There's a line in the new Tron: Ares trailer—“You think you're in control of this… You're not.”—and yeah, that pretty much sums up how I felt watching it. Not because it's bad (it's not). But because it's swinging so hard, so confidently, I half expected it to collapse under the weight of its own neon bravado.
It didn't. Or at least not yet.
And that's what makes this whole thing fascinating.
A.I. Has Left the Chat (and the Grid)
Let's back up. Tron: Ares, directed by Joachim Rønning (the guy Disney calls when they want something slick but just a bit unhinged), is the third entry in a franchise that's been rebooted more times than my Wi-Fi router. The first TRON was groundbreaking. The second, Tron: Legacy (2010), was a moody synth dream with a Daft Punk score that carried more weight than the story did.
Now, we've got Ares—an “elite Program” sent into our world from the digital realm. Jared Leto plays him. Which… yeah, I know. But hear me out.
Somehow, it works.
Or at least, it looks like it might. The trailer doesn't just tease a movie—it detonates it. Programs in the flesh. Humans caught off guard. Reality glitching like a busted monitor. It's big, loud, and beautifully absurd.
Also? Jeff Bridges is back. I don't know how. I don't care. He's The Dude. Let him cook.
Greta Lee Is the Secret Weapon
While Leto's moody stares dominate the frame, it's Greta Lee as Eve Kim—reclusive genius, antisocial code witch, reluctant savior—that feels like the beating heart of this thing. She's the human who might actually be smart enough to stop the AI from doing what humans always think they're controlling.
She's not flashy. But the trailer knows to hold on her face a half second longer than you'd expect. It's subtle, but it works. I'm betting she's the one we'll walk out talking about. Not the flying bikes or glowing suits or Leto's cheekbones.
(Okay maybe the cheekbones. A little.)
October 10, 2025 — Save the Date, Sync the Grid
Disney's dropping this on October 10, 2025, and you can already feel the marketing engine revving. This trailer was the push. The moment when the vibe changed from “Wait, they're making a third TRON?” to “Okay… I kinda wanna see that.”
And yeah, some of that is nostalgia. But this doesn't feel like just a nostalgia bomb. It feels like they're actually trying something new—bringing the grid to us instead of dragging us into it.
That's risky. That's weird. That's… exciting?
The Bigger Picture: When Sci-Fi Gets Too Real
Here's the thing: we're living in peak A.I. anxiety. Every week there's a new story about robots writing news or algorithms rewriting the way we live. So of course a movie about an A.I. crossing over into our reality hits different now than it would've in 2010.
Back then, we thought digital consciousness was sci-fi.
Now? It's a Tuesday headline.
And Disney's leaning into that. This isn't just cool visuals (though they're very cool). It's trying to tap into that buzzing dread we all feel when we ask Siri a question and it answers just a little too well.
Okay But… Will It Be Good?
I mean… maybe?
Rønning is no Kubrick, but he knows how to stage chaos. Leto is Leto—committed, divisive, sometimes brilliant, sometimes too brilliant. The cast around him? Strong. The visuals? Insane. The premise? Actual techno-horror with a glossy, mouse-eared polish.
This could be exactly what modern sci-fi needs: unapologetically weird, high-concept, emotionally messy.
Or it could be another overprocessed studio misfire.
Honestly, I'm ready for either. I just want them to go for it. No half-measures. No watered-down sequel energy. Make it weird. Make it mean something. Make me feel like I did the first time I booted up Windows 95 and thought, “Wait… what's really in here?”
So—are you jacked into the hype or unplugged and skeptical?
Let me know: is Tron: Ares your next must-see, or does it feel like Disney dragging a legacy out of cold storage again?
