Review - Tron: Ares



Greetings, Programs, and welcome to The Grid. The third Tron movie, made some 40+ years after the original, has no right to be this much fun. With a relentless score by Nine Inch Nails and visuals that feel lifted directly from a retro gamer's wildest dreams, Tron: Ares eschews a traditional cinematic approach and instead opts for something akin to a fever dream of insane visuals set to Trent Reznor's dark, synth-wave-inspired beats. One does not watch Tron: Ares expecting a three-act structure (though that's here...mostly) nuanced character development, and relatable performances. No, this movie is like grabbing the handlebars of a lightcycle and holding on for dear life as it careens at high speed through three-dimensional psychedelic mandalas the likes of which I can't recall EVER having seen on screen before. 

If you're looking for themes, they're here, though only in the broadest strokes: AI has arrived, and with it, the technology to make our worlds infinitely better or miserably worse. Will the corporations who run the world use that technology to build war machines that cause destruction, or will they harness it to create a happier, healthier future? In Tron: Ares, the bad guys wear red. The good guys wear white. That's as deep as it goes; this is a black hats vs white hats premise updated for the information age, though it does pay tremendous respect to Jeff Bridges and the film that started it all back in 1982. A sequel that doesn't make its legacy character miserable AND isn't embarrassed of what came before? Be still, my beating, candy-red heart.

If sitting in the dark and listening to NIN while watching insanely-disorienting visuals is not your idea of a good time, steer clear. If it is, though, don't miss this one while it's still playing in IMAX and in 3D. This is an audio-visual orgy that will absolutely transport you into the world of The Grid if you allow yourself to be taken away. It simply won't be the same at home when you can see your refrigerator in the other room. Tron is back, fated once again to be a cult movie that is under-seen and appreciated by the masses--but offering a whole new digital racetrack for those who want to ride. 

Channel Members Exclusive -My video review of Tron: Ares.


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