Tron: Ares is the third film in the successful Tron franchise and once again delivers a thrilling, neon-soaked sci-fi adventure that marries digital spectacle with high-stakes action from its very first moment. Set firmly in the action-science fiction genre, it thrills with dram and energy and a bold sense of scale.
The story plunges us into a future where the digital world and the real world collide: a hyper-sophisticated Program called Ares is sent from the virtual Grid into human reality on a dangerous mission, marking humankinds first real encounter with sentient A.I. life. The plot sees the powerful tech-corporation Dillinger Systems and rival ENCOM battling over a Permanence Code that could allow digital constructs to inhabit the physical world. As Ares begins to question his creators agenda, he joins forces with ENCOM's CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) to stop Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) and bring meaning to a world where code becomes flesh.
Leading the strong cast is the ever watchable Jared Leto as Ares (Oscar-winner for Dallas Buyers Club). A strong supporting turn comes from Greta Lee as Eve Kim (Past Lives) and Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger (American Animals). The return of the Tron series stalwart Jeff Bridges in a cameo as Kevin Flynn also delights long-time Tron fans.
Stylistically the film shines: glowing light-cycles, a cityscape sliced in red-laser geometry, slick digital transitions and the moody industrial score by Nine Inch Nails give this one a hypnotic visual-auditory pulse. Thematically, Tron: Ares explores the boundary between machine and humanity, the cost of immortality through technology, and what it means for our identity when the digital and the real intermingle. The film has already earned praise for its immersive spectacle and audio-visual ambition and looks and sounds spectacular on the big screen. If you're in the mood for bold, blast-through-the-screen science fiction, Tron: Ares delivers in style, promise and entertainment.
You might like Tron: Ares if you liked the first two Tron films and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Ready Player One (2018).
