It’s been 14 years since the events of Tron: Legacy and the corporate battle for the ultimate AI is on. Eve Kim (Greta Lee), genius programmer and CEO of what used to be Kevin Flynn’s business, Encom, is searching for the computer code to be able to bring an AI program out of the computer grid and sustain it in the real world in the third installment of the Tron franchise, Tron: Ares.
Kim has some serious and dangerous competition to deal with from Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), grandson of Ed Dillinger (the deceased David Warner), who not only is now the CEO of Dillinger Enterprises but also has created an AI program called Ares (Jared Leto) that can be pulled out of the grid and brought into the real world. Julian is counting on making Ares and all the computer machine programs into the ultimate fighting army for the military.
There’s just one problem. After 29 minutes in the real world, Ares and the machines from the computer degrade and disintegrate back into the grid. And that means the race is now underway between Julian and Eve to find the right code to make the first AI computer program capable of lasting indefinitely in the real world.
Fearing that Eve has already found the code, Julian brings Ares out into the real world to find her. His goal is to trap Eve in the grid, where they’ll be able to extract the code from her. However, Ares is starting to have his own ideas on how he wants to exist in the real world, and so he embarks on an adventure that will lead him back to where Encom, Tron, and Flynn all began.
Visually stunning with an impressive soundtrack, Tron Ares is a spectacle for the eyes and ears but has absolutely nothing else to offer. The plot is ridiculous and makes no sense whatsoever. The acting is abysmal.
Jared Leto delivers a one-note, dull performance as Ares, the AI program that is starting to discover what it is to feel and to want something for yourself. He’s a malfunctioning computer program that wants to live and exist in the real world with no time limit. The scenes showing Ares starting to feel emotions fall flat with Leto’s uninspired performance.
Greta Lee fails to impress in her role as Eve Kim, the CEO trying to follow in Flynn’s footsteps and ultimately surpass him. There’s zero chemistry between Lee and Leto, and there’s a real lack of expressiveness in her performance, which seems limited to alternating between staring at a screen and wide-eyed, mouth-open wonder when she’s surprised.
Unlike the original 1982 cult classic, this third entry in the Tron franchise lacks fun, humor, and heart. Jeff Bridges’ character, Flynn, was extremely likeable and had an energetic personality. Bruce Boxleitner’s Tron was serious but still able to show emotion and loss when a program ally was terminated. Their performances, as well as that of the late David Warner, helped the audience believe in the magical computer world and got them to care about the characters. Tron: Ares has none of that. It’s impossible to be invested in or care about any of these one-note characters.
The best the film has to offer are its special effects and chase sequences, which are visually dazzling. The film’s soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails provides the movie the only pulse and energy it has.
Tron: Ares is a perfect example of a film that is all gloss and no substance.
GRADE: C-
Rating: PG-13 for violence and action
Release Date: October 10, 2025
Running Time: 1 hour 59 minutes
Directed By: Joachim Rønning
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