It’s 10:30PM on a Friday night, and I just got home from watching Tron: Ares.

Like the rest of my reviews, I’ll start with non-spoiler impressions. Then I’ll give a warning, just before going into spoilers.

General Impressions and Overall Experience

I went in with very low expectations, and walked pretty happy! I had a good time!

Like Tron: Legacy, the music stands alone. Absolutely fantastic. I’m sure I’ll listen to the music outside the theater just like I did with Legacy. It was the one aspect of the movie I had high expectations for, and it did not disappoint.

The visuals were great! I liked the look and feel of this movie, both in the real-world and on the grid. There’s more I’ll say about that in the spoiler section.

From the trailers, I thought this was going to be a different movie, one that I wasn’t as excited for. The reality exceeded my expectations, which is good.

The story was fine. Serviceable. It didn’t evoke huge emotions, but I don’t need that from every movie. It was fine, and made better with one piece of headcanon, which I’ll talk about in the spoilers section.

For this movie to work for you the way it worked for me, you do have to turn your brain off a little bit when it comes to technology. It’s the same issues brought up in the other two Tron movies, so the fantastical technological issues in this movie are not new. If you’re a fan of the other movies, this won’t be a problem for you.

Overall, I had a good time. I’m not going to be in a rush to see it in the theater again. I wouldn’t mind owning it and putting it with the other two Tron movies.

Spoilers Below

I’m about to get into spoilers. This is opening night, so if you want to see this movie unspoiled, stop reading. Delete the email, close the browser tab… whatever you have to do.

End of spoiler warnings.

You have been warned.

Okay.

Here goes.

I think a person can enjoy this movie without having seen the original two, though they still have the issue I mentioned where they need to turn off parts of their brain. There are some physics problems around bringing things out of the computer, into the real-world. There are logic problems around programs functioning in the real-world.

It’s techno-magic, established in the first movie, expanded a little in the second, and expanded much further in this one.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Not every story needs to be grounded in dry, unwavering realism. Not everything is directed by Christopher Nolan. It really is fine to enjoy a story that’s impossible. Eat your popcorn and enjoy the show.

So, it’s possible for someone new to the franchise to enjoy this movie, but some parts really lean in to deliver extra tasty crumbs for Tron diehards. Some of this is nostalgia bait. Some of it is world-building. Some of it is just for fun and style.

For example, when Ares goes to the original grid from the first movie. It’s nostalgia, but it’s also fun. I especially like that the music comes up with the original score.

Now that I’ve mentioned Ares, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Jared Leto. How did he do?

To be honest, I think he did fine! I didn’t hate him in this role. I found him sympathetic, and I had no problem rooting for his character. Some people can’t look at his face without thinking of the weird (and sometimes scummy) things he’s done off-screen. In this movie, I thought he was fine. At no point did he turn to the camera and say, “It’s Morbin’ Time.”

Maybe he’s saving that for the next movie.

Let’s get to that head canon I mentioned at the top of this, then wrap this whole thing up.

Julian Dillinger, played excellently by Evan Peters, is a scumbag, and the first person to talk to Ares in the beginning of the movie. Ares asks, “Who am I?” and Dillinger says, “You’re Ares. You’re master control. I made you.”

I don’t think Julian is telling the complete truth. I don’t think Julian created Ares. I think he repurposed him from a program conspicuously absent in the entire movie.

My headcanon is this: Julian got a hold of Tron and repurposed him, turning him into Ares. Similar to how Clu repurposed Tron into Rinzler in Tron: Legacy.

The opening scenes support this. Fledgling Ares appears on screen and is struck down. He appears again, defends himself, but is struck down again. And again. He’s forced to learn. Come up to speed. All the while, he is masked, looking very similar to Rinzler from Legacy. We even see him fight with two discs for a moment, just like Tron/Rinzler.

It makes the interaction between Ares and Flynn make more sense, too. I think Flynn recognized the Tron in Ares, which is why he was so amused by him, and so willing and eager to help him.

If Ares is made from Tron, it explains why he broke from his orders. It explains his “malfunction” as it were.

I’m stating this theory like it’s not obvious, but the movie is not explicit about this. That’s why I’m treating it as headcanon, and thinking about it while watching the movie improved my enjoyment of it.

I had fun with this movie. I’m glad I saw it. I would not be upset if they made another one. Given how empty the theater was, I think this is the last Tron movie I’ll ever get to see.

End of Spoilers

Did you see it? What did you think of it? Do you like Tron like I do? Let me know.

And whatever you’re up to, I hope you have a great weekend.