Movie: Tron: Ares
Release Date: Oct. 10, 2025
Director: Joachim Rønning
Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes
Genre: Sci-fi, action
Rating: C+
In a world where artificial intelligence writes music, generates art and solves problems, “Tron: Ares” feels both timely and ironic — a movie about AI that can’t seem to think for itself. “Tron: Ares” is exactly what you’d expect from the long-running cult franchise: a dazzling symphony of cutting-edge visual effects paired with an electric, industrial rock-synth score by Nine Inch Nails.
Unfortunately, beneath all the spectacle and grandeur lies a disappointingly underwhelming narrative full of cliché characters, lame motivations and dialogue so expository it feels written for the hearing-impaired to keep up with what’s happening on screen.
The film follows Ares (Jared Leto), a highly sophisticated AI program developed by Dillinger Systems, who is able to travel to the real world from the digital world, though not for more than 29 minutes. To circumvent this, the company’s CEO, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), sends Ares to steal the “permanence code” from ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee), which would allow programs to exist in the real world permanently. As Ares becomes aware of the real world around him, he begins to question his directive and rebel in search of a way to live on his own terms.
The Tron universe has always been one of style over substance, but at least in "Tron: Legacy," the story had emotional stakes wrapped inside a digital odyssey. "Tron: Ares," on the other hand, feels more like a technical showcase than a narrative one.
The film introduces new characters and high-concept ideas about artificial intelligence, but it rarely explores them in any meaningful way. Instead, the script leans on familiar tropes and exposition-heavy dialogue that spoon-feeds the audience every plot point as if afraid they might not catch on between all the flashing lights and thunderous bass.
Leto, ironically, as the military AI program Ares, may have finally found a character that suits his robotic personality. His cold, measured demeanor and flatline delivery feel oddly appropriate for a character meant to embody synthetic intelligence. Yet, while the role fits him, it also highlights how one-note his performance is. There's an interesting spark when Ares begins to question his mission and his desire to exist beyond the Grid, but the film never takes that existential thread far enough to make it resonate.
Peters, however, brings some energy to the role of Julian Dillinger, a young, egotistical tech CEO whose arrogance mirrors the same reckless ambition that defined his grandfather's downfall. Peters clearly enjoys the role, channeling the bratty, self-assured "nepo baby" persona, but he's ultimately trapped in a script that refuses to let him evolve past the stereotype of evil tech bro. The human element of "Tron: Ares" feels like an afterthought — characters exist mostly to deliver exposition or set up the next action scene.
Visually, however, "Tron: Ares" is a marvel. The production design is nothing short of breathtaking, merging the tangible world with the sleek, digital design that defines the series. The film's red-heavy neon palette contrasts well with the muted grays and oranges of the physical cityscape. The few sequences set inside the Grid are stunning, though surprisingly limited. Only two major scenes take place there, but they showcase the same sleek, neon, hard-light designs that give the franchise its instantly recognizable style.
For all its visual bombast, "Tron: Ares" occasionally gestures toward deeper ideas about AI consciousness, the ethics of its creation and what defines life — themes ripe for exploration in today's tech-obsessed world. The filmmakers clearly understand the cultural moment they're in with AI dominating public discourse, but those intriguing philosophical questions are left half-formed, overshadowed by action sequences and exposition that explain everything but say little.
What truly carries the film is its music. The score by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is an auditory powerhouse — dense, industrial and electric. Tracks such as “Target Identified” and “A Question of Trust” surge with distorted synths and thundering basslines, perfectly complementing the film’s high-tech visuals.
There’s a tension in the music — an undercurrent of unease and emotional dissonance — that gives the movie far more depth than its script manages to convey. The standout single, “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” is unapologetically robust and industrial, weaving lyrical artistry into the chaos. In many ways, the film feels less like a movie with a great soundtrack and more like a Nine Inch Nails album that came with a free movie.
Ultimately, "Tron: Ares" is a paradox — both dazzling and dull, ambitious and shallow. It delivers the kind of jaw-dropping visual effects and sound design people expect from the Tron franchise, but its story and characters lag far behind. It gestures toward big ideas about AI and humanity's intersection but never dares to dig deeper.
For casual moviegoers, the combination of neon spectacle and electrifying music will be enough to entertain. For those looking for emotional resonance or narrative complexity, "Tron: Ares" might feel like an upgrade that never quite booted up.