TRON: Ares (2025) 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

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With a history of over a hundred years, Disney has a rich tapestry of films, boundless characters, and some of the world's most valuable franchises to pull from. So it's somewhat curious that the studio keeps gravitating towards one of their strangest franchises, which disappointed in 1982 before becoming a cult classic and a 2010 sequel that did the same. But at least both made their production budgets back - which can't be said for 2025's TRON: Ares, which netted a diabolically low $140 million worldwide haul off a reported $220 million budget. So, where did it go wrong, and is it a bad film? Well, that's a complex question.

Fifteen years after the events of TRON: Legacy, a high-stakes rivalry has erupted between tech conglomerates ENCOM and Dillinger Systems, as they race to unlock 'permanence' for digital programs, allowing them to cross into and persist in the real world. When ENCOM's CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) uncovers the code previously hidden by programmer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), her corporate nemesis Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) deploys digital super-soldier Ares (Jared Leto) to steal it. Soon, the military might and technical superiority of the Grid threatens the real world, with Ares and Eve the only ones who might save it.

The original plan to continue the TRON franchise under Director Joseph Kosinski was shelved after the acquisition of the Marvel and Star Wars brands, which steered a new course for the studio that fueled its massive expansion over the next decade. But with sustained interest in the TRON ride at Shanghai Disneyland and Walt Disney World, plus solid re-watch figures on the Disney+ service, the studio eventually greenlit a course-corrected 'soft reboot' which ultimately morphed into Ares. Unfortunately, rather than making a fresh start, the seeds of the film's commercial failure were likely set early on.

Despite the welcome return of Jeff Bridges as hacker-programmer Kevin Flynn, many fans soured on the concept of jettisoning TRON: Legacy's cast in favour of a new lead character played by Jared Leto. Putting aside some, shall we say, 'reputational' concerns, Leto is a fine enough actor and does a decent job here; you're always reminded of the fact you're watching Jared Leto. The otherwise unencumbered Jodie Turner-Smith and Evan Peters perform solidly as the Dillinger Grid's soldier and puppet-master, respectively, while Greta Lee does the best she can with a somewhat undercooked role of protagonist Eve Kim.

Following up Daft Punk's superb score from Legacy was always going to be a huge task, and despite my initial antipathy, I have to say it's really grown on me. Whilst it doesn't feature anywhere near the same depth or variety - much of the score centred on variations of the band's headline single 'As Alive As You Need Me To Be' - it's propulsive, edgy and superb accompaniment to the on-screen visuals. However, the real star here is, of course, the wonderful effects which mark a decidedly different sensibility from industry stalwarts ILM. They're eye-meltingly beautiful, wonderfully composed and executed, and really show off how far CG technology has advanced even just in the last 15 years.

Disney franchise Director Joachim R?nning ably steps behind the camera, bringing some new sensibilities, but retaining much of the glossy visual cues established in the two predecessor films. Ultimately, while the film doesn't reach the same dizzying heights as either of those, it punches well above expectations to serve as an admirable - no, a worthy follow-up.

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Despite a non-subtle coda for a potential fourth film, the future for the TRON franchise remains unclear. What is obvious is that the studio's attempts to make it a blockbuster franchise have failed - yet an audience remains. If the series is to continue, it requires a different path to market. The studio's streaming service is one such solution, and I'm sure that's being given consideration. I do hope it pans out, because I've always had a soft spot for this world, and there's still so much to explore. However, at least for now, it appears to be the end of the line.

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Video

TRON: Ares is presented in its original 2.39:1 theatrical widescreen aspect ratio in the Rec. 2020 color space, finished with dynamic Dolby Vision and static HDR-10 high dynamic range formats and encoded with AVC H.265 compression.

Straight up, this is a gorgeous presentation. Without doubt, this is one of the best-looking discs available today. All of the technology inherent to the technology comes together to make it sing - from the high bitrate, to the HDR formats and wide colour gamut. This is top-tier stuff. But sadly, it could have been even better.

Unlike TRON: Legacy, the 4K release has unfortunately not preserved the shifting wider aspect ratio of the theatrical IMAX presentation; instead, that's offered exclusively on the Disney Plus platform. This has the effect of reducing the visible resolution of the 4K disc considerably and compromising the breathtaking image. If you were lucky enough to see the IMAX presentation in cinemas, you'll know just how satisfying it was. It's not clear which version Director Joachim R?nnin prefers, but with the Ultra HD format being the 'premium' format (and priced accordingly), it's really disappointing to see such obviously shabby treatment of physical media.

Ultimately, this is an eye-meltingly good presentation which is going to please many, but

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Audio

TRON: Ares is presented in a Dolby Atmos object-based container, a 'downsized' home theatre remix of the original Atmos cinema presentation.

Rather than re-set the bar for cinema mixing, TRON: Ares offers a very decent mix but falls short of demo-worthy status. The front and rear soundstage is nicely balanced and retains a convincing 360-degree soundfield throughout. Height surrounds are utilised frequently, but don't call attention to themselves. Low frequency is suitably loud and ominous throughout. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score is mixed very aggressively and often competes - and wins - against the sound effects. If you're not a fan of the score, I can imagine you might have a tough time here.

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Overall, this is a decent, often very good experience and mirrors the theatrical experience pretty authentically.

Extras

Consistent with Disney's 4K strategy, there are zero bonus features to be found on the 4K disc, prioritising all available data on the dual-layer disc for the film itself. The bonus features (such as they are) are included on the pack-in Blu-ray version. Unfortunately, gone are the days of the special edition - what we have here amounts to barely 30 minutes of video-based material, which is overwhelmingly promotional in nature.

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The Journey to TRON: Ares serves as a general purpose 'making of', but its 11-minute run time doesn't allow for any revelatory nuggets, while Lightcycles on the Loose hones in on the exciting action sequence, which might surprise just how much was achieved practically. The Artistry of TRON: Ares looks at the high-tech production design, and Cast Conversations features quick cut edits from the cast on the publicity circuit.

Finally, we have The Legacy of TRON, which looks at some of the franchise easter eggs, if you can get past the annoying narration and two brief Deleted Scenes which amount to little more than 2 minutes of footage. The excised cameo from original TRON director Steven Lisberger is cute, but I can see why it hit the cutting room floor.