(film review) - Tron: Ares

Before I even get into it, I just want to start off by saying this film is good and entertaining. Jared Leto was also really good in the role, so if you have any reservations about his acting, he is really good and is not the problem with this movie. Any shortcomings are not because of him, so if you do not like him, that is a different situation. And with that out of the way, I also want to highlight that I have recently watched the original Tron and the sequel, and whilst the first one is good but does not hold up today, Tron: Legacy is stylish and entertaining, but the dodgy de-ageing makes the film feel off, because the story is ok, not great, just ok. Tron: Ares spends more time setting up the future of the franchise rather than just telling a standalone story with loose suggestions or connective elements hinting at the possibility of a sequel. I'll explain.

Following Sam Flynn’s departure and decades after Kevin Flynn’s disappearance, Encom is now under the leadership of Eve Kim, a determined CEO pushing the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds. Her goal: to give life to inorganic matter, digital constructs. When illness sidelines Tess’s sister, Eve Kim steps in to continue her sister's research, determined to see it through. Across the city, a rival company, Dillinger Systems, led by Julian Dillinger — the grandson of a former Encom head, Ed Dillinger — is chasing the same breakthrough, but with a far more dangerous vision. His focus is on weaponising the digital constructs to create a new generation of digital soldiers for profit and power. As both sides compete to achieve the impossible, an advanced AI known as Ares begins to seek a life beyond his programming. But with Enforcers closing in and corporate motives spiralling out of control, the race to bring inorganic matter to life threatens to blur the line between creation and domination.

The bottom line is, the film is decent and enjoyable, Jared Leto is really good as Ares, but as I said before, the story spends more time setting up the future of the franchise because the film has many questions it does not answer. The scope, lore, and world of Tron (the film) could go a lot further and be more expansive. I will give an example. There used to be an animated show called 'Reboot', where the User (the person who would insert a game to play for their own enjoyment - ie, anyone who plays computer games/video games) would insert a game into the system, and the system would play the game to beat the user. The system was a computer world filled with 1s and 0s, a living, breathing world and many different characters; Hexadecimal, Megabyte and others. For some reason or another, whilst brother and sister, Megabyte and Hexidecimal would always try to corrupt and overthrow/rule the system, as well as battle each other. However, a security programme, a guardian within the system named Bob, would join the games and often try and help the user to win the games, but mostly, try to stop Hexidecimal and Megabyte from corrupting the system. There were likely other villains or other programmes like Hack and Slash as other computer programming that were different to the 1s and 0s, but Hexadecimal and Megabyte are the two I remember clearly. Bob is clearly based on Tron, the character within the Tron movies, and Clu is equivalent to either Hexidecimal, Megabyte or any other villain, so with all that said, whilst Tron: Legacy began opening up the world of Tron and the various different characters within the system, Tron: Ares does not expand on this at all. Tron does nothing to expand the world within the grid, and with Ares being as capable as he is, it made me question the whereabouts of other characters or why there were not any other characters within the system. I could see a world where there are different factions within the grid, lost tribes, factions or religous zealots etc, living within the system and something happens that ends up being 'Battle of the Five Armies', something where there is a fight for the control of the Grid (ok, as I type that, it is starting to sound expensive due to everything in the Grid and special effects money), but the Grid does not need to look like how it did in Tron: Legacy, maybe it could look like the real world with accents that inform the viewer that it is a game world, such as imagery, design or something. Think the movie 'Free Guy' or something. All this AI becoming self-aware and wanting to come into the real world could come later within the franchise when maybe the collapse of the Grid occurs due to ongoing wars within the system and manipulation in the real world via some competitor like Dillinger Systems. This was touched on at the beginning of the movie, but the film is lacking depth, and I feel a lot of Disney films are doing this of late.

The special effects are superb! It is a Tron film, so if I am honest, this is what you are paying your big money for, to see something on the screen that looks really cool. The Recogniser, the light cycles, and just like Tron: Legacy, the film introduces a few more vehicles that look very cool, especially in the real world. Some new vehicles and some old school favourites, but Tron will always provide something so cool you wish it was available in real life. Along with the vehicle shots, the visuals were top-notch from the fight scenes to the birdseye view when the light cycles race through the city, leaving light trails; it was great. I am not 100% sure how they work, but they were cool in the 80s, they were cool in Tron: Legacy, and they are still cool now. Even when the computer characters die, it looked amazing, and they have one-upped from the previous movie, although it does look very painful.

