When I first caught a glowing glimpse of "Tron: Ares" at Comic-Con this summer, I was enthralled. More than a standard presentation, the panel was a whole nine yards of light-and-music show, starting with a surprising entrance of the security program guards. And the lightcycle model on display was memorably super cool to see (I even got to hop on and pretend-ride!).
A standalone version in the same universe of “Tron” (1982) and “Tron: Legacy” (2010), the story in “Tron Ares” powered by the rivalry of two major corporations, Encom and Dillinger.
Ares (Jared Leto), serves as “Master Control,” defender of the Dillinger security system. He and his second-in-command, Athena (Jody Turner-Smith) and the rest of the programs, live in the grid. Their existence is to obey all commands of the user, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), including removing any and all impediments and achieve the user’s objective at all costs.
They are the ultimate soldiers. Ever-powerful and totally expendable. If destroyed, can be identically rebuild over and over again. In a showcase to the board of directors, that’s Julian’s pitch and everyone is very impressed. One small problem Julian chooses not to disclose is that the programs can only exist in the human world for 29 minutes, and afterwards they evaporate and will have to be rebuilt.
The key to keep them ‘alive’ is “permanence,” an obscured code that the CEO of Encom, Eve Kim (Greta Lee), has been searching for and working on. The computer genius has also been carrying a personal burden of continuing the work of her dearly departed sister in the field. With Eve finally getting a hold of the permanence, Julian is in a relentless pursuit to get that code, dispatching Ares, Athena and the robotic crew.
When Ares starts developing empathy after accessing Eve’s stored human history and has a different purpose for the permanence, and Julian’s mother (Gillian Anderson) sees what her nefariously ambitious son is truly capable of, conflicts and chases ensue.
The stylish fights use assorted weaponry, such as discs, batons, staffs and swords. The chase on the streets is one of the coolest sequences. The lightcycles, weaving in and out of traffic, build jetwalls and leave trails of laser ribbons, obstructing and cutting through whatever objects in their way. Watch for a particularly precise takedown scene.
The grid chase scene along a neon-lit landscape is even cooler. The lustrous lightcycles blaze walls of particles, light, water and fire in their wake. Escaping the grid doesn’t mean freedom. Athena takes it to the next level by commandeering a cosmic aircraft into the real world. And all along, the pulse-pounding Nine Inch Nails electronic score incomparably rocks the movie.
Nothing deep here. The complexity of co-existence between humanoid AIs and humans could be explored further (and speaking of which, “Ex-Machina” needs to have a sequel). But if you’re looking for style, the visually and sonically thrilling “Tron: Ares” shines in glowing spades. See it in IMAX 3-D if you can!
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2025 Comic-Con
Panel presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTdr9_PLiEU
