“Tron: Ares” is a true testament how far we’ve come visually in the film industry. The graphics are stunning, the CGI is seamless and I do not think a reboot of the “Tron” franchise would have meant anything if the creators had not applied these tools to their fullest potential as they did. Unfortunately, its graphics are one of the only things Ares has going for it.
“Tron: Ares” is the highly anticipated sequel/reboot to “Tron: Legacy,” released in 2010. Legacy begins with Kevin Flynn’s (Jeff Bridges) son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) discovering that 20 years ago, his father had travelled into the world of the video game he created, therefore breaking ground on the new frontier of digital possibility. Having seen Legacy will help audiences exponentially in their viewing of Tron: Ares.
This reboot starts off with a striking recap of the events in the Tron universe since Legacy ended. Kevin Flynn’s son, Sam, is no longer in the picture and there is a rivalry between two tech giants, ENCOM (Flynn’s company) and Dillinger Systems. ENCOM’s Chief Executive Officer, Eve Kim (Greta Lee) and Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) are competing to build on Kevin Flynn’s work, only through bringing the digital world here. We see this when Dillinger summons his AI program, Ares (Jared Leto), to Earth from the game.
Since the original “Tron” in 1984 and the long waiting period since “Tron Legacy” in 2010, viewers were awaiting something fantastic. Sadly, the plot of Ares does not live up to expectations. The whole movie feels like one long chase scene, and much of it is predictable. Ares is meant to be the reverse of Legacy, with programs coming here instead of users transporting into the game, and while we do get all the light cycles and disks, I can’t help but wonder how amazing it would’ve been to have the artistry of The Grid (Flynn’s created universe) realized with today’s modern CGI. Hopefully the next one will scratch that itch.
Like I said, the visuals are incredible, but the plot, acting and characters did not seem to get the hint that it was time to take things to the next level. Let me be clear, I won’t beat up on Ares for not being a perfect sequel to Legacy.
“We’re telling a story that’s 14 years later, and the most important thing is that we tell this new story in a way that works.” Joachim Rønning , director of Ares, said in an interview with Collider.
Rønning stated this while addressing the fact that Bridges is the only cameo from past Tron films in the new release.
“[T]o just throw cameos in, where it’s a parade of people that we love from this franchise, I just feel like it’s fan service that doesn’t serve the story,” Rønning adds.
It seems that was never the writers’ goal to begin with, and audiences shouldn’t expect them to bring characters and plots back to life when that’s never what the writers wanted in the first place. “Tron: Ares” was made to be something new, to swerve off the path “Tron: Legacy” had formed.
Another interesting approach this film takes is addressing the culture of today with the talk of the town: artificial intelligence. The program Ares is an Artificial Intelligence soldier with access to all digital knowledge and footage. This character concept could’ve been deeper and more evolved but still leads us to wonder how long until AI takes this form in reality? Exploration of that idea alone makes this film worth a watch.
Lastly, the soundtrack. Ares is obviously going to be different from Legacy, seeing that the French electronic band Daft Punk did the Legacy soundtrack, while American rock band Nine Inch Nails did Ares. Overall, I really enjoyed the score as it was both hardcore and eerie at points. This film is more fast-paced, evil and dark than Legacy, the soundtrack follows suit. The music mimicked the sweeping graphics.
There is much more I can say about this film, but all things considered, this movie is a must-watch if you’re an invested follower of the “Tron” franchise, simply to stay up–to–date. And even if you’re not, though it was lackluster when it comes to plot and characters, “Tron: Ares” will always be there when you need an action-packed and aesthetically appealing movie. Or, when you just feel like watching Jared Leto.
