There are two conversations happening right now about Tron: Ares.

The first one is happening in the press, among critics calling it a commercial disappointment, a hollow spectacle with a one-dimensional story. They’re looking at spreadsheets and preconceived notions of what a movie is supposed to be. They hate it because it comes from Disney, and they don’t actually have valid reasons beyond the fact that, for some crazy reason, they don’t like Jared Leto.

Then there’s the other conversation. The one happening in theater lobbies, in Reddit threads, among the fans who just walked out of the biggest screen they could find, buzzing. They’re talking about the experience. The sound. The visuals. The feeling.

So the big question is, are the critics and the fans watching the same movie? Or have some people simply forgotten what Tron is and what it has always been about?

I’m here to tell you to ignore the noise. If you’re on the fence, if you’re hearing the negativity, I need you to listen. You’re about to make the same mistake people made in 2010.

I’ve seen the reviews. I’ve seen the box office reports. And frankly, I don’t care. I’ve also seen the movie, and I’m planting my flag firmly on the side of the fans. I was absolutely blown away by this film.

I’m already hearing the same whispers I heard 15 years ago after Legacy left theaters. Man, I really wish I’d seen that in IMAX. Don’t do it again. Don’t be that person. This isn’t just a movie you watch. It’s an audiovisual event. It’s something you have to experience.

The Script Has Been Flipped

First things first, this isn’t the Tron you remember.

Instead of a human getting sucked into the grid, the program comes to us. The digital world is invading the physical one.

Our main character is Ares, an advanced AI program created by a smarmy tech bro villain, Julian Dillinger, to be the ultimate super soldier. Ares is a weapon, 100 percent disposable, and Dillinger makes that pretty clear.

The Dillinger lineage is interesting on its own. Edward Dillinger was the original villain in the first movie, and then Ed Dillinger was played by a much younger Cillian Murphy with this weird furry mutton chop thing going on. (Sorry, Cillian. I did briefly call you “Oppenheimer guy.” I apologize.) Move forward to now and you’ve got Julian, the grandkid, the new CEO, and he’s the one working on this whole thing.

Opposing them is Eve Kim, who we find out in the first few minutes is the new CEO of Encom, and who believes this same technology can be used for benevolent reasons. Grow crops. Build houses. Cure diseases. There’s a battle for the soul of the future happening, and it’s right here.

The core of the story is Ares himself. Created for destruction, he starts to experience the real world and develops what looks a whole lot like a conscience.

And here’s the part Tron lore people should sit up for: he’s also named the MCP. The MCP was the original villain villain in the first film. You didn’t really have an MCP in the second movie, though I’d argue Clue served that same purpose as a gatekeeper of sorts. But this one is fascinating, because Ares is the MCP. Right out of the gate they’ve established that he has god tier power in relation to the setup of the grid he came from.

It’s Frankenstein for the digital age, and I’m sorry, it’s fantastic.

The Non-Negotiable: This Is a Technical Masterpiece

The sight of light skimmers racing through actual city streets, leaving trails of solid light behind them, is genuinely breathtaking. Seeing a recognizer descend on Encom Tower gave me pure, unfiltered awe. At least in that moment I was blown away, and I’m pretty sure you will be too.

And then the score. My god, the score.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross didn’t just write music. They created the movie’s soul. It’s a brutal, industrial, beautiful, thrumming nervous system, and it elevates every single frame. This isn’t background music. Realistically, the music is a co-star, followed very closely by the sound and the visuals.

That’s been on a loop in my car for a week, by the way.

These things alone are worth the price of a premium ticket. End of line.

The Leto Problem That Isn’t a Problem

Let’s tackle the biggest criticism head-on. Jared Leto’s performance.

I’ve read reviews calling him robotic. Stiff. One-dimensional. And to that I have to ask: what movie did you think you were watching?

He’s playing a computer program experiencing reality for the first time. His journey from a cold, obedient weapon to a being capable of empathy is the entire point. That’s literally the journey we’re on. Everybody’s going “it’s terrible, he doesn’t do this, he doesn’t do that.” What are you watching?

