Tron: Ares made us do something we almost never do: we hit play, heard the soundtrack kick in, and immediately wished we could keep the speakers on while turning the screen off. Dan and Tony break down the new Tron sequel with a very specific question in mind: how can a movie look this polished and still feel like nothing is happening? We get into Jared Leto’s Ares, why the “program becomes human” arc never shows up on screen, and how the movie leans on dialogue to claim growth instead of building it through choices.
From there, we pull on the threads that keep snapping: the permanence code timer that should create tension but rarely changes anyone’s strategy, the laser printing tech that can seemingly create anything without limits, and the corporate world details that make the characters feel smaller than the story says they are. We also talk through the chase beats, the ENCOM tower moment, and the strange action editing choices that keep fights from reading clearly. Along the way, we compare key moments to Tron: Legacy and why that film’s locked-in camera language and game structure still land.
We close with the finale, Athena’s wasted potential, the post-credit Sark tease, and a quick detour into shows we are actually enjoying right now, including Alien Earth, Widow’s Bay, and The Pitt. Next week we are watching Passengers, and we strongly recommend going in cold.
Subscribe for more movie talk, share the episode with a Tron fan, and leave a review so more listeners can find us. What is the one thing you would fix first in Tron: Ares?
Written lovingly by AI
Be our friend!
Dan: @shakybacon
Tony: @tonydczech
And follow the podcast on IG: @hatewatchingDAT
