Tron: Ares Changes Everything Fans Thought They Knew About the Grid

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The latest installment in the *Tron* series, *Tron: Ares*, hasn’t been a hit with film critics and its box office results have been underwhelming. Despite this, it might still be worth checking out. Critics have given it a middling score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences seem to enjoy it much more, giving it an 87% rating on the site’s Popcornmeter.

What makes *Tron: Ares* stand out is its unexpected approach. While the first *Tron* (1982) and *Tron: Legacy* (2010) center around people entering the digital world of the Grid, *Ares* flips that concept. Instead of a person *going* to the Grid, the story unfolds from within it, offering a fresh and more believable look at this virtual reality.

Julian Dillinger Creates His Own Version of Kevin Flynn’s Grid

Julian is the primary villain in *Tron: Ares*. Like his grandfather, he leads Dillinger Systems, the main rival to ENCOM. A brilliant innovator, Julian successfully rebuilt Kevin Flynn’s Grid. However, his version is a stark and ominous digital world, lit by harsh red neon against a black backdrop – a deliberate contrast to the familiar blue and white aesthetic of the original Grid.

Julian builds Ares (played by Jared Leto), a powerful program meant to safeguard his digital world, the Grid. Ares is designed to obey Julian without question, acting as his enforcer. However, Ares starts to question Julian’s instructions as he realizes Julian is cruel and lacks compassion. Ares isn’t alone; programs like Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) assist him in protecting the Grid and following Julian’s commands.

The new movie *Tron: Ares* introduces a fascinating concept: programs like Ares and Athena aren’t limited to the digital world within the Grid. Julian, a key character, has found a way to bring these programs into the real world, but there’s a catch – they can only exist for 29 minutes before destabilizing. To overcome this limitation, Julian needs the Permanence Code, originally created by Kevin Flynn. This code would allow digital entities to remain stable indefinitely in the real world, but it’s been lost for years. While many characters are searching for it, Julian’s goal is specifically to use the code to bring programs from the Grid into the real world and adapt them for military purposes.

As a huge fan of the *Tron* movies, I’ve been following *Tron: Ares* closely, and one thing really sets it apart from the first two films. *Tron: Legacy* did have Quorra ending up in the real world with Sam Flynn, but most of that movie, like the original *Tron*, was all about people *going into* the Grid. *Ares* flips that idea completely on its head. We still get glimpses of the Grid – a few different versions of it, actually – but the vast majority of the movie happens in the *real* world, and it’s all about bringing programs *out* of the Grid and into our reality. It’s a really interesting shift in perspective!

While some viewers and critics worried this change would spoil the original film’s charm, bringing the digital world of the Grid into reality actually feels like a natural progression. It’s a logical next step in technology – if people can enter a digital world, it makes sense that the digital world could become real, a concept we’ve seen in other movies before. If such technology existed, why *wouldn’t* it be used? Eve Kim, the CEO of ENCOM, envisions using it to solve global problems like hunger and disease. However, Julian has a different goal: to create the ultimate, disposable super soldier who can be endlessly rebuilt.

Tron: Ares Expands the Grid in a Way Fans Have Never Seen Before

In *Tron: Ares*, the digital world isn’t just one single ‘Grid’ anymore. Multiple Grid systems now exist, creating a vast, interconnected network. This network extends far beyond the original concept, linking everything from security systems and traffic cameras to cloud computing and even the hidden software of competing businesses – basically, anything that relies on a connection to the internet or a system to function.

Throughout the movie, it’s constantly shown how Ares and Athena are watching Eve Kim, using every camera and device they can access to pinpoint her location. One scene that really blew me away was when Julian Dillinger decided to wreak havoc on ENCOM by hacking into their systems right before their big product launch. He wasn’t just being destructive, though – he was trying to get closer to the legendary Permanence Code, convinced Eve had already found it. It’s cool how they show this happening on two levels: in the real world, Julian’s typing away at his computer, but *inside* the digital world – the Grid – Ares, Athena, and their programs are launching a full-on attack on ENCOM. The visual contrast is striking – Julian’s side of the Grid is this intense red and black, while ENCOM’s system feels much cleaner and brighter.

As I watched, Julian’s hacking felt less like simple code and more like a full-blown digital infiltration, almost like a spy movie! Ares dives deep into ENCOM’s system to find Eve Kim, then quickly heads back to Dillinger’s grid once he’s got what he needs. Suddenly, all sorts of ENCOM programs – and they really *look* like people – pop up to defend their system, and a huge battle breaks out with Ares and the other Dillinger programs. It’s funny to think that in the real world, it’s just a hack, but *inside* the system, it’s a full-on war between programs.

What looks like a cool depiction of hacking actually highlights a crucial point: the digital world isn’t so different from our everyday online experience. The Grid, in many ways, is like a more evolved version of the Internet, connecting people globally. Because of this connection, events within the Grid – such as Ares’ attack on ENCOM – directly affect what happens in the real world.

The Grid was Destined to Become a Massive Digital Parallel to the Real World

The development of this technology was a natural progression within the digital world. As more people understand and learn to build upon it, it will inevitably become more widespread and user-friendly. Julian Dillinger might be the first to achieve what Kevin Flynn did, but he certainly won’t be the last. Because these modern digital systems are so large and interconnected, they link to nearly everything in our real-world digital lives. If Julian can use them to send Ares and Athena to disrupt ENCOM, it raises the question of what other capabilities such a system might possess.

As a film buff, what really struck me was how effortlessly Julian could pull off these incredibly dangerous feats – draining bank accounts and even taking control of military systems felt way too easy. It wasn’t about some complex, drawn-out hacking sequence; it was almost *too* simple. And the villains, Ares and Athena, were frighteningly efficient. They had no problem finding and chasing Eve, and the invasion of her privacy was chilling. Ares basically downloaded her entire life by hacking her phone – every message, every detail, everything. It happened so fast, and he instantly knew everything about her. It just felt incredibly invasive and realistic, which made it all the more unsettling to watch.

However, this element adds a genuinely frightening dimension to *Tron: Ares*. While the thought of Dillinger successfully bringing digital super soldiers and advanced weapons into the real world is unsettling, the film taps into a much more relatable fear. We’re constantly connected to the internet – using our phones to stay in touch with loved ones and for work, storing personal information on our devices, and relying on it for entertainment, shopping, banking, and even our jobs. This makes the stakes feel incredibly personal.

If a system like the Grid existed, everyday concerns like identity theft, financial loss, or online stalking would become much more realistic threats. The danger is amplified because in the world of *Tron*, the person targeting you might not even be human. The programs within the Grid weren’t born; they have no history or identifying records, making them untraceable and impossible to stop using conventional methods. They also have quick access to powerful tools, making self-defense incredibly difficult. Furthermore, these programs generally act solely on their code, without any sense of morality or ethics – they simply complete their assigned tasks.

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2025-10-14 03:08