Tron: Ares Review – Fine, but Confounding

Tron: Ares is a visual and audio spectacle with some solid performances, but its story doesn’t fully come together.

So, was it worth the wait? Well, that’s a bit complicated since there are several elements worthy of praise, but others which many will find frustrating. Even though I had an okay time overall, this is the most conflicted I’ve been on a film all year. 

From a visual standpoint, Tron: Ares is absolutely remarkable. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) has truly evolved compared to the original Tron which came out back in 1982 and this is the franchise’s best looking film to date. Elements of our world are combined with Light Cycles and Recognizers from the digital world known as the Grid and you’d have a hard time convincing me these bikes and ships weren’t actually there on set. Viewers may have seen bits of the Light Cycle chase sequence in the trailers already and it’s exhilarating on the big screen. I was worried there would be parts of this film that looked rushed or unfinished but that isn’t the case at all. There’s a clear commitment from the crew towards making what you’re seeing look believable and thus allow viewers to get fully invested in what unfolds. 

The Grid remains epic, and Rønning and Wigutow manage to do something interesting with it which will please longtime fans. You have a more even split between the real world and the Grid in Tron: Ares compared to its predecessors but we do learn new bits about the digital frontier and get some fights in both worlds. There’s a pretty cool heist sequence early on that reminded me of the arena duels from Legacy. 

Complementing these visuals is a tremendous soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails and wicked sound design. Much like Daft Punk, who composed the Tron: Legacy score, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ industrial rock band turns out to be an amazing fit for this universe. There’s so much energy and a futuristic flair to their first album in five years (the duo have been composing scores together under their real names since 2010). You won’t be able to get enough of this music as it pumps through the theater speakers into your ears.  Nine Inch Nails ensures you’ll remember this film whether you like it or not by providing songs that capture the scope of every scene no matter if they are big or small. 

The sound design of Tron: Ares is impressive and particularly notable during the action sequences. A character getting hit by an Identity Disc or riding a Light Cycle here makes you feel as if you are right there as opposed to sitting in a theater. 

Where this film falters is the story department. I admire that screenwriter Jesse Wigutow took the series somewhere we haven’t seen by focusing on Ares (Jared Leto), an AI program. He also adds interesting wrinkles by introducing the idea of bringing items from The Grid into our world as opposed to us just going there and an AI that wants to be human in Ares (who also has a master/puppet relationship with Julian Dillinger, the CEO of Dillinger Systems and grandson of Ed Dillinger from the original film). You could definitely make something great with these elements, but Wigutow wastes them and this cast by doing so much and nothing at all at the same time.

Each character ends up exactly where they started the narrative for the most part, and they get there in ways that feel far too familiar. You have two tech company CEOs chasing after a macguffin, with Eve Kim (Greta Lee) being the other after she took over ENCOM from Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the protagonist of Legacy and son of company founder and genius Kevin (Jeff Bridges). Said macguffin also happens to be key to Ares’ quest to become human. While all this is going on, my guess is that you’ll be like me and wonder why you should even care because Wigutow fails to give audiences a reason to get attached to these characters. They have no depth and no real unpredictability besides Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), another program who acts as a second in command to Ares. 

One of the biggest strengths of the previous Tron films is the writers and actors being able to make  you care about these characters who find themselves in the midst of this technological chaos. You don’t get that in Tron: Ares, save for Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith who do everything they can to get you to feel for Eve and Athena (which somehow works). There wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t invested in them, even if their arcs aren’t exactly rocket science, which is a credit to Lee and Turner-Smith giving unique performances that feel so real. If we somehow get a sequel to this, I would love to see their characters again. Jeff Bridges also briefly returns as Kevin Flynn, not only is it always a treat to watch him work, but he provides some much needed charm during his appearance.  

Jared Leto is the weak link of this cast, which is a huge problem considering his character is the lead. Even though Ares is an AI and thus supposed to be kind of emotionless, his entire arc is built upon breaking free from Julian and becoming human, you can’t find a shred of humanity in Leto’s performance. His delivery is awkward and almost too robotic while maintaining a stoic face. Contrast this with what Turner-Smith does with Athena, making her voice cold and powerful, but capturing any unease or anger she feels with her facial expressions.

We’re meant to care about Ares and his connection with Eve but the film provides us with no incentive to do so. We know next to nothing about him besides his desire to be human, and Jared Leto gives in a subpar performance complete with nonexistent chemistry with Greta Lee. When Ares and Eve are together, you can practically feel their actors begging for their scene to be over, it’s quite the feat, but hurts Tron: Ares as a whole. Leto’s best scene comes when he’s acting alongside Jeff Bridges, but honestly I’m not sure if it was due to him or the fact that Bridges could play Kevin Flynn in his sleep and still be absolutely magnetic. 

In the end,Tron: Ares is just okay. The film has spectacular visuals that will blow you away backed by electric new tunes from Nine Inch Nails. Add in riveting supporting turns from Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith and you’ll find there’s just enough to make up for Jesse Wigutow’s mixed bag of a screenplay and a poor lead performance from Jared Leto. The makings of something great are here, but never fully come together, so you get a middle of the pack film, and the worst in the Tron series to date, even if it’s something I had a good time with.

Tron: Ares will be released in U.S. theaters, in U.K. & Irish cinemas, and globally in theaters on October 10, 2025.

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