Disney is at it again with their newest film. Tron Ares. The third installment to their already existing IP franchise, Tron. A film franchise that has been 45 years in the making.
No really. The first film came out back in 1982, with Tron, which didn’t get its first sequel with Tron Legacy until 2010. Almost 30 years after the first film hit theaters.
Now Disney is no stranger to remakes, reboots and sequels, even decades after the original films debuted.
Although with this one, with this one I am a little curious and don’t really see the appeal. From my knowledge Tron Legacy, wasn’t a monster at the box office or really do anything positive for Disney in the sense of financial success. Then to top it off, it’s been over a decade since the last film has been released. So I can’t see there being a huge fanbase.
The lack of fandom and the time gap between films however does explain and play a huge part into why the film is set up the way it is. A standalone film, that merely references the first two films in the beginning, summing them up with almost no detail other than the main characters being ancestors of the current ones.
You don’t have to have seen either of the original films to understand or even follow this one. For the film is very much spoon feed to you, with a very simplistic story.
There is new technology in which, you can create anything from a computer program and bring it into the real world. Pretty much like a 3D printer. If a 3D printer, could print actual food, to stop world hunger or AI super soldiers that not only appear to be human, but are indeed very much alive, without the need for food, sleep or water.
Of course there is one catch, that neither one of the two companies can maintain the product for more than 29 minutes. Of course, thats until the heirs to the Flynn company. Find the code needed to plug into the software, hence giving the creation infinite life. Timeless and real.
The entire movie, is simply Julian, the antagonist, trying to capture Eve the protagonist, to extract the code from her mind and then kill her. That’s the entire plot in a nutshell, so to speak.
Story and plot are lacking and almost completely missing from the film. It’s almost as if they let AI write the script to save money and used that money to dump everything into the visual effect. Although even with that being said, the movie actually works, although not for reasons you would think.
Yes, story telling is at the core of filmmaking, and although the story is simple and very straight forward. So mind numbing at times, that it feels like youre missing something. Yet leaves you blissful.
The film works, because it not only knows that, it leans into it, completely.
At no point in this movie does it try to be story driven or even remotely creative in that aspect. The dialogue is neither witty or really thought provoking. Yet you’re intrigued to hear what they’re going to say next.
Closest we come to having meaningful conversations in the film are between Eve and Ares. Which tries to spark a connection, without making it weird or as if it’s pushing what would normally be a romantic story ark.
The film has its moments where you think it’s going to try and be something more then what it is, but it never really catches. Which really is a good thing, for there is only one moment in where we have a truly ehh moment, which is the not so climatic, climax. Followed by a light and fun saving grace, that brings the chewiness in and makes everything stick just right.
By the time the movie is nearing past its runtime, it ends. Which is a blessing for by the time the movie starts to feel everlasting, and bland, you get an anti problematic revolution. What feels like a fight scene cut short, due to being over budget and behind schedule, before hitting you with the hay-maker. The one and only Hollywood blockbuster ending that we all know, love and miss.
Overall. I have to admit, the visuals are stunning and the story is simple, yet interesting enough to keep you not only entertained but engaged. Not necessary a great movie, or even a good one. But to the contrary an incredibly fun movie, that is worth the price of admission.
Overall Rating- 4/5 Stars.