Upon its release in December 2010, “Tron Legacy” blew me away as an eight-year-old boy, leaving a lasting impression on me and sparking my love for cinema.
“Tron Legacy,” the follow-up from the original “Tron” released in 1982, left me in awe with its heartfelt storytelling, action and unbelievable cinematography done by Director of Photography Claudio Miranda, who recently worked on “F1 the Movie,” released in June 2025.
Each time I watch “Tron Legacy,” it brings back memories, revives my childhood imagination for storytelling and leaves me with something new I did not catch the first time. Because of my deep love and appreciation for the film, I set myself up for disappointment, accepting the fact “Tron Ares,” released on Oct. 10, 2025, would not live up to the masterpiece of its predecessor. Unfortunately, I was right.
Before seeing the film, I knew its story would not be as engaging as “Legacy.” Sam Flynn, portrayed by Garrett Hedlund, and Quorra, played by Olivia Wilde, in “Legacy,” are not in the cast for “Ares.” When I noticed that, I knew that without them in the film, the previous story could not be continued. Personally, I wanted a continuation of where the last movie left off, where Sam’s father Kevin Flynn, the creator of Tron and CEO of Encom played by Jeff Bridges, was separated from Sam and his girlfriend Quorra, the last ISO that Kevin created, leaving him trapped in the digital “Grid” to destroy Clue, his identical program of himself. Meanwhile, Sam and Quorra entered the nearly closed portal back to the real world.
If “Ares” were up to me, I would have had Sam and Quorra come back and skip the storyline forward several years, where they have a child who is part human and part ISO. I would give them a way to open the portal again to take their child with them to the Grid to rescue Kevin, who is held hostage by Tron Ares and the army of programs that Clue created. The most heartbreaking part of “Legacy” is when Sam gets separated from his dad, and Kevin also loses his last ISO Quorra, which would only make sense to reunite them all in “Ares.” However, that is not the storyline whatsoever.
“Tron Ares” was simply a political statement, dressed in gorgeous digital effects and set design. The film explores the dangers of artificial intelligence and how the big technology companies, which have all the money and power, are the ones in charge, making the decisions on which AI bots are put out into the world. Ares, the new AI Tron, seems to have human-like qualities, where he not only has extraordinary intelligence but also can understand human feelings and express emotions. I agree with the political statement that AI is dangerous to the human generation, especially because of its intelligence beyond most human beings, and I think it is a terrifying thought if AI ever can possess human-like emotions. I think AI would then overpower human beings themselves, giving the big technology companies a taste of their own medicine.
However, a big-budget film with pretty pictures and a bold political statement does not make up for a poor storyline. People go to the movies for a visually pleasing story that grabs them by their heartstrings. If people want a political statement, they can read the latest news feeds, and if they desire to see pretty pictures, they can treat themselves to the latest and greatest Canon.
The musical soundtrack of “Ares” was severely underwhelming compared to the iconic soundtrack of “Legacy.” The musical soundtrack can make or break a film and can create scenes that hold a special place in the audience’s heart. I will never forget in “Legacy” when “Separate Ways” by Journey plays when Sam enters his dad’s arcade, “Flynn’s,” in search of him, or the thumping, intense music while Sam gets his disc or fights in the games and on the Grid. Daft Punk’s musical composition for “Legacy” was outstanding. Handing the mic to Nine Inch Nails was not the move for “Ares.”
I am glad Kevin Flynn was in “Ares,” even though his screen time was limited, and I appreciated the way the film paid homage to the original “Tron” when Ares and Kevin are in the original Tron game with its historic look. Yet again, though, the cool looks of the original game did not make up for the storyline.
The film ended on a cliffhanger, leaving it open for a continuation of the Tron franchise. However, I am perfectly content throwing the “Legacy” disc into the DVD player and reliving my childhood on replay.
