“Can I trust you?”

Tron: Ares is the type of movie where you’re better off not asking too many questions if you’re looking for maximum enjoyment. Knowing exactly how the real world integrates into the grid or how the digital characters appear in reality only creates more questions, and it’s clear Tron: Ares doesn’t really have a lot of answers to the many curiosities it creates. The movie looks cool, and if you can get past the vacuous plot, it’s worth appreciating for some of the visuals alone. This game is on auto-pilot with pretty surroundings but no real interaction on a human level either.

There are two warring tech behemoths at the center of this franchise’s third installment. ENCOM is led by Eve Kim (Greta Lee), continuing the work of her late sister and looking for a code thought to be left behind by Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges). Also searching is Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) of Dillinger Systems, and he’s driven by the godlike powers technology can now summon to life in the real world. He’s even created the ultimate soldier known as Ares (Jared Leto), a computer program sold to investors who are ushered away before Ares collapses at the 29 minute mark of his existence. Therein lies the problem both parties are trying to solve; they can create anything they like, but without Kevin Flynn’s legendary and hidden permanence code, nothing can exist for too long outside of the grid.

The code is found, systems are hacked, loyalties are tested. Tron: Ares builds and builds, and I have to admit that I was impressed by what it was able to conjure visually. It’s one of the few films of the year that really felt justified in going bigger with each step forward, never limited by the possibilities of the imagination but only by the 29 minute timeframe, which conveniently coincides with roughly one act of the classic 3 act structure.

So much of this movie feels like a throwback adventure with cheesy humor, over the top action and loose ends that never really need to be tied for the rest of the film to be enjoyed on a popcorn level. However, where Tron: Ares eventually lost me wasn’t in the titular computer program seeking permanence, but in how it goes about doing so, like some long vigilante on the run from the law, on the search for meaning. It’s not a bad plot device, yet the execution is lackluster, and it detracts from a movie that works best when you push in your coins and simply press play to start.

“Being human is hard.”

Rating: 2.5 out of 5