Tron: Ares

 Tron: Legacy did all right fifteen years ago. It took quite a long while to get a sequel up-and-running, partially due to the Tomorrowland fiasco. That sequel is finally here in the form of Tron: Ares.

While the previous films had people digitized into the computerized world of The Grid, this film has warring tech companies Encom and Dillinger Systems plot to actualize digital constructs in the real world. ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) has far better luck than Dillinger’s Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), whose constructs “derez” after 29-minutes. The difference is that Eve has the “permanence code,” a parting gift from ENCOM’s “retired” CEO Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges). 

Julian actualizes his two best digital soldiers - Ares (Jared Leto) and Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) - and sends them after Eve and the code. Once they catch her, Ares defies his programming and defends Eve from possible deletion. Athena, meanwhile, will stop at nothing to fulfill her directives. It all leads to a destructive battle of the constructs. That’s basically it.

Joachim Rønning and his writers create a pretty self-reliant sequel. You can probably skip not only Tron: Legacy, but the original Tron, and not miss much (except for the outstanding technicals). Its opening, done through news broadcasts shown from The Grid, handles the exposition pretty well. Its own story is overly long, and has some plot issues, but its plot is pretty decipherable.

The cast do all right with their roles. The real world and Grid pairs of protagonists are tangible opposites. Eve, having previously lost her sister and co-CEO to cancer, is doing it for life. Julian, whose grandpa was Tron’s Big Bad Edward (David Warner), is doing it for war and glory. In the middle of it all, we have Ares and Athena; one wants to learn more, the other is stuck in her programming. There’s not much to it, but it’s fine. The best acted scene is Bridge’s cameo as Flynn’s digital ghost, who shows that he might be really old, but he’s still The Dude.

In this film, The Grid turns out to refer to several digital worlds. Ares’ world is rendered in a striking black-and-red aesthetic. He and his fellow on-set warriors blend in seamlessly with the digital backgrounds and tech. The actualized vehicles, especially the famous light-cycles, are marvelous. When Ares visits Flynn, his Grid is a spotless recreation of the original film’s “primitive” look. I wonder if this effects team had it easier, this time. Any breaks in the verisimilitude are understandable considering they’re all digital creations. 

And finally, let’s talk about the soundscape. Tron was scored by Wendy Carlos, Legacy had Daft Punk, and this film has Reznor & Ross (credited under their band name, Nine Inch Nails). Like their predecessors, they accentuate the video game action with a perfectly appropriate techno score. A particular highlight accompanies Athena pilots a colossal Recognizer ship into the film’s unnamed city, ready for war. The sound design is also exquisite, whether it’s for the sound effects or the filters used for Ares and Athenas’ voices. I think I said enough.

There’s a recent book about AI, which spells out its authors’ fears in its title: If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies. Tron: Ares, with its self-aware human programs, is more optimistic than that book by a country mile. It isn’t too complex, but I doubt the human drama was ever the selling point of the franchise. You won’t be disappointed if you came in for the visuals; if you’re into human drama, my next review might describe something up your alley.