Tron: Ares hit the theaters on October 10th, 2025. Long awaited by Tron fans, this film is the 3rd to the Tron movie series. The first movie, Tron, was released in 1982 and the 2nd, Tron: Legacy, in 2010. While these films have a loyal following, Ares was a flop with an estimated loss of $132.7 million and a ranking of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. Many viewers were disappointed that the characters from Tron: Legacy including Sam Flynn and Quorra didn’t get a reappearance in the new movie. In fact, the entire plot featured brand new characters and a new storyline. Faces like Jared Leto, Evan Peters, and Jeff Bridges were present throughout the film.
The film introduced a very hot topic at the moment; the idea of AI becoming emotional and human-like. Ares is a digital program who acts as a foot soldier for the tech company, Dillinger Systems, ENCOM’s rival. Digital programs can now be brought into the real world, but without the permanence code, they only last 29 minutes. Both Dillinger and ENCOM are on the hunt for this code and after it’s found by ENCOM, Dillinger is willing to do whatever it takes to get it. This includes setting Ares on a murder mission to retrieve it. After Ares gains sentience however, he realizes he can’t carry out Dillinger’s commands and tries to help ENCOM CEO, Eve Kim, who seeks to use digital programs in the real world to solve world hunger.
Although it wasn’t as successful as expected, this film brings to life the idea of advanced technology being used for good, and for bad, and what it could look like for the world. It’s references to original characters, along with a cameo of the original 1982 “grid” and a soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails make it a worthy watch to all those that are familiar with the Tron universe.
