I’m with the fans – critics are wrong about Tron: Ares

Tron: Ares hasn’t had the best of receptions from film critics (Picture: Disney)

Tron: Ares appears to have been dragged through the mud by critics, criticised as ‘empty’, ‘deeply dubious’ and ‘a perfunctory cash grab’, ahead of its release today.

It’s even been dubbed ‘the worst film of the year’ and a ‘horribly written nadir in franchise slop’ by The Independent’s critic Clarisse Loughrey in a one-star review.

Most have been a touch more generous with their ratings, which largely hover around 2-star territory and some slightly more positive views – although Metro’s own review brands it a ‘hollow, boring, airless, and sexless movie’.

But I disagree – and the fan reactions trickling through already also paint a much more positive picture.

At the time of publication, Tron: Ares has a 54% rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes from 132 critics – hardly ‘worst of 2025’ levels with football horror HIM on just 32%, Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell scraping 37% with A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and The Strangers: Chapter 2 on a measly 15%.

Even Julia Roberts’ upcoming drama After the Hunt is only on 44% , plus this is also the year in which Danny Dyer’s Marching Powder was, regretfully, unleashed upon us.

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Previous Page Next Page It’s been called ‘hollow’ and ‘the worst film of the year’ – but I disagree (Picture: Leah Gallo/Disney)

And cinemagoers have so far already put Tron: Ares a staggering 32% higher than critics on a very impressive 86%.

Of course, the mark of a film’s quality should never be measured exclusively in Rotten Tomatoes’ binary ‘rotten’ or ‘fresh’ categories – I’ve written about the odd distortion that can create before – but at least seeing some of the fans start to react, as well as the few more optimistic critic responses, shows me I’m not totally out on a limb.

Comment nowAre you a fan of the Tron movies? Have you seen Tron: Ares yet?Comment Now

Although if I was, it wouldn’t be the first time – and I’d still be writing this piece. The fan score will likely drop a little in the coming days anyway, but I’ll stand by the fact I wrote this as a critic.

Tron: Ares is neither a terrible movie and nor is it the worst we’ve seen (or will see – we’ve still got almost three months to go!) this year.

The original Tron movie, released in 1982, took a while to build a cult following (Picture: Everett/Rex/Shutterstock) Evan Peters plays rival CEO Julian Dillinger, the very unsubtle baddie (Picture: Leah Gallo/Disney)

I’ll be frank though – I went into the critics’ screening at the start of this week with very low expectations and I’m not here to tell you it’s any kind of masterpiece. But it can absolutely be enjoyed.

When Tron: Legacy came out 15 years ago, I enjoyed it for the good-looking, very good-sounding piece of techno fluff that it was. You don’t need to grasp plot details too firmly – essentially Jeff Bridges’ videogame developer Kevin Flynn created cyberworld The Grid and then got trapped in it.

It was a bit of rogue choice to follow up the classic and ground-breaking original sci-fi movie Tron from 1982 nearly 30 years later, but I was one of those completely sucked in by Daft Punk’s dazzling soundtrack that mixed its heavy electronic tinge with a boldly orchestral sound. It’s been firmly on my playlist ever since and it’s still one of the greatest snubs from the Academy that it wasn’t even Oscar nominated, although it did receive a nod from the Grammys and go platinum.

This was one of the reasons I had big reservations about Tron: Ares – not only had it been stuck in development for years, not only was the cast headed by Jared Leto (who was accused of sexual misconduct by nine women this year, which he denies), but there was a huge expectation to live up to musically.

Tron: Legacy was a modest hit but dazzled fans with Daft Punk’s soundtrack – a big feat to live up to for Nine Inch Nails with Tron: Ares (Picture: Walt Disney Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Nine Inch Nails took on that challenge, and while the soundtrack of Tron: Ares doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of Tron: Legacy, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (who have previously composed for movies including Challengers) do a decent, enjoyable job, updating the vibe for 2025.

Other critics have complained about the plot but I think it’s perfectly serviceable considering this franchise has never been known for its deep and powerful thinking.

For this third outing, Kevin’s son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) has been replaced as ENCOM CEO by Greta Lee’s Eve Kim, who is locked in a fierce rivalry with Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the CEO of Dillinger Systems. He has launched a super advanced AI program Ares (Leto) from his Grid, which is capable of lasting in the real world for 29 minutes.

Tron: Ares: Key details Director

Joachim Rønning

Writer

Jesse Wigutow, based on a story by David DiGilio & Jesse Wigutow

Cast

Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeff Bridges, Arturo Castro, Hasan Minhaj

Age rating

12A

Run time

1hr 59 min

Release date

In UK cinemas from October 10

As the very obvious baddie here, Dillinger is pushing to earn billions from weapons and warfare while Kim is searching for the ‘permanence code’, which would allow Ares to exist forever in the real world. But for her, this code would have far more beneficial uses in medicine and farming.

It’s not subtle, but no Tron film has ever been accused of being so. And while programs coming into the real world take us away from the wonders of the Grid, it’s still neat to see those light cycles engaged in a chase through the streets of downtown Toronto.

All the actors have received and understood their directives too, from Peters’ scenery-chewing as the ethically empty Dillinger to Gillian Anderson as his steely mother, Jodie Turner-Smith as Ares’ no-nonsense second-in-command Athena and Arturo Castro as Kim’s comedy relief colleague Seth.

Greta Lee’s Eve Kim runs ENCOM in place of the Flynns in Tron: Ares, and is trying to find the ‘permanence code’ (pictured with Hasan Minhaj as Ajay Singh) (Picture: Leah Gallo/Disney) Other critics have slammed the acting, but I think everyone knew exactly the type of movie they were in (and Jodie Turner-Smith’s Athena was extra effective) (Picture: Leah Gallo/Disney)

Personally, I think Leto performs ‘soulless AI non-human’ pretty well, although I had less patience for Jesse Wigutow’s screenplay as it sprinted through Ares’ awakening via some laboured Depeche Mode references and cheesy dialogue.

So don’t go in expecting to have your socks knocked off – you won’t – but then I’m not aware any Tron movie has ever been roundly praised. Even the first only gained a cult following over the years after a decidedly mixed initial reception, while similar has happened with Legacy, which was a modest box office success but has enjoyed a lot of word-of-mouth praise and appreciation since.

Just simply switch off, stay zen (as Bridges’ Flynn would have it) and enjoy Tron: Ares for what it is – style over substance and a vibes-based movie in a franchise that’s never promised to be be packed with original ideas.

Tron: Ares is in cinemas today.

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