#tr3n

It doesn't take long to realize TRON was never what you would call a prestigious movie franchise. It sure wasn't too strong in its storytelling, nor was it critically acclaimed, and you could see that reflected in the first film's box office gross. The truth is, 'TRON' was nothing other than a self-indulgent art project that Steven Lisberger claimed to be completely dependent on new technology in order to make it tangible, and he wasn't wrong either. Because, credit where credit is due, Disney were the only ones with the resources to bankroll such ambition to life, and they did make Lisberger's wish come true, though to the expense of having a new sci-fi flop in their hands.

Almost 30 years later, after the TRON fanbase— one in which a baby Jared Leto was part of— slowly grew more and more, Disney made the mistake of feeling confident enough to finally greenlit a sequel to 'TRON,' directed by yet another visionary, Joseph Kosinski. And so, he made his directorial debut with 'TRON: Legacy,' and though he made a better movie, it also happened to share many similarities with its predecessor.

On the one hand, it was an undeniably dazzling technical showcase. Back in 2010, IMAX 3D was seen as state of the art and went on to put it toe-to-toe— though merely on a visual level— with what is now the highest grossing film ever, James Cameron's 'Avatar.' All of which was only enhanced when Daft Punk delivered a soundtrack so monumental it basically carried the entire movie on its shoulders, instantly elevating it into people now using this as the ultimate example for the phrase "aura-farming," which was almost enough to convince you that you were watching something meaningful. Almost.

The thing is, the story still sucked (a lot). And Disney's dream of shaping TRON into their next original sci-fi juggernaut left them with yet another box office disappointment — another reminder that TRON's legacy was inevitably destined to live as dogshit writing with hype-moments and aura.

15 years later, after a now grown Jared Leto spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out a way to bring this franchise back to movie theaters, Disney has come up yet again with a third attempt to make a big deal out of this universe. But does 'TRON: Ares' finally crack it for them? Did they finally figure out what TRON is supposed to be? Well... not really. But after 43 years, we gotta be getting closer. Right?

For all its narrative failures, one thing 'TRON: Legacy' got right was the future of corporate art. Now we're in a completely different context. One in which corporations have already commodified algorithms, where AI isn't the abstract "what if...?" but what now seems like the day-to-day engine behind profit, content, and even ""art"" itself. Which sucks for us, but is a good thing for Disney. Because 'TRON: Ares' now has a good chance of maybe being the first thing in this franchise's history to actually matter. To finally "give me something to believe in" and have something to say on the world it's always pretended to depict beyond just aura-farming, though it doesn't really do much with any of it.

We're now in the year of 2025. Films about artificial intelligence and algorithms don't get to exist in a vacuum anymore, and the cultural and artistic stakes are higher, because these ideas just aren't speculative playgrounds anymore. For TRON, a property that's always danced around the collision of humanity and technology, the responsibility is heavier now than ever. It is an astonishing achievement as an IMAX 3D experience and it is pretty fucking cool at times, but that's not doing much to improve on the last entry, and to show up with nothing but neon grids and self-serious lore while we're living in a time where Tilly Norwood is a thing, where real people fear of getting replaced by robots, and where the use of AI has gotten to constantly blur people's ethics and moral compases does feel a bit negligent.

It doesn't help that the face we're constantly staring at for most of the runtime is none other than Jared Leto's. Though his performance isn't too bad once you accept the fact that Ares is supposed to reflect an algorithm devoid of any true life, chasing then for one. He did work very hard to bring it back, but it's just unappealing as fuck to have him as the lead of a new TRON.

Still though, it doesn't all have to hinge on its perspective on the conflict we currently face with AI. 1982's 'TRON' was a personal art project. 'TRON: Legacy' was a technical marvel, bolstered by Daft Punk's soundtrack that's still untouchable. We now have NIN somehow making an even better soundtrack, and technology has evolved enough for 'TRON: Ares' to feel like at the very least it's worth watching, but not much else. Like it or not, the credit for this movie's existence goes to Leto, though clearly less for his talent than for his sheer obsession with an IP nobody else cared enough to fight for — maybe reasonably so(?

With all this, are we at least one step closer to knowing what TRON actually is? Nope, still not. Jared Leto may have been the one most responsible for insisting on its return, but the creative reins fell to Joachim Rønning and Jesse Wigutow — two filmmakers who seem fundamentally uninterested in the philosophical potential that has always hovered around whatever subject matter this universe has tried to follow. The screenplay still lacks conviction, and I don't think it gestures at any bigger questions than its predecessors either. It refuses to be anything more than a visually immaculate echo of the previous two movies, and it never found a true purpose besides pleasing us TRON fans so that we can shut up for another 15 years about them making another one.

There's still not a clear path for them to follow. But is that really a bad thing? This isn't Star Wars, nor Marvel, nor Harry Potter. It's not a prestigious IP machinery Disney can pull out every other year and exploit to make billions out of. TRON is still all about a passion project. Whether it comes from Lisberger, Kosinski, or now Leto— I swear to God I'm not praising this man as much as I am praising his obsession with said IP—, TRON is fortunate enough to have not become an instant money maker so that the brand is still up to people who might still care about the ambition and stubbornness that came from a personal art project 43 years ago. And let's hope it'll keep on living until they finally figure out if there really is something to be said at all. Otherwise, all we'll be left with is the quiet afterglow of a screen that never learned how to mean anything.

I am laughing because Of course Ares wouldn't be Tron. He's a Dillinger Program. Of course he has to be MCP 2.0. I should have seen that one coming, and yet I have not.

...Anyway I am also laughing because I somehow managed to make an OC that is essentially Ares... complete with the name of another Greek god (Thanatos).

Down to the Is the Master Control but turned (somewhat) benevolent.