Tron Ares Movie Review: Hollywood’s newfound affection for artificial intelligence has brought us yet another entry in the Tron franchise, Tron: Ares - a film determined to show that not all AI is evil and not every CEO is a guffawing, profit-hungry villain. This is the legacy sequel to the 1982 cult sci-fi Tron, and also the sequel to its own legacy sequel, Tron: Legacy (2010), which somehow convinced Jeff Bridges to return, grumble his way through scenes, and pocket what looked like a very easy pay cheque. Tesla Optimus at Tron Ares Movie Premiere Surprises Everyone including Jared Leto by Showing Off Its Kung Fu and Fighting Skills; Elon Musk Reacts (Watch Video).

So yeah, Tron: Ares has good AI and evil AI. The good AI has 'evolved' to feel human emotions, becoming more Vision than Ultron. If the studio wanted to argue that AI deserves more charitable PR, maybe they should’ve started with casting. I mean… did anyone really think Jared Leto was going to make that case for them?

'Tron: Ares' Movie Review - The Plot

Set years after Legacy, Encom Industries has lost its guiding Flynn yet again. The company is now led by Eve (Greta Lee), who honours her late sister’s dream of harnessing AI in real-world applications for good - think reforestation, accessible medicine, sustainable food production.

Meanwhile, the rival Dillinger Industries is run by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), grandson of the first film’s human villain. Julian’s mother, Elisabeth (Gillian Anderson), remains on the board and disapproves of his reckless methods. (By the way, Cillian Murphy’s Dillinger from Tron: Legacy is nowhere to be seen or even mentioned. Looks like post-Oscar glory, Murphy would rather cameo in a franchise about rotting zombies than in one that sometimes makes us feel undead watching it.)

Watch the Trailer of 'Tron: Ares':

Julian’s vision for AI predictably tilts towards militarisation. His prized creation, Ares (Jared Leto), is a new-age Master Control Program occasionally unleashed into the real world to woo investors. Both companies’ experiments share a problem: their 3D-printed constructs can’t survive outside the Grid for more than 29 minutes. The key to fixing that lies in the so-called Permanence Code - the story’s central MacGuffin - gets discovered by Eve, prompting Julian to dispatch Ares and his fierce lieutenant Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) to retrieve it.

'Tron: Ares' Movie Review - Visually Stunning

The original Tron had its moment in pop culture largely thanks to its unconventional, neon-drenched visual style - a curiosity that still retains some retro charm. Tron: Legacy coaxed Jeff Bridges back for a gruff, paycheck-friendly performance and benefitted from Joseph Kosinski’s sleek direction and Daft Punk’s electrifying soundtrack, but it was still a boring affair.

A Still From Tron: Ares

Tron: Ares, helmed by Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), feels like a new shiny toy - sleeker and more 'real-world' than its predecessors. It tries to chart a new path by shifting much of the action into the real world rather than on the Grid, which isn't absent and has scenes set there as well. There’s even one nostalgic detour back into the old digital frontier of the 80s, complete with a legacy cameo and some of that philosophy-spouting that has always been the series’ dullest trait.

A Still From Tron: Ares

The film’s central idea - the good AI discovering its humanity and grappling with the double-edged nature of artificial intelligence - is genuinely compelling. There’s even a dazzling city-wide chase sequence in the first half that showcases the film’s top-tier visual effects, albeit at the cost of narrative logic. The score by Nine Inch Nails is another standout, evoking the kind of punk energy Daft Punk brought to Legacy.

'Tron: Ares' Movie Review - Underimaginative Storytelling

But here’s the thing about shiny new toys: once the novelty wears off, the fun fades. That’s Tron: Ares in a nutshell.

Beyond its initial thrills, Tron: Ares begins to feel like an uninspired collage of better sci-fi films. The echoes are unmistakable: a benevolent AI protecting a human from its ruthless counterpart recalls Terminator 2; a surreal philosophical tête-à-tête with a bearded sage like being evokes Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; an android learning humanity through raindrops feels like a direct nod - if not a wink - to Blade Runner. Unfortunately, these homages feel less like creative tributes and more like borrowed code from superior scripts. ‘Looks Promising’: Elon Musk Reacts to Trailer of Sci-Fi Movie ‘Tron: Ares’ by Walt Disney Studios Starring Jared Leto As ‘Ares’, Releasing on October 10, 2025.

A Still From Tron: Ares

The characters don’t fare much better. Greta Lee’s Eve has plenty of screen time but is mostly relegated to frantic escapes - either in heels or on wheels. Leto delivers a typically Leto-ish performance: thankfully less grating than his Joker in Suicide Squad, less droll than Morbius.

A Still From Tron: Ares

Peters injects some evil charm into his man-child CEO, but Jodie Turner-Smith, despite her commanding presence, doesn't get to feel compelling when it matters. Even a stoic Gillian Anderson, Arturo Castro as (humour-less) comic relief, and a wasted Hasan Minhaj are left adrift by the flat screenplay.

'Tron: Ares' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

For all its visual polish and strong sonic identity, Tron: Ares ultimately feels derivative and emotionally hollow. Its attempts to marry nostalgic callbacks with new ideas falter under the weight of predictable plotting and uninspired character arcs. It’s a glossy, intermittently entertaining sequel that promises evolution but delivers more of the same - a film likely to satisfy franchise completists but unlikely to bring in new fans or convert the sceptics.

Rating:2.0

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 10, 2025 09:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).