by Chantal Ashford, Contributing Writer
It’s 2025, and the Grid has finally crossed over into the real world.
15 years after Tron: Legacy, we’re introduced to a new generation of players. Dillinger Systems, now run by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the grandson of the original Ed Dillinger, is locked in a digital arms race against Encom, led by Eve Kim (Greta Lee). Eve’s mission is ambitious — to give artificial intelligence true permanence, allowing it to exist beyond its 29-minute lifespan, and ideally serve humanity for the better. Julian, on the other hand, seeks power. His weapon? A growing digital army commanded by the self-learning program Ares (Jared Leto), who soon begins to question his purpose and creator. As Ares becomes self-aware, he begins to understand emotion, morality, and identity, realizing he may be more than an expendable line of code. When he rebels, he teams up with Eve in an effort to save himself and maybe, by extension, the rest of humanity. Meanwhile, Julian unleashes Ares’ loyal second-in-command, Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), a powerful enforcer tasked with stopping them at all costs.
Going into Ares, I’ll admit my excitement was mild. A third Tron movie that functions more as a soft reboot than a direct continuation didn’t sound promising, especially with Leto in the lead — and I wasn’t exactly holding my breath. But what did win me over immediately was the soundtrack. Scored by Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), the music pulses through every frame like electricity, giving the film its heart and tension. Their score is industrial, haunting, and beautifully atmospheric — easily one of my favorites this year.
As for the performances, Leto does what he does best — full method mode. He plays Ares as an emotionless machine learning to feel, and while it’s not groundbreaking, it works. Lee is the film’s soul; her performance as Eve brings necessary warmth and humanity. Thankfully, her dynamic with Leto avoids turning into an unnecessary romance. Evan Peters delivers a manic, ambitious Julian, while Gillian Anderson brings gravitas as his mother, Elizabeth, the moral compass who can see her son spiraling. Turner-Smith, meanwhile, is an absolute standout as Athena — all elegance and fury — and Arturo Castro adds a light touch as Eve’s loyal assistant, Seth.
Tron: Ares kicks off strong, and for the first hour, it’s an electrifying ride — sleek visuals, fast pacing, and a hypnotic world you can’t look away from. But as the two-hour runtime stretches on, the story begins to sag. It’s a beautiful film to look at, but the script doesn’t match its ambition, making the ending feel more like a system shutdown than a satisfying conclusion.
Still, the nostalgia hits. Seeing Jeff Bridges back, even briefly, as Kevin Flynn is like a fitting nod to what started it all.
Tron: Ares is visually dazzling and sonically immersive, but beneath the neon shine, it struggles to find its spark. It might just be time for this franchise to log off for good.
Rating: It Was Just Okay
Tron: Ares is currently playing in theaters
You can read more from Chantal Ashford, and follow her on Letterboxd