It’s not a bug. It’s the entire feature.

His performance is one of real subtlety, at least the way I take it. And I’m not just talking about the way he’s playing it in some abstract sense. It’s in the slight tilt of his head as he feels the rain, which is an actual thing that happens in this movie. I’m not being poetic. It’s the confusion in his eyes as he processes human emotion. There’s a quiet, internal performance that builds and builds.

To want him to be charismatic or quippy, that version of a hero from frame one, fundamentally misunderstands the story being told.

“It’s Just Frankenstein” Is Not the Insult You Think

The other complaint I keep seeing is that the story is derivative of Frankenstein. That’s the kind of thing the highfalutin folks over at the LA Times and Variety are saying.

And you know what? I think it is Frankenstein. But it’s a brilliant application of a timeless theme, especially against all of our modern anxieties about AI.

This isn’t lazy rehashing. It’s thoughtful evolution. Instead of giving us another story about a human trapped in a game, which they could have easily done, they inverted the entire premise. That’s what sequels should do. Honor the past with nods and cameos where you can, then go somewhere new.

And yes, seeing Flynn’s arcade again was perfect. The second Ares starts to reform and the only laser connected to the network is Flynn’s, and you see him show up? I said, oh my goodness. What’s hilarious is that he shows up in this pose that looks very reminiscent of Flynn’s from Legacy. And by Flynn I mean Flynn Jr.

This is not a sequel to Tron: Legacy. I think it’s a worthy sequel to the 1982 original, because it shares its ambition, not just its plot.

The Substance Is the Style

So the style over substance criticism falls flat for me.

Tron has always been about big philosophical ideas wrapped in a stunning, cutting edge aesthetic. It’s mythology for the digital age. The substance is the style.

Asking it for intimate dialogue and character driven drama, show me the pathos, is like criticizing a rave for being too loud. You’re at the wrong party.

Where It Glitches

Does it have shortcomings? Sure.

The script can be a little on the nose at times. Some of the side characters could definitely be fleshed out more. I would have loved to know more about Kim’s relative, and honestly I’m not sure whether that’s her cousin or her brother. I don’t think it’s her brother, because her sister was the partner CEO who passed away offscreen. So I lean cousin, but the relationship is unclear. He’s a really cool character and I wanted more of him.

Those are minor glitches in an otherwise spectacular program.

This is a worthy pillar in the franchise, and one that perfectly sets the stage for a fourth installment that could realistically bridge all of these stories together.

The Verdict

Tron: Ares is a visceral, intelligent, quintessentially theatrical experience, and you have to see it on the biggest screen you can get. It’s a movie that trusts you to get lost in its world and rewards you with a sensory experience unlike anything else in theaters right now. It deserves to be seen, supported, and celebrated for its bold ambition, its breathtaking audiovisual mastery, its very misunderstood but brilliant central performance, and its courage to evolve the franchise instead of just repeating it.

Where does it land on the Know-It-All Index? I’m giving Tron: Ares a rock solid 8.5 out of 10. I like the 8s.

The critics are seeing the code. The fans are seeing the world. Go see the world.

Make up your own mind. Don’t get scared away by people who have no imagination or no desire to see an original property taken in an original direction. That’s the same trap a lot of people fell into with Tron: Legacy. The de-aging in that movie may not hold up today, and it really doesn’t, but the rest of it is brilliant, and plenty of people wish they hadn’t missed it in a theater. Don’t miss out on this one yourself.

I’ll revisit this when it lands on VOD, because I definitely want to see what people think once everybody’s had a shot at it. Hopefully you get a chance to see it properly before then.

And never forget: everyone loves a know-it-all.

Your turn. Are you here for the hype, or are you sitting this one out and telling me I’m wrong? The conversation lives in the comments on the video above. Go buy a ticket for the biggest, loudest theater you can find first. You can thank me later.