Ares’ proves visually stunning with memorable cast, but with its share of flaws

The “Tron” franchise has come a long way since the first film I skipped in an ascending digital world in 1982 along with the arcade video game, which proved addicting, that premiered with it.

The former endures and is now considered a classic in some quarters, while the game, much like the technology of the time, is now a fossil.

Will “Tron: Ares” attain similar status? Classic films often aren’t viewed that way immediately. In short: No one knows, but it’s easy to enjoy “Ares,” which ultimately meets the moment while being a film with a significant issue.

Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) heads Dillinger Systems, a corporation who has developed Ares (Leto), an artificial intelligence program that can exist in physical form in the real world for a limited amount of time. The corporation is marketing him and other versions of the program as potential real-world cyber soldiers who can be replaced with little issue.

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Dillinger hasn’t revealed the program’s flaw, however, and is in direct competition with ENCOM — the corporation founded by “Tron” creator Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) and now helmed by Eve Kim (Greta Lee) — to find Flynn’s holy grail: The “permanence code,” a bit of programming that would eventually give programs such as Ares and his colleague Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) life.

Dillinger will use any method available to him in order to secure the code, a fact that unleashes digital mayhem upon Silicon Valley.

Of course, “Tron: Ares” isn’t as simple as that. The film, written by Jesse Wigutow and directed by Joachm Ronning, is of the times and delves into several relevant issues.

In the battle between ENCOM and Dillinger Systems, they pose the question: “What type of society and culture do we want to live as a people?”

Is it one of shared benefit or one where profit motive supplants basic humanity?

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The obvious issue posed is that of artificial intelligence and what place it should hold in society — as a benefit to humankind or a detriment to our collective good. Additionally, what about those who hold the keys to AI? Do they possess the moral fiber or even the ability to keep it contained?

Ultimately, it’s a warning about the arrogance of people who let the genie out of the bottle before understanding the powers it can wield.

Strong questions, indeed. Those types of queries are also made in classic science-fiction films such as “Planet of the Apes” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

However, Ronning and Wigutow feel the need to ask those questions through the lens of modern filmmaking and that’s the primary flaw of “Tron: Ares.” They ditch those thematic elements to turn the film into a more traditional sci-fi actioner with significant twists in logic.

Is that a fatal defect? No, because of the stunning visuals that Ronning puts on the screen take the audience to not just one, but multiple different realms, including a callback to one that fans of the original will appreciate.

Additionally, the performances of his cast — particularly Leto, Lee and Peters — prove engaging for much of the film. An appearance from Jeff Bridges always lifts any cinematic effort, especially considering his character was the principal in the original “Tron.”

“Tron: Ares” is a visually stunning mind bender for those willing to take the trip.

George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.

Review

Movie: “Tron: Ares”

Cast: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jeff Bridges

Directed by: Joachim Ronning

Running time: 1 hour 59 minutes

Rated: PG-13 for violence/action

Grade: B

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Flawed ‘Tron: Ares’ proves entertaining entry into franchise | Review