Tron: Ares Review

The Tron series has returned for a third entry. This time, elements of the Grid enter the real world and get used in a battle for corporate supremacy.

Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) and his company, Dillinger Systems, have developed a system that can bring creations from the Grid into the real world. He attempts to pitch his discovery to the military as a way to create military vehicles in an instant, and his prize asset is Ares (Jared Leto), a program that can be used as the ultimate soldier. However, there’s a problem: items brought into the real world can only survive for 29 minutes, and Dillinger needs to find the “permanence code” so he can break the time limit.

Eve Kim (Greta Lee) has taken over ENCOM and is searching Kevin Flynn’s old files for the “permanence code.” When Eve makes the discovery, Dillinger uses all his resources to steal it from his rival, just as Ares develops self-awareness.

The Tron series has been an odd one. The first two films were modest hits upon their releases and had mixed reviews, but became cult classics. They were known for having groundbreaking special effects. Tron: Ares seems to be following its predecessors by having mixed reviews, lacklustre box office numbers, but the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes has been much more positive.

Tron: Ares had been in development for a long time. The initial plan was to create a direct sequel to Tron: Legacy, but it eventually evolved into a vehicle for Jared Leto. This seems like a bold decision considering Leto’s antics on set and being box office poison. Just read up about what he got up to when he worked on Suicide Squad and Morbius, whilst his performance in House of Gucci was comedically bad. I am to paraphrase Chris Griffin from Family Guy: “How does Jared Leto keep getting work?”

Leto has become notorious for being a method actor. His effects on Tron: Ares were wasted since he was playing a monotoned digital construct who was developing self-awareness and taking control of his destiny. Tron: Ares had a cast of recognisable talent like Greta Lee (Past Lives), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), and Gillian Anderson, but they were poorly served by underwritten characters who gave uninspired performances. It’s a shame considering Tron: Legacy had Michael Sheen in a show-stealing role. The most notable actor was Evan Peters, since he was playing an arrogant tech bro nepo baby who tried to act like Tony Stark but was closer to Justin Hammer.

Tron: Ares does fall into the legacy sequel trap and makes too many references to the original film. The film replicated scenes and imagery from the first film. A character even visited a location that was in the first film. This approach was more confounding because Tron: Legacy did feel like it was a story that was expanding its world. Tron: Ares was trying to wrap itself in nostalgia. Ares was a nostalgia fiend since he praised the ‘80s and showed interest in ‘80s culture.

Like the original film, Tron: Ares had a focus on industrial espionage. Dillinger hacked into ENCOM’s servers, which was visualised through the action in The Grid. ENCOM was a video game company who were rebooting one of its most popular franchises, acting as a bit of meta commentary. The first film had an emphasis on video games; it was one of the first video game-themed mainstream films. However, Eve was searching for a way to bring items from the digital world into the real world so she could revolutionise the world. It would be like Atari trying to solve world hunger.

A major aspect of the previous films was the religious subtext. In the first film, the programs saw their users as their creators, i.e. their gods, and Tron: Legacy was a digital biblical tale about the battle between God and Satan. Tron: Ares kept some of those ideas since Ares met his creator and took orders, but started to rebel because he was developing a sense of empathy. Kevin Flynn was treated as a mystic, Godlike figure because of his role in creating the Grid. Two of the characters were named after Greek Gods, which added to the religious undertones. These attempts at big ideas do at least put Tron: Ares miles ahead of Jurassic World Rebirth, the most uninspired franchise movie of 2025.

A strength of all the Tron movies has been the special effects and music, and Tron: Ares was no exception. The film looked terrific and was especially a neon light show. The film will probably get some award nominations for visual effects and sound design. As a popcorn action experience, Tron: Ares did the job with some strong action sequences, especially when the famous vehicles were in use. There was an excellent motorbike chase at the end of the first act.

The soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails was marketed heavily, and it has been one of the most praised parts of the film. Even Classie Loughrey of The Independent gave the film a one-star review, saying the music was great. The soundtrack was intense, toe-tapping stuff, and it will make good gym music.

Tron: Ares was a visual and auditory feast, like its predecessors. It was a disposable blockbuster that could entertain blockbuster audiences.