Tron: Ares is the third installment in Disney’s Tron franchise, a series that follows the escapades of programs within a visually impressive and treacherous digital world known as the Grid. Now, Tron isn’t exactly Disney’s most popular franchise, nor is the franchise’s narrative the most cohesive (The plot thread from the previous film was completely forgotten.), but each new installment always delivers on its promises of dazzling visuals, thrilling action, and an awesome soundtrack. Ares was no different, following the titular program’s journey of escaping the Grid and his fellow programs trying to stop him. This, of course, leads to the main gimmick of this Tron installment being elements of the Grid entering the real world. This hasn’t been done in the previous two installments, and it made for some pretty entertaining action set pieces. I was also a fan of the soundtrack done by the band, Nine Inch Nails. I knew Daft Punk, who composed the soundtrack for the previous film, would be a tough act to follow, but the cyberpunk feel that this soundtrack had only elevated the film’s action and visuals. As for another plus, there’s also plenty of cool references to the previous two Tron films for those that will recognize them. Like I mentioned before, the characters and the narrative itself weren’t exactly the most compelling, but I will say that everyone’s role served a purpose when it came to moving the story along. Despite this film’s flaws, I just couldn’t help but be entertained by certain aspects, and I wouldn’t be mad if they decided to make a sequel, which they did set up. Score: 7/10
Noah Robinson 