Set in an unspecified near future where tech companies now have the technology to transfer programs from a virtual, computerized world and give it physical form in the real world, ‘Tron: Ares’ creates many reasons for and against the future of AI technology but never really saying any one thing conclusive about it. It opens a lot of questions and points of discussion, but seems more interested with its gorgeous visual effects and a tedious, overcomplicated plot revolving around an errant AI program and a tech CEO determined to save the world.

The film is billed as a “standalone sequel” to ‘Tron: Legacy,’ which came out 15 years ago. You don’t have to see the last film (or the first) to pick up what’s going on. I’ve seen both ‘Tron’ and ‘Tron: Legacy’ and barely remember much of both but didn’t really need that info to follow ‘Tron: Ares.’ What’s established is that there is a virtual world called The Grid, which a human was able to enter in the first two movies.

But in the third installment, two rival tech companies are competing to find a code that can make programs they laser-printed from The Grid into the real world permanent.

Eve Kim (Greta Lee), CEO of ENCOM, wants to use the code improve human civilization while Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), CEO of Dillinger Systems, wants to transfer programs from The Grid to make weapons and soldiers to sell for defense contracts with the government.

In the midst of this rivalry, Julian creates a program, Ares (Jared Leto), and trains it to be the best and sends it to follow and capture Eve Kim as she seems the closest to finding the permanence code. But in the process of research about Eve, Ares develop sentience and veers off his programming, setting out on his own agenda.

The permanence code becomes the film’s McGuffin, the object everybody wants and needs to complete their task and goal. It’s what brings Ares and Eve cross paths and join forces while the maniacal Julian sends more and more programs after the two even against the wishes of his mother, Elisabeth Dillinger (Gillian Anderson).

Almost all the characters here feel incomplete and one-dimensional. Eve wants to fix the world through this technology because of a promise she had with her sister, Julian is taken straight out of the evil villain trope, acting loud and proud for the work his programs do (not for anything he did in particular), while Ares wants permanence to continue his curiosity about living. None of these storylines ever fully develop, as the film moves from chase sequence after the next, showing off one gorgeous special effect after another.

While the story is paper thin, what makes ‘Tron: Ares’ watchable is the gorgeous CGI effects that bring these programs into the real world. There’s a bike chase sequence that’s high-speed and high-stakes.

The bikes from The Grid leaves a trail that takes physical shape and the choreography that director Joachim Ronning employs allows for excellent visuals. Later on in the film, they introduce planes and drones with a similar effect, and on 3D IMAX, the imagery is gorgeous. Amplified by a thrilling soundtrack of Nine Inch Nails, and there are some moments in the cinema that feel quite lovely to watch.

But the story is so thin that even some of the best actors in the movie don’t seem to know what to do with their characters. I love Lee since ‘Past Lives’ and ‘The Morning Show,’ but she feels so out of place here, working with a character without any real depth.

Evans is chewing scenery and looks like he’s having fun, while Anderson is able to create some level of layer in Elisabeth but even, she seems lost in all of this. I’m not a fan of Leto or his offscreen persona and identity, so it was hard to watch the film with him as the lead knowing this but even his acting talents (he did win an Oscar, after all) couldn’t do much to make Ares an interesting character.

Leto looks unsure about how sentient Ares could be. He tried stoicism, but the script forces him to try and attempt at humor. He seems interested in Eve Kim but is struggling to find out how that appears on a program turned real. Leto’s uncertainty makes Ares the least interesting character in the film, and this is strongly noted when his character finds himself separated from the main plot and you realise you’re not interested in his side quest.

The film tries to balance out both sides of the vision of future technology. Eve Kim wants to use this tech to create food, housing and cure diseases, but Julian wants it to build weapons and soldiers he can sell. We already know how damaging AI technology can be to the environment and we can’t imagine the cost to laser-print into existence all the things the film is showing us the future could hold. All that we see in the movie uses up a massive power, but the film takes it for granted, as it is more involved in its plot. It never really makes any sort of stand for whether any of this is good or bad. It gives a “good” AI (Ares) and a “bad” AI (Athena, played by Jodie Turner-Smith) but doesn’t say anything about this other than it seems to push for us to appreciate Ares’ bid for humanity. It feels like a platitude and an attempt to inject some humanity into what maybe an action thriller.

My Rating:

Experience the future like never before. Catch TRON: Ares on the big screen and get lost in its stunning visuals, electrifying soundtrack, and high-speed action. See it now in cinemas and feel the Grid come alive in 3D IMAX!