‘Tron: Ares’ – Review
The Grid is back; and it’s pulsing with raw, electric energy in Tron: Ares, a bold, neon-lit dive into the future that pushes the boundaries of both science fiction and digital spectacle. Director Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Kon-Tiki) steps behind the camera for this long-awaited third chapter in Disney’s legendary cyber-saga, and what he delivers is a visually audacious, pulse-pounding experience that charges forward with dazzling style and rock-star attitude.
Taking up the mantle of this new evolution is Jared Leto as Ares — an advanced AI program forged within the Grid and sent into the real world on a mission that could change the balance between humanity and machine forever. His arrival kicks off a chain reaction that blurs the line between creator and creation, and Rønning dives headfirst into a heady mix of techno-mysticism, identity, and rebellion. Alongside Leto, The Morning Show’s Greta Lee brings heart and fire as Eve Kim, a brilliant scientist who becomes both ally and conscience to Ares, while American Horror Story’s Evan Peters steals scenes as Julian Dillinger, the human heir to a dark digital legacy.
From the very first frame, Tron: Ares hits hard with its visual bravado. Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) paints with light, literally, crafting a world that’s both hauntingly sleek and hypnotically alive. The fusion of the Grid’s electric glow with the tangible grit of the real world gives every shot a sense of collision and transformation. The visuals are utterly stunning, and when this digital meets the real world, Rønning and Cronenweth take the visual spectacle of Tron: Aries to a whole new level and the film’s epic light cycle/motorcycle chase will have you on the edge of your seat, thanks… and it’s a hell of a thrill.
And then there’s the sound. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross take over scoring duties from Daft Punk, and the result is thunderous. The industrial pulse and textured electronica of Nine Inch Nails give Tron: Ares its heartbeat — cold, beautiful, and menacing. Every synth throb, every digital echo, immerses you deeper into this techno-mythic odyssey.
Where Tron: Ares falters slightly is in its narrative architecture. The ideas are massive: AI evolution, digital sentience, creation myths, but at times the story buckles under the weight of its ambition. Dialogue leans heavy, exposition slows momentum, and while Leto delivers a performance that’s both alien and ethereal, as this almost digital samurai Ares, his emotional arc doesn’t quite strike the chord it’s reaching for. Still, when the film focuses on the visceral clash between worlds, both visual and philosophical, it soars.
Greta Lee’s Eve grounds the story with emotional humanity, serving as a bridge between the digital and physical. Jodie Turner-Smith adds gravitas as Athena, a rogue program with terrifying reach, and the legacy nods to Kevin Flynn and the original Grid carry just the right dose of nostalgia without tipping into fan service.
It’s clear that Rønning and his team respect the legacy of Tron while craving to push it forward. There’s a cinematic confidence in how Ares moves: sleek, stylised, and unafraid to get weird. The film feels like an evolution of what Tron: Legacy promised: a visual symphony about what it means to be alive in an increasingly digital age. And when the lights flare and the score surges, it’s impossible not to get swept up in it.
Does Tron: Ares reinvent the Grid completely? Not quite. But it reclaims its sense of wonder — that intoxicating mix of science fiction, philosophy, and pure, glowing spectacle. It’s a film that feels designed for the biggest screen possible, where sound and colour overwhelm the senses, and imagination takes flight.
Tron: Ares is a slick, electric return to the neon frontier, a film that dares to dream in code and light. It might stumble in its storytelling, but it burns with visual power, sonic ferocity, and pure digital cool. For fans who’ve waited over a decade to jack back into the Grid, this is one hell of a ride.
Image: Walt Disney Pictures
