TRON: Ares arrives with a lot working against it. I skipped it in theaters after the rough word of mouth and because this is a franchise I have never felt much for. TRON has always struck me as sleek and narratively thin, and TRON: Legacy doubled down on the clunk. Joachim Rønning takes the reins here, with Jared Leto in the lead and Greta Lee in support, and on paper that did not inspire confidence. What surprised me is that I had more fun than expected, even if the film is still a mixed bag.
The smartest choice is scope. Instead of vanishing into the Grid for two hours, TRON: Ares spends large stretches in the real world. Purists may grumble that this takes the TRON out of TRON, but the pivot helps. The CG is still plentiful, yet the texture of practical locations gives the action a little weight. The story is cleaner too. Eve Kim, played by Greta Lee, wants to complete her late sister’s research and bring artificial life into useful contact with our world. Across the table sits Julian Dillinger, played by Evan Peters, a smarmy tech heir who wants to weaponize the same breakthroughs. The plot is basic, which in this series counts as progress.
When the film leans on design and rhythm, it can be exhilarating. A droning, propulsive score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross gives the action a pulse, and a handful of images feel newly imagined rather than recycled. Light cycles skimming through metro streets at night are the best visual idea here, slick enough to sell the fantasy without turning into screensaver noise. These passages are what I will remember.
The rest is uneven. Leto gives the kind of effortful, hermetic performance that has become his default, which suits the glossy austerity of this world but does not add much humanity. Lee is solid as a principled scientist, though the script rarely gives her more than mission statements to play. Peters has fun as a petty villain, yet he reads like a composite of tech bros rather than a character. The dialogue toggles between jargon and pep talk, and the lore still feels like lore for its own sake.
Rønning proves more at home with grounded chase geography than with digital arenas. That contrast makes the film feel sturdier on asphalt than on neon platforms. It is still very much a Disney era tentpole with a shiny finish and an undercooked center, but the balance of real spaces to rendered ones keeps the eye rolling to a minimum.
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Is it a great film? No. Is it a decent TRON film? Surprisingly, yes. The story is so so, the performances do what they can, and the audiovisual sweep carries a few sequences into genuine spectacle. If I ever revisit this series, this is the one I would return to, if only because it meets me halfway and lets the light cycles sing.
Score: 6/10
TRON: Ares (2025)
- Cast: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeff Bridges, Hasan Minhaj
- Director: Joachim Rønning
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
- Runtime: 119 minutes
- Rated: PG-13
- Release Date: October 10, 2025
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