TRON: Ares Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

TRON: Ares Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 4, 2026

Note: As was mentioned in our Tron: Legacy 4K Blu-ray review, the all caps orthography of this franchise's title is (even according to Disney) completely arbitrary and what might be called a "fan construct", and in that regard, as with the earlier release, there are abundant examples of Disney itself opting for a "regular" spelling of the word, with an initial capital and then subsequent letters in lower case, including in the press sheets accompanying this release provided by Disney. Having received numerous PMs from readers concerned about this earth shattering issue, I'd therefore affably suggest those getting worked up about the way it's offered in this review to appeal directly to the Mouse House.

If Tron as a franchise doesn't hold the title for longest time between installments (several other Disney offerings actually top it, albeit sometimes with straight to video sequels), it certainly must hold some kind of record for the almost stumbling way the three films (thus far) have been released. The original Tron came out in 1982, "followed" (so to speak) by Tron: Legacy a kind of gobsmacking (pun incoming) 28 Years Later. Now some fifteen years after that film comes Tron: Ares, which I might jokingly suggest pulls an analogous kind of switch to several sixties sitcoms I'll list in my closing comments below, keeping an underlying premise the same but "reversing" certain aspects. In this case the reversal in terms of previous Tron entries is that "programs" previously consigned to "the grid" (and still extant here in that form) are now able to manifest out here in the ostensible real world, alongside the "digitization" (for want of a better term) of humans who end up in the grid (which also happens here).

Tron: Ares begins with a kind of ridiculous "info dump" courtesy of tropes like newspaper headlines and supposed news reports (including kind of cheekily by digital representations of such tech savvy reporters as Kara Swisher), in what may be just the first example of some surprisingly sloppy or at least kind of lazy writing. What is quickly detailed is an ongoing multigenerational competition between nefarious Dillinger Systems and good guys (or in this case gals) ENCOM. The former company is personified by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) and his harridan mother Elisabeth (Gillian Anderson). ENCOM by contrast is personified by spunky if potentially troubled Eve Kim (Greta Lee), with both Julian's and Eve's story tending to unfold in ping ponging fashion as the first act trundles along. The titular "program" Ares (Jared Leto) is the handiwork of Dillinger Systems and is more or less an AI RoboCop able to briefly "visit" us here in our world, albeit for around a half hour before he turns back into digital dust. That makes Eve's discovery of Flynn's "permanence code" the McGuffin of the piece.

Part of Tron: Ares tend to work rather well, at least visually and aurally, if, frankly, it may help to simply ignore whatever plot dynamics are supposedly being unveiled. What amount to multiverses in various grids offer incredible opportunities for some really evocative production design where both color and what might be called geometry are utilized quite effectively. Even some of Ares' moments "out here" manage to be surprisingly incisive, as an already at least passingly self aware "program" begins to assert his (its?) "individuality" more. Things are probably a good deal messier with regard to various shenanigans which (of course) end up more or less teaming Ares with Eve, with Julian and Elisabeth kind of ultimately coming off as bus and truck versions of Raymond and Eleanor Shaw in The Manchurian Candidate. Jeff Bridges is on hand as what might humorously be referred to as an Avatar of Flynn. He brings a kind of refreshing "surfer dude gravitas" to the role which briefly livens things up.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf was at least relatively more pleased with the film than I was. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

TRON: Ares Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Tron: Ares is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Captured with Red cameras which were specially branded as "Tron" units, at a kind of staggering source capture resolution of 8K which resulted in a 4K DI, this is another stellar looking 1080 release from the Mouse House, but I'll cut to the chase and certainly recommend those with the appropriate equipment to opt for Disney's Tron: Ares 4K release. That recommendation is due largely to the increase in highlights in the amazing palette courtesy of the HDR / Dolby Vision grades available on that release, but even here in SDR and 1080, the palette is really a whirlwind of activity, and both reds and blues pop with considerable vivacity throughout the presentation. Detail levels on all of the practical sets and costumes, along with actual good old human beings is typically excellent throughout. The kind of intentionally retro look of some of the "grid" material may keep things from achieving the kind of high tech wonderment that, say, the Avatar films can, but (in this case literal) line detail is precise, and a lot of the grid elements really look great, if purposefully "quaint" some of the time.

TRON: Ares Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Once again Disney splits the difference with this 1080 disc getting a perfectly great sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround mix, but with the 4K UHD disc offering a probably at least marginally more immersive Atmos track. While the Atmos track probably offers verticality that isn't prevalent in this traditional 7.1 version, that's not to suggest there's not immense immersion throughout this version. Some of the establishing shots both out in the real world and in various grids offer really noticeable and enjoyable simultaneous engagement of all the surround channels to detail the various environments and several scenes like those featuring lightcycles (again, both inside and outside of the grid) offer some great panning effects. I'm probably going to invite some umbrage by saying I wasn't all that fond of the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, here reverting (?) to their Nine Inch Nails branding. To cite just one example, an early scene showing Eve zooming through frozen tundras on some kind of skimobile is set to absolutely ponderous block chords instead of something, you know, moving, as in maybe some kind of arpeggiated figure to indicate forward propulsion. That said, the score is very spaciously presented throughout. Dialogue is rendered without any problems. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

TRON: Ares Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Journey to Tron: Ares (HD; 11:41) is a decent EPK with quite a few interviews and some fun candid footage.


• Lightcycles on the Loose (HD; 6:57) looks at some of the "hogs" (?) in the film.


• The Artistry of Tron: Ares (HD; 6:17) focuses on production design.


• Cast Conversations (HD; 4:55) offers pairs of individuals, like Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges.


• The Legacy of Tron (HD; 5:12) is an exploration of homages to the previous films and ostensible "easter eggs".


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 2:17)

Disney sent its 4K UHD release (which includes a 1080 disc) for purposes of this 1080 review, but it looks like their standalone 1080 release has a digital copy, with packaging that features a slipcover.

TRON: Ares Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As an inveterate cult television nerd, the "reversal" aspect of Tron: Ares' plot machinations humorously reminded me of how a trio of sixties sitcoms pulled off their own switcheroos. The better remembered example is how Green Acres "reinvented" The Beverly Hillbillies, by having the rich folks journey out to the land of rubes, rather than vice versa as in the original formulation. There's an even funnier example to cite with an even more arcane sitcom reference from the same general time period which actually reversed itself in a desperate attempt to avoid cancellation (which it failed to accomplish), It's About Time, where the first half of its sole season had astronauts time traveling to cavemen times, but with the second half of the season sending both astronauts and Neanderthals to the "current" day. These sorts of silly rejiggerings often tend not to pay immense dividends (though Green Acres is a notable exception to that rule), and that's probably the case again with Tron: Ares. This is a stunning looking and sounding film in search of a story. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements enjoyable, for anyone who is considering making a purchase.