As I stated before, the acting by Jared Leto was really good. Whilst I heard he was great, I am not sure I would put great in there, but I had no issues with the portrayal of his character and in some instances, he was very funny. He was able to deliver some funny lines in only the way a self learning AI construct could, as it learns and adapts quickly to everything around it. The supporting cast, whilst not many, were also good, nothing spectacular, as they did what they were scripted to do or asked of them with no real standouts. Actors like Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger and Gillian Anderson as his mother could have been given a lot more to do, more lines, motivations or something, but unfortunately, how they were written was only to serve the plot, which is ok at best, because the storyline is fairly flimsy. Jodie Turner-Smith gave me T1000 vibes in a cool, sleek and sexy way. And I am not saying that because, as an person in real life, she is sleek and sexy (because she is), but ever since Tron: Legacy, everything was sleek, stylish and sexy, and this film continues that and Jodie was simply excellent in her role being the "Clu" of the third film, determined and relentless and I will just leave it at that for now. Greta Lee as Eve Kim was good in the role as well. I understood her pursuit and the reasons as to why she was doing what she was doing, and I could even see where she may go in the future with her thoughts or inorganic life and digital constructs, whilst she battled for her life over life. Her business partner, Hasan Minhaj as Ajay Singh, provided some laughs and brought some added levity to the movie, which also made the film entertaining. Lastly, seeing Jeff Bridges was great, and he served a small purpose in the movie, but I think I needed some of his background and his existence explained.

And to save the best till last, the music is superb! It is a Tron film, so if I am honest, like the special effects, this is what you are paying your big money for, to see something cool, enjoy a simple to ok storyline, but vibe with the music and bop your head from the beginning of the movie until the very end. The music is from Nine Inch Nails, and the music was a GREAT vibe, and unfortunately stands out more than the movie does.

Upon reflection, the Tron movies never really made ALL THE MONEY. The original movie was made for 17 million, and it made 50 million. Tron: Legacy was made for 170 million, and it made 409.9 million. These are making a profit, albeit, not something to write home about, but still a profit nonetheless. Tron: Ares was made for 180-220 million, and so far it has only made 106.4 million, so in industry standards, this is a flop (so far). I do not anticipate this movie making double what it has made thus far, because nobody is really watching it, and that could be due to a variety of reasons. But what I will reiterate, if you have a problem with Jared Leto, fine, but this film is really entertaining and he is good in it too, but with a flimsy storyline, missing characters and the focus on extending the franchise, especially with the end credits scene, this is still an enjoyable movie and I am curious as to where they were looking to go next. I would like them to dip their toe back into this franchise, but they really need to do more going forward, because retrospectively, watching this film made the second film a little better in comparison, as it elevates the world of the grid. Seeing the Grid in this movie is breathtaking, so why not see more of it and more characters and lore built in? Definitely go and watch it because it is really enjoyable.

(ree:watch review) - Tron: Legacy

I started writing reviews a little while back, and there was a time when I was not as consistent as I try to be now. I only wrote about movies to start off with and had no intention of writing about anything else. Around 6 years ago, I decided to add trailers and TV shows to the mix, and I am glad that I did because not only do I enjoy watching TV shows as much as Movies, but the world fell into a pandemic, and at least I were able to remain busy. As Tron: Ares is due out soon, and in fact, is out now from the publishing of this post, I thought I'd go through my archives to see if I had previously reviewed the movie, considering I had seen it before and, I am ashamed to say, this movie review has been sat in limbo since 2011 and I am actually very disappointed in myself because of this. These limbo reviews of mine sit there until I find the time to start and/or finish a review so I can publish it. Of recent I have tried to stay on top of this so I do not have many movie reviews sitting in the void space I have created, but sometimes, with all that is coming out, I am watching, LIFE is also getting interwoven with the time I can use to review, thus delays, however, I am going to try and keep on top of it.

I wanted to knock out a review when I saw it and retroactively post the review, but 2011 was a very long time ago and my memory of then and now having just rewatched the movie, my thoughts would be skewed, so...why not just do my reewatch review as I was going to anyway, whether I had previously reviewed it and published it or not. So here it is.

This movie picks up some time after the events of the first movie, and Kevin is famous, runs the company and has a child named Sam. Kevin is telling Sam, as a boy, about 'The Grid' and Tron, his creation and what the grid is like. Kevin rides off and is never heard of again, and is speculated to be lost within the grid. Rebellious Sam, now older, receives a message to go to his dad's old office, only to go there and be digitised and pulled into the very same computer system his father had been rumoured to go missing in, and Sam must now fight for survival just like his father did all them years ago.

