Jared Leto in 'Tron: Ares.' Courtesy of Disney Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Beyond the hardcore gamers who claimed spiritual ownership of the franchise, the limitation for many of us of Disney's Tron movies - both the 1982 original and the long-aborning 2010 sequel, Tron: Legacy - was always the imbalance between dazzling digital landscapes and dull human drama. The first movie squeaked by thanks largely to its creation of a CG parallel universe of neon graphics, geometric lines and throbbing grids that was genuinely innovative for its time. It also got a boost from magnetic leads Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner as contrasting iterations of the holdover '70s hunk. Related Stories Movies Jared Leto's 'Tron: Ares': First Reactions From the Premiere Business Does Sora 2 Come to Hollywood in Peace -- Or to Leave It in Pieces? Twenty-eight years later (no, not a Danny Boyle film), even car commercials were painting with cyber art, which nixed the novelty. While technological advances enhanced the visual style, the storytelling remained sluggish, not helped by the distraction of a waxy-looking, digitally de-aged Bridges doing battle with his older self. What Legacy did have going for it was a propulsive electronic score by French techno-funk giants Daft Punk, which kept the movie humming even when the narrative engine stalled. Tron: Ares The Bottom Line Nothing new, but worth the download. Release date: Friday, Oct. 10Cast: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson, Jeff BridgesDirector: Joachim RønningScreenwriter: Jesse Wigutow Rated PG-13, 1 hour 59 minutes In the same way, this latest dive into the Tron-verse - directed by Norwegian action vet Joachim Rønning and written by Jesse Wigutow - gets a considerable shot of adrenaline from the pulse-pounding score by Nine Inch Nails, billed here by their band name rather than the more customary Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Just as their big-beat grooves kept the tennis balls, rivalry and sexual tension pinging in Challengers, the composers' work here amps up the energy of Rønning's already-visceral handle on the action, which benefits from stepping outside the grid into reality. The robust score and sound design also make the IMAX experience worth the extra outlay.
The core story elements concerning the bridge between the human and digital worlds - and a sophisticated humanoid cyber security program that blurs the distinction when he starts to question his expendability as he begins to feel - are familiar from countless movies. In addition to the previous Tron films, there are aspects of Blade Runner, Ex Machina and The Matrix, among many others. But a refreshingly subdued performance from Jared Leto as the eponymous program, Ares, supplies an emotional hook and even an occasional touch of humor, something missing from the earlier films. Leto is also well-paired with Greta Lee as Eve Kim, CEO of ENCOM, the tech corporation at the center of the series since the start. After decades of shifting fortunes, ENCOM are now the good guys, but they have a serious rival in Dillinger Systems, a breakaway company headed by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), grandson of the shady character played by David Warner in the original.
Ares is introduced as the protector of the grid, or "Master Control" if you want his actual job title. The program is designed to follow orders from its user, Julian, a tech geek with a god complex. But even during an early presentation, as investors are informed that "the future of the military is AI" and Ares is touted as its ultimate soldier, the program appears troubled by the assertion that he can be easily replaced. What Julian hasn't told his backers is that Dillinger Systems is still trying to figure out how to make the digitally rendered, multidimensional soldiers and their hardware last more than 29 minutes before de-resolution causes them to crumble. When Eve, driven by the determination to complete her late sister's work, cracks the "permanence code," that makes ENCOM a target for Julian's corporate espionage. After Julian sends cyber soldiers, led by Ares and his lieutenant Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), on an unsuccessful raid of ENCOM's server farm, they abduct Eve by using a particle laser to trap her digitized form on the Dillinger grid. But Julian's order to extract the code and "delete the carrier" doesn't sit well with Ares, who is so well-versed in Eve's history that empathy gets in the way of him following directions, prompting him to go rogue and aid in Eve's escape. Athena has no such qualms, stepping up to finish the job "by any means necessary." That directive puts her beyond dilettante megalomaniac Julian's control as she supersizes a hovering "Recognizer" aircraft and head