A common consensus for Tron and Tron: Legacy was that the stories were nonsensical, weak, or both, with poor character development. Both movies hitched any hopes of success to their visual, audio, and other aesthetic appeal. Tron: Ares follows suit, putting the series at three for three in that regard (or 0 for three depending on how you look at it).
Tron: Ares plot
Ares, a highly sophisticated program, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humanity’s first interaction with AI beings.
Tron: Ares review
The above is the official (if overly simplified) plot synopsis, but it’s a little misleading, as it makes the story sound a lot more exciting than it actually is. All it really amounts to is a fight between two tech giants to secure the Permanence Code, which will allow them to digitally create whatever the mind can conceive.
In one corner, you have Eve Kim (Greta Lee), CEO of ENCOM, who wants to use the code to cure diseases, feed the hungry, and house the homeless. She’s your classic altruistic billionaire. In the other corner, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), CEO of Dillinger Systems. Given Eve’s plans for the Permanence Code, I’ll give you one guess for what Julian wants to use the code for. I will accept “war” or “military,” or any related answer. At its core, Tron: Ares is less of an AI or sci-fi story and more corporate warfare.
It’s even more frustrating given that AI is literally at the center of the plot. But the movie doesn’t want to take anything resembling a stand one way or another on AI and its current and future place in our world. Maybe it’s expecting too much from a Tron movie, but it almost feels cowardly. Even taking a position of “AI is not black and white, wholly good or wholly bad. It’s more nuanced than that.” would have been better. At least it would have been something.
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It’s hard to fully invest in the story when it’s that basic and lame. And it’s even harder when one character, Eve in this case, is painted as this picture-perfect person, and her counterpart, Julian, is given no redeeming qualities. Director Joachim Rønning and screenwriter Jesse Wigutow show no interest in even attempting to make Julian a fully realized, three-dimensional character. He’s not a business mogul or tech genius to be feared. He’s a whiny, petulant man-child.
And it’s not like they do much better with Eve. There’s at least a modicum of effort to give her some depth, but it ultimately doesn’t amount to much. It’s almost impressive, albeit in a sad way, that Tron: Ares is able to make Lee and Peters, both great and dynamic actors, so dull and uninteresting.
It’s ironic, then, that Jared Leto’s Ares, the titular AI being, has the most depth and humanity of anyone on screen. He’s the only character that has any meaningful arc and development. Ordered by Dillinger to retrieve the code and eliminate Kim, he begins to question his directives and purpose, wondering if it’s possible for him to break free and live fully in the real world.
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The supporting cast doesn’t offer much help either, outside of Arturo Castro as Seth, Eve’s colleague and close friend. He brings levity and a dash of silliness to the proceedings, and it’s a welcome and needed change from the monotonous slog so much of the rest of the movie gives us. Casting Hasan Minhaj as ENCOM’s CTO Ajay Singh was an inspired choice. Giving him nothing to do, though, not so much. Jodie Turner-Smith is fine as Athena, the program’s second in command to Ares. But she almost plays the part of robotic soldier too well, adding Athena to the depressingly large collection of bland characters Tron: Ares collects over its runtime.
Tron: Ares makes its bones the same way its predecessors did: great effects, action, and music. The lightcycles are as awesome as ever, and we get one excellent, extended chase scene. The digital worlds of Tron have always been a highlight, and that continues here. The ENCOM and Dillinger servers are set up as living, functional cities, with digital soldiers acting protection and security programs. The fights are great as well, solidly combining normal fight sequences with the high-level visual effects.
But the standout of the entire movie is the score, with original music by Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have become two of the most acclaimed composers working today, with audiences’ ears perking up each time they see these names (or NIN, in this case) pop up on a credits list.
It is telling, however, how much their involvement was included in the marketing for Tron: Ares. It’s almost like Disney knew the movie was weak, and wanted to focus the audience’s attention on the one aspect they knew would be most popular.
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This below-the-line work, including ear-drum blasting (in a good way) sound work, is truly something to behold on a big theater screen. There are plenty of movies that play almost or equally as well on a nice home setup as they do at a theater. Tron: Ares is not one of those. Some movies simply demand to be seen in theaters.
It is unfortunate, though, that these are the clear best parts of Tron: Ares. This work should support and elevate the rest of the movie. They shouldn’t be carrying the load. But with the weaknesses everywhere else, at least it gave us something positive to grasp onto.
Is Tron: Ares worth watching?
If you can see it in theaters, then yes, Tron: Ares is worth a watch. The score, sound, and effects are what the big screen is made for. But with weak characters and a weaker story, much of the draw will be lost if you wait to stream it later.
Tron: Ares opens in theaters Friday, October 10.
