humour to the tech heavy madness.
The ’TRON: Ares’ soundtrack features brand new music from NIN and it’s simply sublime. Truth be told, it’s far better than the film it represents, and deserved a much more detailed and involving story. The film has exciting set-pieces throughout, including a brilliant light cycle chase across the city that keep viewers attached firmly to the edge of their seats. In fact, the pacing of ‘TRON: Ares’ is quite relentless, and you move on from one set piece to another quite abruptly, not allowing for the narrative to really take seed, which is another misstep.
Visually, ‘TRON: Ares’ is a great blockbuster experience, with IMAX once again being the most premium way to experience this spectacle. If you can afford the price uplift, you won’t be disappointed. The action in the film is decent, the effects are really impressive, and it has a killer soundtrack. Where the problems lie is in the lack of depth or originality in the narrative and some poor characterisation throughout. The far superior ‘TRON: Legacy’ took its time to flesh out all of the players and it showed. This feels very rushed and at times, far too throwaway. It doesn’t help that the finale also shares scary similarities with the Adam Sandler film ‘Pixels’, and not in a good way.
‘TRON: Ares’ is entertaining in its own way, but I was expecting much more from it, so I couldn’t help but feel disappointed once the end credits rolled. But, as with all major franchises now, the film teases a next chapter that could prove to be really exciting. Hopefully it gets the chance to deliver on those promises sooner rather than later.
Cast: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie-Turner Smith, Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson Director: Joachim Rønning Writer: Jesse Wigutow, David DiGilio, Steven Lisberger Certificate: 12A Duration: 119 mins Released by: Disney Release date: 10th October 2025
