Film Preview: Tron: Ares (2025)

Film Poster

Page Revisions:

(April 13, 2025) Original
(July 27, 2025) New Trailer (#2) — New Poster (#2)
(September 7, 2025) New Trailer (#3) — New Poster (#3)
(October 5, 2025) New Posters (#4-#24)
(October 12, 2025) New Trailer (#4) — New Posters (#25-#30)

Release Date:

October 10, 2025

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “A highly sophisticated Program, Ares, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission.”

Poster Rating: C / C+ / C+ / C+ (5) / B / C / C (6) / C (6) / C (2) / C+ / C / C / C / C / B- / C+

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Review: (#1, C) This design is meant to symbolically balance the online world with the real world and the harsh red coloring overwhelms the tepidly-colored cityscape. The transition is likewise poorly blended.

(#2, C+) A more intriguing design than the prior but it also feels a tad generic.

(#3, C+) Leaning into the red laser design may fit but the subtlety of the city skyline and the downward racing bike create something that has a note of creativity but without a clear delineation of elements.

(#4-#8, C+) This set of format designs are unique to one another while using a familiar aesthetic to generate designs that are identifiable without being exciting. (#9, B) A fitting universal design that features lots of details but struggles to do unique things. There are elements that are familiar and some that are new but it feels surprisingly sparse. (#10, C) Another format design that doesn’t do anything different than the prior five I highlighted. (#11-#16, C) The first batch of character posters try to use the color to symbolize where the figures come from but ultimately they don’t quite make sense in the grand scheme of the film or its predecessors. Plus they are relatively underpopulated with details. (#17-#22, C) Another set of character posters, this set is less dynamic but feel more setting-fitting. (#23-#24, C) The two designs are meant to go together and share similar design elements but none of them are impressive. The rain is encoded rather than natural and the image manipulation of both are mediocre at best.

(#25 & #30, C+) Although these were introduced separately, they are very clearly intended to be a bookend to one another. That doesn’t make them appealing. The excessive red elements, while narratively appropriate, is overbearing, especially when the darker elements make it feel more like it’s pulled its inspiration from horror films than necessary. (#26, C) This takes us back to the original Tron, which holds well in its seeming approach to the storyline. Sadly, that’s all that merits recognition. It’s a bit lifeless, feels overly posed, and doesn’t excite. (#27-#28, C) Although these designs aren’t necessarily intended to be paired, they use a similar style in each with the lightcycle progressing left to right, the red archway in the background, and the only distinction being a locale on earth in the middle ground. Were there more of these designs and they didn’t have two of the three elements looking so similar, they might have been more compelling. (#29, B-) Bonus points for getting out of the rut the prior designs were in. Going for a line drawing instead makes this piece stand out. It’s still similar in its use of a lightcycle and a location background but it at least stands out a bit.

Trailer Rating: C+ / C+ / B- / C+

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Review: (#1, C+) Some very beautiful visuals are on display in this trailer but the narrative is given short shrift in an effort to play up the action elements. This is a series that relies heavily on intriguing sci-fi concepts to carry it forward and is not served well by such a lifeless trailer.

(#2, C+) While we don’t have the full details of the plot, we have enough to generate some measure if interest in the film. It still looks rather tepid in terms of its content but some of the effects are cool and that might be enough to engage an audience.

(#3, B-) Although this trailer is tremendously vague, there are just enough kernels of narrative development to make it seem more interesting than just an action and synth-heavy science fiction film.

(#4, C+) The elements pulled from the original film feel a bit heavy-handed in this trailer, while they certainly tie everything together, they don’t effectively establish the point of the narrative. Instead it highlights the derivative nature of the material hoping to build on audience attachment to the franchise rather than any interest in its content.