Tron: Ares Is Doomed To Fail For So Many Reasons
Guys, as much as I want Tron: Ares to be a good movie, all the news around it just makes it harder and harder to get excited about. As someone who loved Tron and especially loved Tron: Legacy (big Daft Punk fan here), I want Ares to be good. But man, there’s a lot working against this thing.
Are We Forgetting About The Grid?
For one, the reported premise of Tron: Ares makes it seem like no one involved really understands what fans love about the Tron franchise. According to the film’s synopsis, the highly sophisticated AI program Ares is sent from the digital world to the human world on a dangerous mission. In other words, it seems like a lot of the movie won’t even take place in The Grid.
Look, I think the plotlines of Tron films are fun and entertaining enough, but the movies definitely lean on the vibes. The best part of these movies is exploring the unique and alien computer world of the Grid. If the movie isn’t taking place in the Grid, is Tron: Ares really even a Tron movie?
I’d love to be proven wrong here and find out that the movie is 90 percent in the Grid and 10 percent in the human world, but the premise sure makes it seem like it will be the exact opposite. We see plenty of the human world in ya know, the real world. So Tron: Ares taking us there just isn’t all that interesting of a concept.
Why Does It Have To Be Morbin Time?
There’s also the fact that Tron: Ares went with Jared Leto as the lead role for its blockbuster franchise film. The fact is that Leto isn’t necessarily a huge draw, as evidenced by his last few franchise IP films. Morbius is still pretty fresh in people’s minds, and that film was a massive flop, to say the least.
The Director Does Not Inspire Hope
That’s not to say that Jared Leto’s starring presence in Tron: Ares is enough to derail a popular IP film altogether, but his name on the poster isn’t necessarily going to be the reason people buy tickets. There’s also the fact that director Joachim Ronning is best known for–checks notes– Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. While not outright bad films, they’re not very good either.
No More Daft Punk
But, let’s circle back to the vibes thing. Tron: Ares can definitely skate by on vibes alone, sort of like Tron: Legacy did, if it gives us cool visuals of the Grid and a banger soundtrack. But, we don’t even know who is doing the score for the film yet. And, as many Tron fans would agree, this is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Wendy Carlos gave us a great score for the original Tron and Daft Punk managed to up the ante with the incredible Tron: Legacy score. Unfortunately, Daft Punk decided to split up in 2021, so there’s no way that Disney could get the duo back for Tron: Ares. So, Disney is going to have to find a suitable replacement, and that’s no easy feat.
Prove Us Wrong, Disney
Overall, Tron: Ares just doesn’t have the pieces that give me confidence it’s going to be the movie that keeps the franchise going. Again, I’d love to be proven wrong. Maybe I will be, but we’ll just have to wait until it hits theaters in 2025 to find out.
