Tron: Ares might just be the most good-looking 3D movie I have seen in years. I have a general aversion to 3D technology. It dulls the colors, lowers the brightness of the images, and, more often than not, the scenes look so flat that they don't "pop out" anyway — even the 3D fails to give them an extra dimension. However, due to conditions beyond my control, I could only watch Tron: Ares in 3D, as this was the only version playing at theaters near me, and that too at the most suitable time. I don't regret it. As soon as the movie started, I realized that the 3D wouldn't be a nuisance in this film. Whenever the camera zoomed in or passed through, say, a screen or someone's eyes, I felt a pleasant thrill. What's more, you feel as if you're lying just beneath a keyboard, and the computer screens almost look within reach of your fingertips. These sensational pleasures double up inside Dillinger Grid. The black-red color scheme feels alive and rich. From the window of Ares's (Jared Leto) office—the room in which he communicates with his creator, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters)—the colors and the virtual world they embellish seem to extend far and wide. While escaping from Dillinger Grid with Ares on a Light Skimmer, Eve Kim (Greta Lee) dips her hand into the liquid they're gliding over, holds it in her palm, and watches it slip through her fingers like sparkling balls of light. Note the excitement on her face during this scene. That's the face you make while admiring the visual effects of Tron: Ares.
Who is Ares? He is the new Master Control Program created by Julian Dillinger, the grandson of Ed Dillinger and CEO of Dillinger Systems. Who is Eve Kim? She is the CEO of ENCOM, who successfully obtains the "permanence code" — a code that resembles a double helix and has the ability to break the 29-minute barrier. What's this 29-minute barrier? In Tron: Ares, digital constructs can be brought into reality, but they cannot exist in the real world for more than 29 minutes. Near the film's beginning, Eve and Seth Flores (Arturo Castro), her friend and colleague, travel to Kevin Flynn's Alaskan station. After four days, they emerge with the double helix code, which can alter the future of technology. Since Julian is a rich dimwit, he hacks ENCOM's mainframe and commands Ares to track Eve and retrieve the permanence code by any means necessary. But Ares has already started to feel things. He hesitates before acknowledging Julian's commands and becomes more and more attracted to Eve. These digital programs are both fascinated and overwhelmed by physical and emotional sensations. For instance, Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), about to kill Eve, suddenly stops in her tracks when water from the fire sprinklers falls on her body. Tron: Ares, then, asks that same old question: What does it mean to be human? If Ares, a computer program, can start to feel things, can he be considered part of humankind?
A mainstream, big-budget movie like Tron: Ares cannot afford to be too complex for the sake of the box office. But within the confines of its popcorn-munching ambitions, Tron: Ares proves to be quite effective. Credit goes to Joachim Rønning for smoothly blending Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography and Nine Inch Nails' music. Thanks to this captivating, rhythmic mixture, the scenes don't merely unfold, they dance on the screen. Credit should also be given to all the excellent actors who get every emotional beat right. The characters' pasts and inner conflicts are revealed through brief gestures or images — a pause, or screens playing videos posted online. The actors magnify these small moments with their dramatic expressions, infusing them with weight and cogency. Look at Leto. I liked how he broke the surface of his stoic, robotic expressions by permeating them with, say, a humanistic twitch or a flutter of the eyelids. Then there is Lee, who takes thin outlines and creates a believable character with a believable history. During the climactic battle, Eve throws the new identity disc toward Ares, which shifts the flow of power — of dominance — away from the bad guy (or girl, for accuracy). Note Eve's triumphant smile. That's the kind of smile you wear after watching a competently made commercial movie, like Tron: Ares.
Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
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Publisher at Midgard Times