The “Tron” franchise has been a science fiction and personal mainstay for as long as I’ve been alive.
That said, whenever “Tron: Ares” was finally announced last year, I was hesitant about investing too much time staying awake in the theater to watch it.
Everything changed once industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails (NIN) was tasked with creating the soundtrack.
After all, I’m an avid NIN fan and was excited to see how their gritty style would pair with sleek futuristic graphics.
Well, that and actually being under the Walt Disney Studios banner.
I do have to say that the film relies more heavily on its action sequences rather than tackling the perpetual argument about whether artificial intelligence (AI) programs are actually alive or not.
And considering how long such a concept has been explored and is still being considered – I spent more time enjoying the soundtrack’s musical cues to move the story along.
Ares is an American science fiction action film directed by Joachim Rønning from a screenplay by Jesse Wigutow, based on a story by David Digilio and Wigutow.
It is the third film in the Tron series and a sequel to “Tron: Legacy” (2010).
The film features an ensemble cast including Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson, with Jeff Bridges reprising his role as Kevin Flynn from the previous films.
While it’s just shy of two hours long at 119 minutes, Ares is rated PG-13 for violence/action.
In 2025, 15 years after Sam Flynn attempted to retrieve his father Kevin from the Grid, ENCOM and Dillinger Systems race to bring digital constructs into reality.
Naturally, each has their own reasoning and idea on what would make the biggest impact on the world versus what would make them the most money.
ENCOM chief executive officer Eve Kim (Lee) and her colleague Seth Flores (Castro) visit a remote Alaskan station set up by Kevin Flynn (Bridges) decades ago, believing his computers hold the “permanence code” to break the 29-minute barrier holding back the digital constructs.
After finding the code, they transfer a digital orange tree into the real world, where it lasts for hours.
Meanwhile, at the Dillinger headquarters, CEO Julian Dillinger (Evans) introduces Ares (Leto), a Master Control Program (MCP), to shareholders, claiming he is the perfect, expendable soldier.
Ares shows unexpected self-awareness, noting Julian’s indifference to his survival, and interest in rain outside the facility.
After Ares de-materializes, Julian’s mother Elisabeth (Anderson) expresses concern about the limited lifespan.
Julian disregards this and later uses Ares to attack ENCOM’s mainframe for the permanence code where a security fight ensues as Ares downloads Eve’s personal data.
During their escape, Ares, despite his programming, tries saving an injured program named Caius (Monaghan), but Julian disables ENCOM’s Grid.
After their plane touches down, Eve and Seth are set to return to ENCOM with a hard drive containing the code.
ENCOM Chief Technology Officer Ajay Singh (Minhaj) warns them of Julian’s cyberattack.
That ends up forcing Eve to flee while Julian and Ares track her, with Ares and his second-in-command Athena (Smith) chasing Eve on light Cycles.
Eve hits Athena and hijacks her Light Cycle, but Ares corners her in a nearby port, where Eve destroys the drive rather than risk letting him get hold of it.
But, things get more complicated when Julian has Eve scanned into the Dillinger Grid with a particle laser.
Overall, I think the film could have done a better job fleshing out the storyline but since there is a mid-credit scene, maybe they’re going to do more with the characters in the fourth installment – if it happens.
