As Tron: Ares made its world premiere, critics shared their first reactions. Those takes are mixed, to be accurate, on the third instalment in the franchise, which came after 15 years and sees Jared Leto as supersolider AI, Ares.
In The Mary Sue, critic Rachel Leisham praises the film. "This franchise has always been ahead of the curve, and ARES is no different. Greta Lee is a perfect successor to Kevin Flynn. If you ever wanted to go on the grid, you're going to love it."
However, Jacon Ethington, another reviewer, has a different take on the threequel. "I'm mixed on TRON: ARES. The NIN score rocks, the programs/constructs in the real-world are stunning, and the vehicular combat is cleanly shot."
He adds, "Sadly, sloppy hand-to-hand fights, nostalgic pandering, and The Grid being far blander to look at than it was in LEGACY compromise it."
Author Megan Loucks in InSession Film writes, "TRON: ARES is an audio & visual feast. It's unfortunate that the rest of the film is just okay."
"A clunky & uneven script leads to awkward humor & repetitive plot points. Greta Lee & Jodie Turner-Smith are standouts. Solid grid action but doesn’t hit the highs of its predecessors," he notes.
SlashFilm's Peter Sciretta pens, "Tron Ares is visually stunning and has some of the best 3D I’ve seen in a decade (outside of the Avatar films)."
"That said the movie’s plot is extremely dumb, and I just didn’t care about any of the characters. If after that reaction you still want to see it, IMAX 3D is a must," he opines.
Tron: Ares will be out in cinemas on October 10.