Tron: Ares Review and Basic Plot – Is it Even Worth Seeing in Theaters?

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Tron: Ares is finally out and critic ratings are… not great. Rotten Tomatoes is sitting at 54% and at IMDb 6.5/10. As for me? I’d rate it at… well, you’ll have to wait till the end to find out.

TL:DR Spoiler-Free Version

Tron: Ares suffers from a slew of problems including weak storytelling, hollow characters, and lack of connection to the themes of the previous Tron films. As with Tron: Legacy, It appears that no one ever bothered to ask fans what they want out of a Tron sequel. The core concept is there but everything that happens around that core doesn’t make a lot of sense. Every sci-fi or horror film needs rules, especially rules consistent throughout the series and a lot of the why’s and how’s just aren’t there. For most of the film, Nine Inch Nails’ soundtrack is relentless. Instead of it adding to the story, it’s like you’re watching the film with a boombox of experimental electronic music next to your head. While there are a lot of stunning visuals, the story just doesn’t pay off. But if you’re just in it for the popcorn and visual spectacle, it may still be worth a watch in the theater.

Spoilers Ahead

A quick warning: from here on in, this review contains heavy spoilers for the plot of Tron: Ares. Another warning: I’m going to be pretty nit picky here. As someone in the production business (film/video) I can have a pretty critical take on story and execution, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

The Plot

The whole premise of Tron: Ares is that we can now bring “programs” like Ares into our reality using a giant laser “printer”. Also light cycles, etc. The problem? For whatever reason these physical versions are only sustainable for 29 minutes. After that, Ares and everything else that came out of the printer disintegrates and returns to The Grid. To solve this problem, ENCOM and rival Dillinger Systems (the ones who designed Ares) must find the “Permanence” code. Turns out that 1989 Kevin Flynn had it on his old server the whole time. Why did someone think to even look there for the code in the first place? No idea. Why this code is something they have to “find” as opposed to develop isn’t explained and again, doesn’t make a lot of sense. In any case, this code, when implemented, will stabilize anything printed in the real world so that it remains, well, permanent. Ultimately, Ares, who goes rogue, seeks this code for himself so he can live in the real world.

The First Frames Were a Big Red Flag

At the very start, we see a TV with a de-aged Jeff Bridges (Kevin Flynn) talking about “the grid” – almost saying word-for-word lines from Tron: Legacy. The problem? It’s not a great rendering of 80’s Kevin. The dialogue is obviously computer generated and his lips don’t match well. This was exactly the problem with Legacy – the de-aging was terrible, and somehow they still managed to screw it up 15 years later.

Then, there’s the headline that Kevin’s son, Sam, has left the company [ENCOM] for “personal” reasons and is replaced by the Kim twins. That’s all we know about Sam Flynn until the very end of the film. But don’t get your hopes up, it doesn’t get much better.

Surprisingly, Jared Leto is Mostly Okay

Jared Leto plays one of the leads as Ares, the security program for Dillinger Systems (the rival of ENCOM) and the new “Master Control” program or MCP. Calling him Master Control is arbitrary and doesn’t make a lot of sense. They seem to have just thrown that in there as a callback to the original film.

Regardless, except for a few instances, Leto does a decent job portraying an emotionless program. I recall him saying in an interview he was basically playing himself which explains a lot (insert laugh cry emoji here).

Nine Inch Nails Made Some Interesting Choices

The first half of the film is non-stop music. And not in a good way. Much of it sounds very experimental, bending notes for an odd, unsettling tone that never seems to match what’s transpiring on screen. A great soundtrack adds depth and emotion to a film but in this case it was mostly distracting.

That said, does it hold up to Daft Punk’s score from Tron: Legacy? First let me say that I can, and have, listened to the Tron: Legacy soundtrack from start to finish many times. It’s basically an orchestral, old school Daft Punk album and objectively better than Legacy itself. As for the Ares soundtrack, there’s maybe 3 tracks out of 24 that I could listen to on their own, if that tells you anything.

Jeff Bridges’ Return Didn’t Make Sense

Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn. Sort of. He appears when Ares gets scanned into Flynn’s old server that’s a visuall a throwback to The Grid of 1982’s Tron. Flynn appears as a “ghost” and when asked why he’s there, he basically tells Ares, “I’m here because you’re here”. Makes total sense, right? So if you’re wondering if Flynn is actually dead, I’m going to go ahead and say yes. So if you’ve seen #FlynnLives on social (and when you see the reference in Ares), it’s equivalent to saying “Elvis is Alive”.

Anyway, it’s clear that this version of Flynn isn’t really Flynn, but it helps Ares on his quest for the permanence code while asking a lot of pointless questions and giving zero insight. Ares: “I don’t know why I disobeyed my programming.” Flynn: “That’s cool, man.” I’m paraphrasing here, but the dialogue was that stupid.

Learn Something From Kung Fu Movies

Kung Fu movies are known for glorious, uncut fight scenes. There are a good number of fight scenes in Tron: Ares but in the classic Hollywood fashion, many of them are so chopped up they don’t make any sense.

No Payoff

So if you’re assuming that Ares gets the permanence code, you’d be correct. But throughout the film his motivation for doing pretty much anything is unclear. We’re assuming it’s because he’s becoming sentient, but there’s no explanation for any of his actions. So when Ares finally gains permanence and is asked what he’s going to do now, he literally says, “I don’t know”. Then he disappears off into the world to explore humanity. Does anyone care about anything that happens in this film including the ending? No, not really.

Does Tron return?

The last time we saw Tron, he was sinking to the bottom of a digital body of water in Legacy. His suite lights change from red to blue, indicating that he’s changed back to a “good guy”. If you’re not sure what I’m referring to, be sure to head over to our full recap of the first two films. Anyway, we’re assuming Tron will return in a sequel but his fate is unclear. Fast forward to Ares. Is there any mention of Tron? No, no there is not. The end.

So what’s the deal with Quorra and Sam?

Remember that whole permanence thing? The entire movie I’m thinking “oh, so it makes sense that Flynn had the code, otherwise Quorra would have been destroyed after 29 minutes.” At the very end of the film, Ares, who is now a mortal in the real world, holds up a photo of Sam and Quorra, implying (and actually saying) that he knows he’s not the only one like him and presumably goes off to find Quorra.

End Credits Scene

At the end of Ares, Dillinger (the big bad corporate guy) beams himself into The Grid to escape authorities, picks up a retro looking identity disc, and dons the suit of Sark, his grandfather’s doppelgänger program from Tron (1982). This and the revelation that Sam and Quorra are still out there somewhere hints at a sequel but based on reviews and I’m just guessing here, a lackluster box office, it may be another 10-15 years before we see another Tron film, if at all.

Is Tron: Ares Worth Seeing in Theaters?

Well, it’s complicated. The visuals are fantastic and a recognizer has never looked so good. So if you’re the type of person who can totally turn off your brain and enjoy those aspects and you don’t care about the overall story or themes of Tron, sure, why not. For everyone else, I’d skip this one. Sadly, it just doesn’t deliver on story, doesn’t fit well with the other two films, and the Nine Inch Nails score might give you a headache before you’re even half way through.