‘TRON: Ares’ REVIEW: A glitchy return to the Grid
‘TRON: Ares’ REVIEW: A glitchy return to the Grid
“Give me something to believe in,” says the chorus of Nine Inch Nails’ “As Alive as You Need Me to Be,” the lead single from their score for TRON: Ares — which was also what I felt like heading into this. I wouldn’t say I’m a true diehard fan of the franchise, but watching TRON: Legacy on IMAX in 2010 at SM North Edsa was a life-changing experience. My parents watched an entry in the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival at the time, and I was left watching a 3D movie. I hadn’t even seen the first Tron film, so I went into it blindly. It was a true spectacle that was way ahead of its time.
Eve Kim (Greta Lee), Ares (Jared Leto), and Seth Flores (Arturo Castro) in TRON: Ares | Still courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios
Over the years, TRON: Legacy grew on me as a technical marvel that featured lightcycles, disc wars, neon, Daft Punk, and a memorable score. Even with the demise of a planned direct sequel titled TRON: Ascension, I still wanted to see how things played out after the events of Legacy. We finally got a new film in the franchise, a new program entering The Grid, if you will, in the form of TRON: Ares.
15 years later, gone are Legacy director Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick, F1), Daft Punk, Garrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn, and Olivia Wilde’s Quorra; and in are director Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), Nine Inch Nails, Jared Leto’s Ares, and Greta Lee’s Eve Kim.
TRON: Ares follows the highly sophisticated program Ares, who is sent from the digital world to the real world for a mission, ultimately becoming humanity’s first contact with AI beings. For years, fans have clamored for a sequel, and was it all worth the wait? Perhaps, in the sense that there’s finally a new entry in the franchise for fans to look back on.
Eve in TRON: Ares | Still courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios
But unfortunately, with Legacy lingering in the back of my mind as I left the theater, despite the whole 3D experience of it all, Ares feels like something straight out of the Disney generic blockbuster machine, with some flares here and there: a mix and match of different films Frankenstein’d into a two-hour runtime.
Nine Inch Nails’ score is the film’s strongest suit, no doubt, with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross seemingly going all in after being snubbed by the Oscars for their Challengers score in 2024. It’s very different from Daft Punk’s orchestral, techno-heavy score from Legacy, which is the right way to go, making each film in the franchise sound distinct from one another. This time around, the film’s score harks back to the sound of ‘80s synth while adding elements of horror and suspense that complement the thoughts and feelings of Leto’s Ares, and the terrifying idea of our world relying too much on artificial intelligence.
Elisabeth Dillinger (Gillian Anderson) and Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) in TRON: Ares | Still courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios
Leto, as the film’s lead, on the other hand, is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, he embodies a true AI being; his stoic and calculated demeanor suits what the script demands. It’s an interesting choice, especially since the first two films centered on “users,” or humans, in Kevin and Sam Flynn, respectively. However, the story fails to make him more than a generic “AI longing to be human” archetype, and nothing beyond that.
The standout performances, however, come from Evan Peters and Gillian Anderson as Julian and Elisabeth Dillinger, respectively, and continuing the Dillinger family legacy of antagonists that began with David Warner’s Ed Dillinger in the 1982 original. It’s wishful thinking at this point, but it would’ve been great to see Cillian Murphy return as Ed Dillinger Jr. Still, Peters’ portrayal of Julian, an obsessive tech genius determined to change the world by any means necessary, mimics the real-world tech billionaires hungry for power and control. On top of that, his tense dynamic with his mother, Elisabeth (Anderson), adds a compelling layer of son-mother drama to the mix, making them a truly sinister corporate family.
Another surprisingly weak aspect of the film is Lee as Eve Kim. After her stellar performance in Past Lives, I expected at least a good performance. But here, her line deliveries feel as if there’s a gun pointed at her head. I’m not sure whether it’s an unfortunate case of miscasting or the script trying too hard to force dramatic resonance for her character. Either way, her conversations with Ares, combined with the poorly delivered exposition, make it a bit painful to sit through.
Jeff Bridges’ brief cameo as Kevin Flynn is nothing short of a heartfelt moment. It doesn’t overstay its welcome but still serves a meaningful purpose as his character crosses paths with Ares. I just wish I could say the same for the rest of the film.
Ares in TRON: Ares | Still courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios
From an editing standpoint, the film feels like several different movies mashed together. The uneven pacing, frequent jumps between plotlines, and the contrast between stunning visuals in one sequence and generic Disney CGI in the next make for a jarring experience. I’m glad we got lightcycles, now even transported into the real world, and other vehicles rendered in the Tron aesthetic. But beyond that, nothing comes close to the visual spectacle that Kosinski and the Legacy team achieved 15 years ago.
With that said, I stayed with TRON: Ares for the score. A repeat viewing might be warranted for the tantalizing music alone. I love how it complements each scene, and how the aggressive blend of instruments and synths brings the duo’s signature sound to life within the Tron universe. Although I’ve already set in my mind that it wouldn’t match the same feeling as Legacy, maybe over time TRON: Ares can share the same fate as the previous two films: not universally loved at first, but growing a cult following.
Julian’s Grid in TRON: Ares | Still courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios
Leaving the theater, I couldn’t help but think that this film feels like a bridge to the true sequel we actually deserve. Perhaps we’ll still get Ascension down the road, especially since, in true tentpole fashion, it’s clearly setting up things for the future. I just hope it doesn’t take another 15 to 20 years.
‘TRON: Ares’ is now showing in Philippine cinemas
