‘Tron: Ares’ Lands Mixed Reviews as Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Revealed
TRON: Ares, the latest installment in the Tron franchise, has officially premiered and received mixed reviews from critics, earning a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This makes it the second highest-rated film in the trilogy so far.
The 2025 science fiction action movie serves as a standalone sequel to 2010’s Tron: Legacy.
It features a large ensemble cast including Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, and Gillian Anderson. Jeff Bridges also returns to reprise his role as Kevin Flynn. The film is directed by Joachim Rønning, with a screenplay by Jesse Wigutow based on a story by Wigutow and David Digilio.
The Grid expands into 1.90. #FilmedForIMAX
— IMAX (@IMAX) September 4, 2025
Tickets are on sale now for Tron: Ares Early Access Screenings on October 8, the Tron IMAX Double Feature on October 8, and Opening Weekend October 10! pic.twitter.com/RwCgNRPCiP
Tron: Ares premiered in Los Angeles on October 6, and is set for a wider U.S. release on October 10.
Critics praised the film’s visuals and the intense, industrial soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails, calling it visually stunning and exciting.
Tron: Ares isn’t without its flaws, but it pushes the franchise into an exciting new frontier with an industrial edge thanks to Nine Inch Nails’ propulsive score.
Nicolás Delgadillo
Visually stunning.It’ll leave you entertained. I wish I could feel more invested in the characters though.
Wendy Lee Szany
Director Joachim Rønning (“Young Woman and the Sea”) takes over the franchise, goosing the simple ‘good use of AI’ versus ‘bad use of AI’ plot with eye-popping effects-laden action scenes and a fantastic NIN score which responds to every emotional beat.
Laura Clifford
However, many reviewers criticized the film’s weak dialogue, shallow plot, and underdeveloped characters. Some also felt the story borrowed too heavily from familiar sci-fi tropes without adding enough new ideas. Jeff Bridges’ brief appearance was noted as a fun nod to fans, though it offered little substance to the narrative.
TRON: ARES is a gorgeously hollow cyberpunk shell, mostly just the echoes of its inspirations and some great Nine Inch Nails.
Sherin Nicole
An exhausting, overproduced, nauseating and tedious sci-fi action thriller. A long music video masquerading as a movie.
Avi Offer
Tron: Ares has high-quality visual effects but low-quality dialogue in a Terminator franchise ripoff story. The cast members are caught in the middle. Jeff Bridges shows up for five minutes in a sci-fi robe and acts like The Dude from The Big Lebowski.
Carla Hay
In short, while Tron: Ares succeeds in delivering striking visuals and a powerful musical score, it struggles to fully engage audiences with its story and characters.
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