"Tron: Ares" — Glowing Visuals, Dim Returns

Disney's Tron changed the game when it first came out in 1982. Written by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie Macbird, it was bold, new, and had a unique visual style that turned it into a cult classic. Since the 80's audiences have witnessed the release of two additional films, Tron: Legacy in 2010 and this year's highly anticipated, Tron: Ares. Being the first franchise installment in fifteen years as well as including a star-studded cast, the pressure was on for Tron: Ares, but did Disney deliver?

Tron: Ares is set fifteen years after the last film ended. This time around the ENCOM corporation designs a code that can bring digital beings into the real world, resulting in the existence of AI soldier, Ares who threatens the real world after gaining self-awareness.

Disney put a crazy amount of money into Tron: Ares, $180 million to be exact. This in no doubt went towards some absurdly expensive visual effects, a high-profile cast, and even a new soundtrack by legendary band, Nine Inch Nails. It's clear that Disney was confident in this film, perhaps a little too confident. After all, how often do you hear Tron brought up in everyday pop culture conversations? I will say, it's cool to see the franchise's signature style cross over into the real world. Tron: Legacy was visually engaging but it got old after a while because everything was so consistently glowing, Ares feels more ambitious and dynamic. This however, is a double-edged sword because the significant amount of screentime dedicated to the real world instead of the digital one makes this seem like an entirely different franchise at times.

The strongest part of the film is the score by Nine Inch Nails. People who have seen the film already have criticized the story, but said that it's much better if you approach the film like a two hour long music video. Ever since the 80's its been a common theme that these movies' greatest strength has always been the music. The Tron: Legacy soundtrack was by Daft Punk and the original was scored by legendary synth pioneer, Wendy Carlos. The story has never been a particular strength of this series, often coming across as obtuse or confusing.

Tron: Ares stars some truly heavy hitters like Jeff Bridges, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, and Gillian Anderson, but all of the marketing pointed to one person's involvement in particular: lead actor and producer, Jared Leto, who plays the titular character. From trailers to posters to the giant billboards lining Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Jared Leto's face has been downright impossible to avoid for the past few weeks. But something tells me that after Tron: Ares, we're not going to see him on the big screen again for a long time.

The last performance of Leto's that the public remembers was his portrayal of The Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad, which was met with scathing reviews from publications as well as pretty much every nerd in your life. When he returned in Zack Snyder's Justice League, it kind of killed any potential the DC extended universe had going forward. Back in 2022, he starred in Morbius which was meant to kickstart the Sony Spider-Man Universe. But upon release, those future plans were instantly extinguished when the film was bombarded with ridicule and poor box office figures. After Tron: Ares released to one of the worst selling opening weekends of 2025, rumors are quickly spreading that this film will mark the end of the Tron series.

If these rumors are true, which they likely are, Tron will be the third franchise Jared Leto has starred in and brought to a screeching halt. What's going on here is obvious: Jared Leto has become box office poison. Nobody else in the cast give any performances to write home about. Jeff Bridges comes off as incredibly goofy and impossible to take seriously. Further eyerolls are brought on by some pretty on the nose fanservice in the third act, particularly for fans of the first film.

Overall, Tron: Ares seems like a well-intentioned but horrifically misguided cashgrab by Disney. If this is truly the end of the series, it was nice while it lasted, right?