Released on Oct. 10, the futuristic action movie “Tron: Ares” flips the premise of its predecessors. Instead of humans entering the digital realm, as in the plot of 1982’s “Tron” and 2010’s “Tron: Legacy,” an advanced AI named Ares crosses into the real world, slowly discovering its own humanity and purpose. This latest addition to the “Tron” franchise is a step forward for the science fiction genre while keeping the series alive and kicking.
The film opens with an introduction to Ares as viewers witness his fighting prowess in the virtual world. In contrast to the previous two films in the series, the primary color scheme of “Tron: Ares” is red, conveying a menacing tone. The movie ties back to Greek mythology with its juxtaposing colors throughout the series. While the first two films primarily used blue to signify order and alliance, the red in the newest film signifies aggression, betrayal and bloodshed — all ideas closely associated with the Greek god of war, Ares. The film both experiments with a new premise and executes a novel use of colors effectively, displaying the differences in the fight against evil versus the fight for good shown throughout the three films.
The most outstanding aspect of the film came from the performances of Jared Leto and Evan Peters. Leto, who plays Ares, has recently fallen out of favor with fans and critics due to lackluster performances in films such as 2022’s “Morbius” and 2016’s “Suicide Squad.” Typically, Leto overacts his role, showing too much emotion for a character who is meant to be more serious and delivering lines too excitedly when they should be somber. However, Leto displays the balanced emotions he lacked in previous performances, clearly demonstrating the character’s growth from an emotionless computer-generated entity to a human-like being experiencing human struggles.
Alongside Leto, Evan Peters also delivered a stellar performance as the film’s main villain and the creator of Ares, Julian Dillinger. Julian Dillinger is the grandson of Ed Dillinger Sr., the antagonist from the original “Tron” movie. Julian made the new Ares program, separate from his grandfather’s original creation. Peters, who alongside Leto was one of the movie’s big names, executed his character perfectly — an egotistical, yet ambitious programmer who will do anything to gain power. Peters has previously been known for more realistic, serious and chilling roles in series like 2022’s “Dahmer” and 2021’s “Mare of Easttown.” This movie was not any different for Peters. He embodies Julian Dillinger as a character who thought he had everything he could want yet slowly transformed into someone watching his own empire fall apart and ruin him forever. Peter speaks so confidently and seriously that you are almost inclined to believe him, a testament to his dedication.
“Tron: Ares” does not restrict its role to a continuation of the “Tron” series. The film also comments on the role of big tech corporations in the United States. Specifically, the rise of AI in large corporations and its risks are well reflected in the movie, showing how AI is a potential weapon of danger. For example, when Ares is first brought into the real world, Julian intends to use him as a super soldier for the military, helping him and his company take over the world with one system. Dillinger fed Ares a destructive mindset, forcing him to be a weapon of destruction for power. As the movie implies, if AI and the greed of corporations are left unchecked, havoc can break loose. The film shows how AI can be used for both good and evil, if treated carefully, just as Ares was able to integrate himself into humanity and understand his purpose in society.
While “Tron: Ares” underperformed at the box office, its revolutionary approach to the science fiction genre of reaching peace through aggressive means will pave the way for future films. With standout visuals, poignant social relevance and beautifully developed characters, it’s definitely worth a watch.
Rating: 5 Viking helmets out of 5
