The year was 1982, and Walt Disney Pictures produced a low-budget science fiction film called Tron. Written and directed by Steven Lisberger (Animalympics), Tron told the story of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges; The Big Lebowski), a software programmer and video game developer, who gets transported to the Grid. The film garnered critical and audience praise and became a cult classic. In 2010, a sequel was finally released called Tron: Legacy. The second movie saw Kevin's son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund; Mudbound), looking for his long-lost father and, like his father before him, getting sucked into the Grid. This month, the third film in the trilogy, Tron: Ares, hit theaters.
Once again written by Lisberger, along with Jesse Wigutow (Daredevil: Born Again) and David DiGilio (Eight Below), Tron: Ares essentially pits the new CEO of ENCOM, Eve Kim (Greta Lee: Past Lives) against the head of Dillinger Systems, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters: X-Men: Dark Phoenix), grandson of Ed Dillinger (David Warner: Titanic). Dillinger has found a way to create a super soldier through the new Grid and AI. Ares (Jared Leto; Dallas Buyers Club), a.k.a Master Control, an AI robot produced by Dillinger Systems, follows commands and is expendable.
However, what Julian doesn't tell the investors is that Ares disintegrates after 29 minutes, and the solution is the permanence code that Kevin Flynn hid inside the Grid. After three months in Alaska, Eve finds the code, but of course, Julian wants it and sends Ares to find it, by any means necessary. When Ares disobeys his programming, though, Julian sends other soldiers to not only kill Eve but Ares as well.
Being the third film in a franchise isn't easy. There are expectations that fans have that need to be met, and the new movie will always be measured against the first two. With that in mind, the writers, along with the director, Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), made sure to incorporate bits and pieces from the first two films while telling a new story. That link between the familiar and the unique gives the film weight and makes fans comfortable while immersing them in a different world.
The graphics look high-tech and are well done, but that is part of the pressure when having to maintain an ideal set by the previous films. The music, by Nine Inch Nails, pulsates through certain scenes while setting a more dramatic tone in others. Using the minor chords in one of the songs lends a sense of dread to another scene. If I have one complaint about the music, it is that it was too loud and overbearing on occasion.
Leto is the perfect actor to portray Ares. He brings confidence to the role while still allowing his vulnerability to come through. He blends these two elements perfectly, giving Ares depth and meaning, as opposed to Jodie Turner-Smith's (Queen and Slim) militant, cold, calculating AI soldier. Lee is well cast as a young but brilliant CEO who isn't phased by much and can generally hold her own in almost any situation.
Tron: Ares has a lot going for it, and fans of the franchise will be pleased. New technologies created for the movie (hint: there is more than just life cycles this time) will leave audiences in awe, while the tried and true scenes that harken back to the olden days will have fans reminiscing about the first film. If the visuals don't entice you, the cast will keep you engaged while the plot unfolds.
Tron: Ares is what fans have waited for for 15 years, and they certainly won't be disappointed. Regular theater goers will enjoy the movie as well and may even go back to watch the first two films in the franchise.
Grade: B
