TRON: Ares is nearly here!
The upcoming Disney movie hits theaters on October 10, and has been in the works for over five years now, and serves as the third installment of the TRON franchise.
The movie follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.
Joachim Rønning serves as the movie’s director, and it stars Jared Leto.
The first reviews are now coming in from critics, who are weighing in about the movie.
Keep reading to find out more…
Variety says: “Sean Bailey’s latest attempt to franchise-ify the Tron brand reads mostly as an exercise in nostalgia. Like lead actor Jared Leto’s high-def cheekbones, it looks great, but the movie is saddled with callbacks to the earlier film (and the 1980s at large) that suggest it’s aimed more at Gen X than the Alpha kids who could launch the property into the future.”
Deadline writes: “As you might expect, this third cinematic iteration of Tron is full of dazzling effects laced with frenetic action and chases. The idea behind it is what was most intriguing, that being the budding real-world relationship between AI and human beings. Can it possibly work? What does it mean for mankind? These are questions we deal with almost daily now as the future has already arrived. Jesse Wigutow’s serviceable script misses quite a few opportunities though to really dig into these issues, settling too often for just another action set-piece. Nothing wrong with that, and it is entertaining enough on its own dazzling techno level, but you have to wonder what a Stanley Kubrick might have done with this setup and given it the real urgency and gravitas, maybe even insight, that this Tron is missing.”
THR says: “A franchise entry that honors its roots while taking significant steps forward. It’s no sci-fi insta-classic, but there are worse things to be than a surprisingly entertaining post-summer popcorn bucket.”
USA Today says: “Ares offers up a forgettable threequel with some Nine Inch Nails that’ll have you jamming in your theater seat while what looks like a Godzilla-sized game of Space Invaders unfolds over a nightly cityscape. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie isn’t as inspired as Trent Reznor and friends.”
The Guardian gave it 1 out of 5 stars, writing: “There is no drama or jeopardy or human interest anywhere. This franchise now looks about as urgently contemporary as an in-car CD player.”
The Wrap says: “In real life we’re finally at a stage where the issues raised by Tron are relevant in the real world, where we’re having difficult discussions about the illusion of artificial intelligence and what its implementation could mean for the future of humankind. It’s exactly the wrong time to release a Tron with nothing to say about the topic. Then again, it’s always the wrong time to release a bad movie. Skip this new film. Watch the old ones. But listen to all the scores.”
IGN gave it a 5 out of 10, writing: “Tron: Ares is getting a 5. And honestly, I bumped it up from a 4 just because of Nine Inch Nails. For a film in a franchise born from cutting-edge ideas and visuals, this third feature film chapter is a far cry from the cult classic’s ambitions from over 40 years ago.”
Consequence of Sound gave it a B-, and says: “The original TRON is full of wild ideas and images but is a painfully meandering viewing experience; 2010’s TRON: Legacy was a little tighter but too chilly and bland to spark the imagination. By comparison, Ares is probably the most successful movie of the trilogy to date, and its technical achievements in terms of effects are pretty stunning — especially in combination with NIN. Yet it feels like there’s still a software patch or two needed, for it to be fully functional.”
Slash Film gave it 4 out of 10, writing: ” In 2025, computers have only become more powerful, and addressing their capabilities (positive and negative) is a real-life concern. And are we going to be able to address the right technological questions and concerns using a late-stage sequel to a cyber thriller from 43 years ago? Perhaps interesting topics could have been explored in a Tron movie, but Tron: Ares ain’t it.”
