In IMAX, Tron: Ares doesn’t just unfold, it engulfs you. From the first neon pulse to the last flicker of light, I felt like I wasn’t just watching a film but being uploaded into it. The franchise that once imagined the world inside a computer now feels eerily close to our own, a mirror made of code and conscience.

This chapter of the Tron universe trades nostalgia for evolution. Through Eve Kim (Greta Lee), a visionary programmer chasing her late sister’s dream, and Ares (Jared Leto), the A.I. soldier born to obey, the story becomes less about machines and more about meaning. The question isn’t whether technology can feel, it’s what happens when it does.

Julian Dillinger’s (Evan Peters) hunger for control collides beautifully with Ares’ awakening curiosity, creating a dynamic that feels both mythic and modern. Watching Ares study humanity, through literature, emotion, and rebellion, reminded me that progress and power have always been at odds. Every frame hums with the tension between obedience and identity.

What struck me most wasn’t the spectacle (though it’s breathtaking), it was the soul behind the circuitry. Tron: Ares feels like the first film in the franchise that truly understands what it’s been trying to say for decades: that evolution isn’t about upgrading systems, it’s about rewriting yourself.

The legacy of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) hovers over every scene, not as nostalgia but as philosophy. His belief that nothing is permanent, not power, not perfection, echoes through this new story like a heartbeat made of light.

Tron: Ares is more than a sequel. It’s a meditation on creation, control, and the cost of consciousness. In a world obsessed with AI, it reminds us that maybe the most human thing a program can do… is care.

Tron: Ares opens in theaters everywhere this Friday.