Tron: Ares is the third installment of this franchise, and while it certainly retains the consistent visual exuberance along with a killer soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails, it also falters with a story that starts promisingly but ends with a few too many bugs.
The movie picks up after Tron: Legacy and focuses on Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the CEO of his grandfather’s company, who devises the Master Control Program, which produces computerized soldiers capable of completing their tasks perfectly.
Jared Leto is Ares, the prototype brought to life and into the real world, but his abilities only last for 29 minutes. Ares immediately recognizes his lifespan. He’s been tasked with terminating the head of Julian’s competition, Eve Kim (Greta Lee), but Ares goes rogue and decides to protect her. This puts them both in jeopardy.
The more Ares and Eve try to stay one step ahead, the more enemies they make. Julian introduced another program, Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), who was once partners with Ares and is now on a mission to hunt them down. This plot development is clearly out of a Terminator movie.
The movie tries to be a meditation on AI interacting with humanity, which, like One Battle After Another, aims to provide insightful commentary while masquerading as a mainstream film. However, the difference is that One Battle After Another remains consistently entertaining, whereas Tron: Ares only delivers in fits and starts.
For much of its first act, Ares delivers some sensational sights, including an admittedly cool chase sequence, but, apart from that, the visuals aren’t enough to hold the plot together in its final hour.
It’s impossible to get involved in the story once we know it’s going to turn into a routine and repetitive special effects extravaganza. Jeff Bridges returns in a small role as Kevin Flynn, who has a scene with Leto, and they discuss Mozart and Depeche Mode. This gives the movie perhaps the only laugh.
There’s also a subplot in which Eve tries to solve the mystery behind her sister’s death, which doesn’t feel organic but instead feels somewhat contrived. That’s true of so much of Tron: Ares.
Given what fans of this series expect and what it’s capable of delivering, this third entry should’ve been more innovative, not only in its visuals but also in its plot, which could sustain and encompass them. As it is, Tron: Ares is nothing more than a ghost in the machine.
Grade: C
(Rated PG-13 for violence/action)
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