Greetings, programs!Tron: Ares, the third installment in Disney’s Tron franchise, was released last week on October 10, 2025. Disney’s promotional trailers have been excellent. The amateur YouTube reviews? Not so much. The negative reviews started popping up before the movie even opened in theaters, with YouTubers that never liked or watched either Tron or Tron: Legacy offering up opinions based on the trailers alone. I watched the movie with my son, who is roughly how old I was when I watched the original Tron. This article is my spoiler-free review of Tron: Ares.
Tron: Ares became available for digital rental and purchase on December 2, 2025. It will begin streaming on Disney+ on January 7, 2026.
First, some background. I was an impressionable teenager that grew up in the age of the Atari 2600 and taught myself BASIC on TRS-80 computers at Radio Shack while my mom shopped at the mall. Although Disney’s original Tron was misunderstood by many, I got the message and later chose to pursue a career in IT. I have the original Tron on DVD and both Tron and Tron: Legacy on Blu Ray. I may have toy light cycles on the bookshelf of my home office. So, I could be biased to like the movie, despite any flaws that it has.
But first, here are some FAQ’s about Tron: Ares.
Where are Tron, Sam and Quora?
Yeah, I get it. Tron: Legacy nicely set the stage for a Tron 3 follow-up. While Tron: Ares is not a sequel to Tron: Legacy, it is “a new Tron story that exists within the same mythology”. While this is unfortunate, the blame does not belong to Ares star Jared Leto or its director Joachim Rønning. Tron 3 was cancelled by faceless Disney executives who got cold feet due to the disappointing box office results of Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland. While many YouTubers will mislead you, neither Sam or Quora were written out of the movie or ignored. There are references to these beloved characters at multiple points throughout the film. And while I’m sad Bruce Boxleitner wasn’t asked to appear in the film, we did get Jeff Bridges reprising his role as The Dude- uh, I mean Kevin Flynn. Trying to cram additional characters into the film simply for appearances would do nothing in service to the storyline. Although a cameo by Tron creator Steven Lisberger, no matter how brief, would have been a nice touch. But Tron: Ares leaves the door open for these beloved characters to appear in a fourth Tron film, should Disney choose to approve one. Tron: Ares is full of both visual and audio references- love letters- to both the earlier Tron and Tron: Legacy films.
Where is Daft Punk?
Daft Punk’s score to the 2010 Tron: Legacy is considered by many to be their magnum opus- their best work. But they broke up in 2021. Wendy Carlos is 85 years old and wasn’t asked to score the film, either. I’m not sure that qualifies as age discrimination. While I personally am not a Nine Inch Nails fan, their soundtrack brings Tron: Ares a darker sound that matches the tone of the film.
Where is J.J. Abrams?
Thankfully nowhere to be found in Tron: Ares. After destroying both Star Wars and Star Trek– two of my favorite movie franchises- I am grateful that he was not involved in the Tron franchise, which remains alive if Disney will give the green light to a fourth film. As somebody who was ranting in the parking lot after viewing the last three Star Wars films, I left Tron: Ares with a smile on my face.
Is Tron: Ares another “woke” film from Disney?
I must admit that the casting alone made me wonder this question. But I went to view Tron: Ares with an open mind. And I can honestly (and thankfully) say that avoids some of the stumbles of recent Disney movies. Some of the YouTube reviews that I watched in preparation for writing this article felt sexist and racist to me. But in our modern world, it’s not political correctness that gives us Asian females running tech companies- it’s 21st century reality. The casting of Encom top executives was well done. And yes, the “villain” of the film is a young, angry white male. Because Julian Dillinger, portrayed by Evan Peters, is the grandson of Edward Dillinger from the first film.
Why Jerod Leto?
Honestly, I’m not sure, other than he actually wanted to be in the film, which is a plus in my opinion. Tron: Ares was the first Jarod Leto film I’ve seen. I don’t keep up with celebrities and their personal lives, so I didn’t bring any Jarod Leto baggage to the theater.
Could Tron: Ares have been “better”?
No film is perfect, which is why there are so many director’s cuts released on Blu Ray. And good grief- August: Osage County had Meryl Streep and Benedict Cumberbatch but I’ll never get those two hours back.
What should we be talking about instead?
What I am most disappointed in is that we’re discussing whether Tron: Ares is boring or not. Is Daft Punk’s score better than Nine Inch Nails? But I wish instead that as a society were discussing big tech and artificial intelligence. Did the movie get it right? Are fears of AI overblown or are there valid concerns? I’m hoping that AI thought leaders will go see the film and provide some meaningful commentary- regardless of whether they loved the film or hated it. This film does have a message, but not in a dogmatic, preachy way.
Conclusion – Go See This Movie!
The bottom line is you’ll have to go see this movie at the movie theater. Healthy box office receipts are the only way Disney will be persuaded to make another Tron movie. Plus, it’s a beautifully made film that deserves to be seen- and heard- in IMAX: 3D.
Please go see it this weekend so we can have that cerebral conversation about AI…
And Tron 4.
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