So what I do remember about this moving back in 2011, was that it was a huge upgrade from the first movie, everything looked slick and stylish, the special effects were top-notch, but I hated the Clu and the process they do to make an actor look younger. I do not remember if they gave it a term back then, but it was creepy, but maybe that is due to not having the capabilities they have now. The uncanny valley of it all just made it creepy, and I remember leaving the cinema thinking, kinda enjoyable but also very creepy and weird. It just felt forced, so I did not like the movie, although I found elements of it enjoyable, such as the look of it. I may have even said it was rubbish and felt that it was more style than substance. This time around, I enjoyed it.

Watching the second movie after the first, pretty much back-to-back, was great. And although I thought the film was very stylish and slick back then, and still very stylish and slick, how they made the computer world look very modern and that Kevin's programme, Clu still looked creepy, maybe I have seen worst since, gave it a pass or simply got used to it as it did not bother me as much this time around.

I came to realise the limitations of the 80's meant that there always was a Clu in the original film and the deaging technique was not used, but this time around, whilst not upto the standard of film in 2025, I got used to it and for all intents and purposes, fed into the story, so it wasnt as forced as I thought it was all them years ago.

The music is great! Scored by Daft Punk, and they are also in the movie, as essentially, they fit right in. Their scene is shot alongside Michael Sheen and Olivia Wilde before Jeff Bridges turns up. It is essentially a "club" scene that now reminds me of a John Wick club scene. The music laced throughout this movie hits hard and back then, was the unique selling point of the movie, but this time around, still is along with the digital upgrade, but the story isn't as bad upon the rewatch and it is likely the film was given a hard time because of the deaging and the "forced" storyling and Clu element to it, but for me, I've come to realise that the story is about creativity and perfection as sometimes as a creative person, you strive for perfection, but you may not ever know what perfect is, and that was the downfall of Kevin as he wanted perfection, Clu was assisting him with that at any cost and stuck to his programming without evolving.

In the end, Tron: Legacy is a good film. There is a decent story to it, but the film does indeed lack a little depth. The special effects are great and very well stylised and visualised. The new vehicles are excellent, and the way people break down as shattered glass is wonderful to see. The shots are beautiful too. The Grid is a dark yet beautiful place. I just hope that if we do revisit the Grid in Tron: Ares, we get to spend more time there and see what that world has now become. Seeing the first movie isn't necessary to watch this one.

(ree:watch review) - Tron

If you are around my age, Tron was THAT film! It came out in the 80s, it was about computers and if you were a child like most of us around that time (especially with home computers not being a household item at that point or computer consoles, and the only computer type experience we had were arcade machines, work desktops and maybe a couple handhelds), all we knew were computer graphics, special effects and digital stuff to do with computers that we couldn't quite possibly understand very well, but we understood what we thought was cool, like the Light Cycles. The Recogniser looked menacing, and the way everything seemed to operate and move as if in a video game, the thought of that as a child, being in a world like that, was amazing, exciting and cool. Plus, we were young with a childlike wonder to it all. So, while Tron remains a staple favourite in our hearts since our childhood, how many times have you personally gone back to it, and does it actually hold up? I hadn't and no. No, it really doesn't.

Kevin Flynn is a talented computer programmer who works for a company called Encom. Having created some games for them, Kevin goes looking for his stolen work in the company's computer program, a computer world called The Grid, but when Kevin is digitised and transported to the Grid itself, Kevin must fight for survival, defeat the Master Computer Program with the assistance of a security program named Tron.

It is not trash; it is dated and does not hold up very well at all, but with all that said, very much ahead of its time. When I was younger, I couldn't quite understand anything beyond a man being pulled into a computer game world and fighting for survival to get out. Upon the rewatch, I couldn't help but to think of all the other films and projects that have been influenced by this film, from 'Wreck It Ralph' to 'Reboot', and I loved Reboot. It is very possible that this film was made because of the cool concept that it had, and a decent story than them knowing exactly what they were talking about or maybe the computer jargon was the understanding of that time considering a lot of time has passed, and when we talk about computers now, the jargon used is very different, especially as computers have evolved greatly since. I understood there were people living in the machine, but not necessarily as Artificial Intelligence. However, this time around, rather than thinking the MCP was just an evil or a bad program developed for the system, the program developed intelligence to manipulate real people outside of the computer world and eventually became SkyNet, (I kid). And chances are, they knew exactly what they were doing, making this film, and as computers evolved over time, our understanding of computers grew, too.

