Tron: Ares
This belated threequel is both inventive (it takes the film series in an interesting new direction) and derivative (a lot of its themes and ideas are ones we’ve seen before) – but just like the previous Tron films, it excels when it comes to the striking visuals and the evocative ambience, helped here by an atmospheric original soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails.
Premise: Fifteen years after the events of Tron: Legacy, tech giants ENCOM (now run by Eve Kim (Greta Lee), following Sam Flynn’s resignation as CEO) and Dillinger Systems (now run by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), grandson of Ed Dillinger) are in a race to find a way to bring digital creations into the real world. Julian Dillinger unveils his latest creation – Ares (Jared Leto), an unstoppable, expendable soldier that can be recreated every time he’s killed on the battlefield … but Julian’s digital constructs can only exist in the real world for a limited period of time without the “permanence code”, which Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) was searching for before he disappeared in 1989.
Review:
The Tron series is an odd film franchise, as it’s arguably never been that commercially successful, and it’s arguably not got a huge fanbase … yet most people do recognise the name and many have some affection for the series. I think this may be the result of the earlier films arguably being more remembered for their vibes, imagery, style, production design, visual flair and atmosphere, than they are remembered for their characters or their plots – and the same can probably be said of Tron: Ares.
I grew up with 1982’s original Tron movie, and I remember its (for the time) groundbreaking visuals – with its Light Cycles and Identity Disc battles – but I didn’t remember much else about its specifics. Revisiting that movie recently, now that the visuals have dated so much, it was rather underwhelming, and although it had some very (for the time) original ideas about adventures in a “digital world” (bearing in mind, this was made decades before the concept of virtual reality was even a thing), the plot was a little thin in places, and the pace was patchy to say the least.
“…stylistically, this feels like an honest continuation of the ‘Tron’ series…”
2010’s Tron: Legacy hasn’t dated quite as much in terms of its visuals (although it does highlight how much de-aging VFX technology has developed in the last 15 years), and to be honest with you, on a recent re-watch I thought it was still a really enjoyable film. But again, the things that really stand out for me from that film are the visuals (the gladiatorial battles are still probably the highlight of that movie) and the awesome soundtrack from EDM legends Daft Punk, which I listened to on repeat for most of 2010.
Stylistically, Tron: Ares feels like an honest continuation of the Tron series, because although I have some positive things to say about the cast and the plot (which I’ll come onto in a moment), its biggest strengths are again its atmosphere – whether that’s its striking visuals (a Light Cycle chase through the real world is perhaps the high point of the movie, although there are several other inventive action sequences), or the tone-setting soundtrack from legendary industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails.
“…accessible to new viewers, while also offering plenty of Easter eggs for long-time fans…”
As for the plot, Tron: Ares does at least aspire to do something more than another repeat of the ‘human gets trapped in the digital world and has to escape’ formula, and I think it deserves credit for that. The battle between giant tech companies for the next revolutionary breakthrough feels topical, even if the different motivations of the respective CEOs is a little binary – ENCOM’s CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) wants to use the ability to bring digital constructs into the real world to feed the hungry, while Dillinger Systems’ CEO Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) sees it as a way to produce an endless supply of expendable soldiers to the highest bidder. But neither will be able to achieve their goals without the “permanence code”, which is the secret to enabling digital constructs to remain in the real world for any longer than 29 minutes before they “de-rez”. As plot McGuffins go, the idea of a “permanence code” fits nicely into the existing Tron lore, and it also allows the plot to link back to the creator of the Grid, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) himself.
Generally, Tron: Ares does a good job of being accessible to new viewers (I really don’t think you need to have seen the first two films to follow this one, as the key background facts are filled in during the opening section), while also offering plenty of Easter eggs for long-time fans. The plot doesn’t follow on directly from either of the first two films, but it does tie in nicely to both, and leaves room for plot strands to tie back together in any potential future instalments.
“…a family-friendly sci-fi adventure…”
As much credit as I want to give the plot for going in a new direction from the ‘escape from the Grid’ structure of the previous two, I’d be lying if I said that the themes and ideas in Tron: Legacy are explored in anything deeper than a very first-base level. But I think it’s only fair to keep in mind that this is a film that’s trying to be a family-friendly sci-fi adventure, so it was never going to unpack the deep philosophical questions of existence in the same way that something like Blade Runner 2049 did. So some of the dialogue may be quite clunky, and some of the themes are a little on-the-nose, but they’re all perfectly accessible to younger family members that way.
Taking that into account, I think the cast all do a great job of adding flesh to the bones of their characters in what is, for the most part, a non-stop chase movie. Greta Lee adds just enough backstory and motivation to keep Eve from being a two-dimensional character, while Evan Peters seems to be having a fun time playing what is essentially a pantomime villain role. Gillian Anderson is given the rather thankless task of playing Jullian Dillinger’s disapproving mother, Elisabeth Dillinger, who doesn’t get to do much more than scold Jullian for his recklessness – but she does that very well, and is a much needed voice of reason at Dillinger Systems.
“…it may not reinvent the Light Cycle, but it offers viewers a fun joyride on the latest model…”
In Tron: Ares, we spend more time in Dillinger Systems’ Grid than we do on the Flynn/ENCOM Grid that we saw in the previous films, and the two main programme characters are Ares (Jared Leto) and Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith). Jared Leto brings an enjoyable element of otherworldliness to Ares, as the character beings to evolve beyond his original programming, while Jodie Turner-Smith is a steely presence throughout as a programme who’s solely focused on fulfilling the directives given to her.
Ultimately, while many of the flaws from the previous Tron films are arguably still present in Tron: Ares, so too are some of the previous films’ greatest strengths – interesting ideas, stunning visuals, a banging soundtrack, and attitude to spare. It may not reinvent the Light Cycle, but it offers viewers a fun joyride on the latest model. End of Line.
