Spoiler Alert
Despite the long wait and troubled production history, TRON Ares is finally here. What this third film (fifth in the narrative timeline) honours is the franchise’s beginings through some fun Easter Eggs. As this tale continues more from of the 1982 original, rather than the second film, TRON Legacy, some fans will be disappointed. However, as long as this side story does well in the box office, the chances to explore where Sam and Quorra went might get answered!
Although this entry trades philosophy for spectacle ala Terminator 2 through much of its runtime, what it offers is still respectful in what the franchise is about. At its core, it still invites us to imagine what life might be like inside the Grid—or, if you prefer, The Matrix, since the parallels are undeniable.
Writer Jesse Wigutow understands the material well enough to pay genuine tribute to the movie that started it all. As for whether actor Jared Leto (Ares) or director Joachim Rønning grasp the ideas, I suspect they do. Ares isn’t soulless; he’s becoming soulful, like a machine cautiously reaching toward light (or, fittingly, rain during his introduction to the real world). That’s heady stuff for a popcorn sci-fi sequel.
Instead of reinventing itself, the plot stays simple: journey to the real world, find a MacGuffin which grants digital matter “coherence,” and create the next generation of weapons. That’s the dream of Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), who’s written and trained his own master control program with cutting edge artifical intelligence in hopes to sell it to the military. In essence, he wrote his own version of the TRON program.
But as Ares grows self-aware, doubt follows. Every second spent in the real world teaches him something new. The story borrows from Frankenstein, and few adaptations have ever captured this novel’s essence properly. Wigutow understands what it means to be a monster seeking meaning. Part of what makes this software alive is what he’s discovering and learning from Eve Kim (Greta Lee).
However, Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) is almost like the bride of, who serves as both rival and counterbalance. Even though a joke is made in reference to a specific game, I saw Clash of the Titans being referenced instead. Rønning remembers the heart of TRON has always been about creators and creations staring each other down, searching for a purpose in a world made of light.
Visually, the film is immaculate. The upgraded Recognizers, jet crafts, and light cycles honour their legacy while embracing modern precision. This aesthetic feels like a true 256-bit evolution of Legacy’s world—polished, coherent, and alive. The colour palette pares back the chaos: the Grid has been stripped to its binary essence. The software represents Team Red or Blue. And I have to love the moment when we revisit the Grid as it was designed decades ago!
But two plot holes sting. Well, one and a half. The question of how the code returns to the Grid after its time in the real world expires remains unanswered. There’s no orb of light fleeing the scene. Instead, it fades away, as though it can’t vibrate in this reality. We witness their entry via laser resin printing (a cute nod to how 3D printing currently works in the resin front).
But the mystery of matter creation lingers. I see the “E” and the “c” in Einstein’s equation — but where does the “m” come from? Ultimately, TRON Ares is a film caught between two grids: the one we remember and the one daring to dream. And perhaps, for now, that’s enough.
In Part Two, I’ll explore the deeper currents beneath the surface — the mythic and moral parallels that suggest TRON Ares might just be this generation’s digital Prometheus.
3½ Stars out of 5
TRON Ares Movie Trailer
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