The special effects are dated, but the concepts are sound. The special effects were also great for that time, as with the light cycles being the standout back then, and the standout now. I mean, it all looks dated with the right-angled turns as if you were playing 'Snake' on the Nokia phone, but even now, it is still cool on the rewatch. The recogniser is cool and menacing. We are only limited by our imagination, so when you do see the sequel, you realise how far they have come to imagine what they can do with computers, technology, graphics and vehicles.

The music is definitely trash! I will not skip a beat in stating that, and it is a product of its time. Strangely enough, trying to watch The Running Man lately, and that sound is stuck in my head, and the sound is very similar to the sound in Tron. That was the sound of the future, of technology. The film has a slight vibe of Star Wars hinted in the movie, but Star Wars had a score; this is just laser-type synth sounds that are definitely a product of the time, where future sounds now in 2025 is nothing of the sort, there is a variety of "future" sounds.

I do not believe you necessarily need to watch this movie to understand future films such as Tron: Legacy, and I have not seen Tron: Ares yet, but this movie is a nice to know, before going into Legacy, rather than a need to know, and the same might just be for Tron: Ares. It's entertaining, a touch boring because it is dated, the story is decent, but it is a good watch nonetheless.

(trailer review) - Tron: Ares

(TEASER TRAILER)

If you are as old as me, you watched the original Tron movie when you were young, and as close to when the movie was first released. If your parents were cool enough, as a child, you watched it, and like most children seeing something sci-fi and cool, this movie was everything. Albeit very dated now, but the ships, the light cycles, red against blue, was there not a green in the original? I cannot remember at all now, but the long and short of it was, it was epic at the time, and we still hold fond memories of the original. Then there was Tron Legacy. The trailers looked amazing at the time, but the film never really delivered. The special effects were ok, but I think we had better around that time, the story was a little weird and bringing back Jeff Bridges and the dodgy effects to make him look younger was awful. However, Ares, that first trailer was pretty good, but this one, this trailer, THIS TRAILER!!! definitely sells this movie for me, as not only does it look epic. The first trailer had my attention, but this trailer fully has my attention. I am getting a sense of AI self-awareness, which is all the rage since, well, maybe the first movie, and we are still talking about it now in real life.

Having Evan Peters explain that they have managed to "harness/create" the AI NPCs, or just an AI, (maybe) to use it/them as soldiers by bringing them from the digital world into the real world and having a specific character named Ares to be the top/best soldier, because he is intelligent, strong, fast, is great and all, but now he wants to be human? Wait, what? Is he trying to break away from his "grouping" to become human? Why is the city being attacked? There are a few sequences in this trailer that look great, RoboCop, Terminator-esque. The Light cycle, the (what I can only explain as) the mechanical wing-propulsion suit, even that big thing we see going past the offices, I thought was called a dreadnaught (I need to rewatchrhe movie). But, the shot at the end is indeed the money shot! All those missiles firing out and moving angular like in a computer game, epic. That first trailer was good, but this one is leagues better. Let's see!

(trailer review) - Tron: Ares

The first Tron movie came out in the 80s, and I loved it. The second Tron came out 28 years after that and I will not say it was trash, but it just was not as good as the first movie, or from what I can remember, but maybe I need to rewatch it. But that could be due to several things: the direction they took, the special effects, I cannot remember exactly what happened in the story, so it definitely was not memorable AND the digital updates to Jeff Bridge's face were a little sloppy, that I do remember. This trailer, though, Tron: Ares.....ok, ok, you have my attention.

The trailer starts off with an aerial shot of a city (which I am damn sure they will use in the movie, and you'll see the "trails" from high up looking like a game of 'Snake') and a police operator stating that vehicles are racing, going at 120mph. Then we have the reveal, those Tron bikes (Light cycles) we all love and like from the original movie and the sequel, in the real world. Immediately, I was like, what??? The police are chasing them, or at least trying to keep up until one of the bikes turns on the "line-border" thing it does, and splits the police car right down the middle. Then we see the easily guessed words "Worlds Will Collide" or something very similar to that, because I said it before it came up. Then we see, and I want to say, the "Dreadnought", I think it is called that. I'm reaching back around 30+ years for the name, but once I saw that, I knew the city was going to be doomed. It looks like whoever, the army maybe, is putting up a valiant effort, but I think it may take more than just a few missiles to take down a dreadnought. Maybe someone else needs to step into the battle, like-for-like, because with those other vehicles and flying ships, they look great, but that city is going to get trashed. This looks like a really interesting take on the story here, and the special effects look decent. Just from the trailer alone, it looks better than Tron: Legacy, but I'm sure from the trailer alone, Tron: Legacy looked better than Tron, so we shall see with further trailers. It definitely has my attention.