Tron: Ares

Director: Joachim Rønning
Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins, Selene Yun
Running Time: 119 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

While many were blindsided by director Steven Lisberger's groundbreaking and eerily prescient Tron in 1982, even its biggest detractors knew he was onto something, as its following in the years since has proven. So when Tron: Legacy came around over two decades later, it became a euphoric payoff for longtime fans repeatedly told for years a sequel would never happen. But with the industry finally evolving enough to do justice to Lisberger's futuristic vision, audiences were given an opportunity to experience a 2010 incarnation of the Grid in all its blue neon, 3D glory. And the timing couldn't have been better, at least until those tired "style over substance" complaints that plagued the original resurfaced, squashing any immediate hopes for a follow-up. 

Now after another excruciating wait comes Tron: Ares, with Norwegian director Joachim Rønning taking the reigns of a trilogy no one thought they'd ever see, in the franchise that refuses to die. And despite multiple delays, bad buzz and divisive reactions, it's just as spectacular as the others, ensuring its eventual enshrinement into cult status. Not exactly a sequel or reboot, it exists in this grey area in between, again managing to meet the moment with a timely plot centered around the perils and benefits of artificial intelligence. Of course, the first film foresaw this moral dilemma before anyone, knowing even then that technology's impact largely depends on how humanity chooses to use it.  

It's the year 2025 and rival companies ENCOM and Dillinger Systems are embroiled in a race to bring  digital constructs into reality. One such AI "being" is a program called Ares (Jared Leto), created by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the grandson of former ENCOM executive Ed Dillinger. An expendable super soldier, he's a Master Control Program following Julian's directives, but hampered by a fatal design flaw that limits its lifespan to 29 minutes. That's unless Julian can somehow obtain developer Kevin Flynn's (Jeff Bridges) "Permanence Code," which is in the hands of ENCOM's current CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee), who located it on a floppy disk at Flynn's remote Alaskan station. 

Ignoring his mother and ex Dillinger CEO Elisabeth's (Gillian Anderson) warnings, Julian uses Ares and digital solidier Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) to attack ENCOM's grid and retrieve the code. After that fails, Julian sends them to target her in the real world to get it, even if this means killing her. But when Ares starts showing signs of empathy and self-awareness, he and Eve agree to work together, infuriating Julian, who escalates his tactics to obtain the code. Alternating between real and virtual worlds, the war for digital supremacy unfolds, carrying increasingly high stakes for Eve and Ares. 

Picking up exactly where Joseph Kosinski's Legacy left off just wasn't feasible, especially considering how they'd have to entice the key players back after over a decade away. If anything, it's a testament to how well Sam and Quorra's arc concluded, with that unforgettable final shot leaving no where else to go, or at least not enough to justify another feature length adventure focused solely on the aftermath.  

The idea that Sam would bow out of ENCOM and hand the company over to someone capable of carrying on his dad's work seems right given how things were left. And most of that information is cleverly dispensed in a slick pre-title sequence that introduces Eve, who's been acting as sole CEO following her sister Tess's (Selene Yun) death. And to the film's credit, that's not a minor detail, as so much of Eve's desire to possess this code stems from a need to fill her late sibling's shoes, and maybe just a touch of lingering jealousy. 

Like his grandfather, Julian's a greedy meglomaniac, only with the volume turned up and far less competence. Even his own mom thinks he's a loser, only making him more dangerous and ambitiously eager to prove himself with this risky, unregulated program. If Ares' perceived flaw is a conscience then the Dillinger CEO's human malfunction is his complete lack of one, causing him to play fast and loose with potentially fatal tech. It's a concept that's permeated Tron's universe from day one, but takes on even greater relevance as AI outpaces society's preparedness in dealing with the potential consequences.  

This all comes to a head when Julian sets his sights on the code, which Eve and colleague Seth (Arturo Flores) use in digitally transplanting an orange tree, effectively breaking the 29 minute rule. This is what Julian wants and he'll stop at nothing to get it, leading to a surreal, action packed light cycle chase through the streets where Eve's hunted by the dutifully compliant Ares and Athena. But upon realizing he's no longer interested in being considered "expendable," Ares develops a rebellious streak, instead trying his chances at freedom. 

While Leto's casting was derided before a trailer even dropped, it's hard to imagine this working quite as well without him, and not just due to his involvement in actually getting the picture made. You'd assume playing a digital entity with human traits is a thin line for any actor to walk, but Leto drops subtle hints that his assassin harbors some strong feelings about what Julian's planning, taking to reality in ways his creator couldn't have counted on. 

Conveying distinctly human qualities with something just a little off, Leto proves up to that task and remains equally convincing in full fledged action hero mode, whether inside or outside of the virtual world. And in an aesthetic departure, this Grid has a substantially darker, grittier feel and look that really sets it apart from its predecessors. This red-tinged hallucinatory trip is backed by Nine Inch Nails' hypnotizing electronic soundtrack, which won't supplant Daft Punk's beloved Legacy score, but provides an awesome accompaniment, representing some of Reznor and Ross's best recent work. 

In a series often overlooked for its performances, Greta Lee's phenomenal as the sympathetic heroine who unexpectedly goes into badass mode to protect Flynn and her sister's legacies from a maniacal Julian, played with deranged glee by Peters. Gillian Anderson shines in a smallish role as the disgraced former CEO embarrassed by her own son while Jodie Turner-Smith is a physical presence, commanding the screen when Athena gradually emerges as the story's chief antagonist.

As the saga's connective tissue, Jeff Bridges' return as Flynn wasn't exactly a well kept secret, but he's perfectly utilized at just the right time, making a colossal statement with the clarity his character imparts on Ares. Taking place in a familiar setting that calls back to the '82 original, this sequence also marks a convergence point for the trilogy, bringing the saga full circle. And while the final battle is a volcanic cacophony of speed and sound, its very last scene is the best of surprises, addressing the elephant in the room and silencing skeptics who assumed the previous entry's events would go unacknowledged.

A visual feast for the senses, this legitimizes the cliché that certain films are intended to be seen and experienced in the biggest, most immersive environment possible. Of course, that's what Tron's always been, and a lot more, regardless of how many bothered to notice at the time  You're either onboard or not, which may as well sum up the history of a franchise that never really got the respect it deserved. But if this is the send-off, it's hard to imagine a better way for the series to go out than staying ahead of the curve, still waiting for the rest us to catch up.