Since I was a kid, I have loved the Tron franchise! That original Tron movie from the early 80s was groundbreaking for its time, and I loved it! I had Tron for the Atari 2600, which I played all the time, and I would watch the copy of the movie that we had over and over again. Tron is a movie that I have revisited time and time again, and I was so pumped when it and Tron: Legacy finally came to 4K!
Where to Watch Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares was released on October 10, 2025. You can expect to be able to stream from Disney+ in 2-3 months from the theatrical release date.
The Movie Review
Tron: Legacy decades later, and I think that it is fantastic, and I like it nearly as much as I do the original Tron. Tron: Legacy, as far as its special effects go, has aged really well. The thing is, despite Disney’s best efforts, Tron: Legacy did not do that amazingly well at the box office, and as far as movies go, I honestly thought that Tron was done.
Excitement for the Return of Tron
That is why I was so excited when Tron: Ares was announced, as I did not see this coming at all. The more I heard about the movie, the more interested I got. Jared Leto, Evan Peters, and Gillian Anderson all becoming attached to the movie just got me more excited. Then we started to hear rumors of what the story would be, programs coming into the real world and that just sounded so cool to me, especially as this is what Tron: Legacy hinted at!
Tron: Ares as a Standalone Movie
The thing is, Tron: Ares does not feel like a sequel to Tron: Legacy or even the original Tron! This very much feels like its own thing, and that, I think, was a massive mistake. There is a bit of fan service here, and seeing Flynn’s office was awesome. However, if you are coming into this expecting it to carry on where Tron: Legacy left off, you will be very disappointed. I say this because that is exactly how I felt as the credits started to roll.
Tron: Ares Plot Breakdown
Plot wise, when you say it out loud, or in my case here, write it down. It all sounds very simple. We have two warring companies in Encom, which is now run by Eve Kim, and then we have our villains, Dillinger, run by Evan Peter’s Jullian Dillinger. If you have seen the trailer, you know what the deal is. Programs can now be brought into the real world, and Dillinger has the idea to make billions by weaponizing them.
The Role of Ares and Jared Leto’s Performance
This, though, is easier said than done, as there is a real ticking time bomb that both Encom and Dillinger need to deal with. Oh, we also have Jared Leto as Ares, the program who can potentially save the day, a program who is starting to develop human like feelings. I have heard some people compare Ares to the T-800 in Terminator 2, and I do think that is a pretty decent comparison.
To be fair to Jared Leto, he does a great job here, and the deadpan comedic timing, intentional or not, is very well done. The thing is, I just did not care about anything really happening in the movie! Evan Peters is clearly having a blast playing the role of this crazy tech CEO, but outside of him, most of the performances and characters are just forgettable.
Spectacle and Visual Appeal
While as a story, Tron: Ares may not have been great, as a spectacle, the movie looks amazing! The special effects and action scenes are incredibly well done, and that Nine Inch Nails soundtrack is awesome! The visuals and sound are the best thing this movie has going for it! I saw it in 2D, but I have heard very good things about the 3D version of this movie.
Final Thoughts on Tron: Ares
I hate to say it, but Tron: Ares is my most disappointing movie of the year. I am not saying that this is a bad movie, but I just expected so much more and something that would actually follow on from Tron: Legacy. Despite this, I am tempted to go and see this in 3D and see if it is a movie that I enjoy more the second time around. Plus, I feel like I have not seen a movie in 3D in ages so that could make this a better experience.
