The Tron franchise has always been ahead of the curve with technology. Back in 1982, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) put himself on the grid and the rest was history. Now, with Tron: Ares, it is another stark reminder of just how close we are to allowing technology to rule us.
Eve Kim (Greta Lee) is the new CEO of Encom and she’s in a race against Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) to find a code to keep their AI generated creations alive. Eve wants to make the world better with her work and Julian is a Dillinger so…you can figure out what he wants to do with his. But it puts the two in a technological arms race right from the jump of Ares.
After Tron: Legacy, the world is talking about Flynn and his work. We have brief nods to Legacy throughout the film but for the most part, Ares is Eve’s story. Eve is working hard because of a vision she once had with her sister. The two loved Flynn and his work and it fueled them, which is why she tries so hard to find the right code.
But the code is the start of all her problems when Dillinger’s creation, Ares (Jared Leto), takes over. Ares is Master Command of the Dillinger grid and an AI program that is slowly learning what it means to be human. So not far from what Leto is doing himself but that’s another thing entirely.
What I found that works about Tron: Ares is that the women of the film carry it in such a way that you are captivated by them. Eve’s war is with Dillinger and that extends to both Ares and Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) and I found myself amazed by Eve and Athena.
Back on the grid with a banging score
As is the way with Tron, the grid is always the most fascinating part. Yes, we obviously have the “grid” in the real world this time as they have sold with the marketing. But for me, Tron: Ares really works when we go back into the world of both Dillinger and Flynn’s original rivalry. The grid is what made so many of us fall in love with the franchise and it still rules.
That mixed with a score from Nine Inch Nails that I will blast while biking makes this movie just a really fun ride. And that has always been the joy of the Tron franchise. These movies are ultimately fun and exciting and yes, the bright colors mixed with Jeff Bridges being the Jeff Bridges we know and love makes these movies amazing. And now Tron: Ares has given us incredibly new characters to carry that on.
This score is absolutely incredibly and often makes every scene it is in that much better. Well, except for when Ares is talking his AI nonsense and it cuts to Bridges as Kevin Flynn who just says “I don’t know, man” at him. Nothing can really top hearing Jeff Bridges say “Man” repeatedly at an AI program.
Don’t let Jared Leto keep you from Tron: Ares
I’m not a fan of Leto. I have shared my upset over how he talks about “method” acting in the past and I don’t like that the allegations against him have seemingly been brushed aside. What I know will happen because it is Hollywood though is that if Tron: Ares doesn’t make as much money as it should, it will fall onto the women of the film and not the problematic white man at the center of it.
And that isn’t fair for a number of reasons and especially for this movie where both Athena and Eve have a better back and forth than any other two characters.
I support whatever people want to do with this movie because it is a movie starring Leto but I do think that Tron: Ares is more than him and worth your time. And see it on the biggest screen possible because yes, the grid RULES in IMAX.
(featured image: Leah Gallo/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
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