Movie review: “Tron: Ares” impresses
“Tron: Ares,” directed by Joachim Rønning, is the newest Disney movie in the “Tron” franchise, a genre blend of science-fiction and action.
In the film, two powerful tech companies known as ENCOM and Dillinger Systems compete against each other to help humanity by bringing objects from the inside of computers to life.
Dillinger Systems CEO Julian Dillinger, played by Evan Peters, creates an advanced computer program named Ares, who can be extracted from the cyber world into physical reality. The AI, played by Jared Leto, is then marketed to the United States Department of Defense as the ultimate expendable soldier.
Greta Lee’s phenomenal acting as the CEO of ENCOM, Eve Kim, leaves viewers enchanted throughout numerous action-packed scenes. She performs most of her own stunts, including being dropped from a building. There’s also a scene where a cop car gets split in half — but I’ve said too much already. Go see the movie now.
My family and I were pleased with having decided to see the film at a movie theater in 3-D, as lead visual effects supervisor David Seager’s work does not disappoint. Some high-tech weapons were projected and aimed from the screen, which was an unusual and unexpected additional pleasure to see through our glasses.
Ares’ uniform is another visual effects win, an appealing hybrid of red and black. It’s the perfect mix of tactical and casual. Masterminded by costume designer Christine Bieselin Clark — who also did the blue-and-black attire for “Tron: Legacy” — the coolest Tron outfit thus far may never be surpassed.
The movie also succeeds when it comes to audio: the music and soundtrack written, arranged, produced and performed by Nine Inch Nails deserves homage. It’s unique, healing and larger than life, as well as the first time that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have put out a film score under their rock band’s title instead of their individual names.
My wife Brandy said that “Tron: Ares” is now her new favorite movie. I agreed with her that there wasn’t a dull moment in it. We didn’t check the time at all while watching the movie, and our daughters thoroughly enjoyed it too.
While AI is avoided and feared by many, this motion picture serves as a friendly reminder that there is good in everything, that it’s a gift to be alive and that love is the most powerful feeling. The theme of humanity and its relationship with AI is brought to life beautifully: The inanimate beings start to feel, making them more similar to humans than they or the humans themselves would ever expect.
My favorite aspect of this film is that it showcases the pain, suffering and constant hardships that life offers, and when its artificial beings become aware of this, they still gravitate towards wanting the gift of life that humans are afforded. It’s raw, it’s messy, but it’s also a beautiful story that’s not only relatable but unexpectedly empathetic towards artifacts that aren’t even alive.
“Tron: Ares” is the perfect movie to watch with family, friends or in solitude. This film has massive crowd appeal with its stunning visual effects and empathetic themes, even for those who aren’t fans of AI or technology.
