TRON ARES
After 15 years we return to The Grid.
Was it worth it?
Photo by Disney/DISNEY - © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Tron: Legacy (2010) is, in my opinion, amongst some of the most iconic sci-fi films ever made. It delivers on everything that made the original Tron (1982) so groundbreaking and culturally impactful. It has a great, streamlined story filled with amazing visuals for its time. The soundtrack with Daft Punk is still something that I listen to from time to time. Legacy did everything right in terms of a sequel. It also had a perfect ending, leaving the story as open as could be in terms of any further projects. That's where Tron: Ares comes in. When I saw the announcement, I saw the iconic (now red) grid design, and I thought to myself, the only thing that can mess this project up is its story. Sometimes I hate being right.
It is not that the overall idea for the story is bad; on the contrary, I see the vision they were going for. The problem lies in its execution; it ultimately falls flat. The notion of bringing The Grid into our world is actually a very interesting path to explore, but it feels very lackluster in Ares. In Legacy, the film had Clu as the antagonist, and he had a clear purpose: to make the perfect system. In Ares, we have a rich genius kid who is, overall, just a one-dimensional asshole, and Athena, technically, a lesser copy of Clu. In general, most of the characters feel quite forgettable. Jared Leto as Ares delivers an acceptable performance, and I think he is the only one who really stands out above this very low bar of a narrative that the film presents.
To conclude, the film lacks depth, as an action flick its impressive with its visuals, and that's about it. A massive shame in my opinion, as there was so much potential with this franchise, and I worry that due to this film's box office disappointment, the Iconic Grid might remain on Disney's server for another 15 years before a new project is made again.