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\u201c<\/span>The \u200b\u2019<\/span>80<\/span>s,\u201d gasps Jared Leto (the eponymous Ares) with something approaching the human emotion of reverence. \u200b\u201c<\/span>Classic,\u201d he says during a\u00a0sequence paying extended homage to the visuals of the original <\/span>Tron<\/span><\/i> movie. \u200b\u201c<\/span>I love the 80<\/span>s,\u201d he fawns as he talks about how great Depeche Mode are, in a\u00a0segment intended to illustrate the difference between being told something is good, and feeling as if it\u00a0is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In <\/span>Tron: Ares<\/span><\/i>, the best is always in the rear view mirror \u2013 whether it\u2019s the film\u2019s take on the famous Akira slide (<\/span>reset the clock<\/span><\/a>!) or its garbled recollections of whatever constitutes <\/span>Tron<\/span><\/i> lore. For all of its faults, 2010<\/span>\u2019s <\/span>Tron: Legacy<\/span><\/i> at least showed interest in building new visual architecture, or playing around in new technological spaces (<\/span>perhaps irresponsibly, perhaps to a\u00a0fault<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rather than thinking about how <\/span>Tron<\/span><\/i> could adapt to now, the film grasps at the apparent glories of the past. Curiously, it also eschews Legacy\u2019s cast as it hits a\u00a0soft reset on the franchise. As such, Ares feels more confused, more hollow than its predecessor, and with none of the winsome kitsch to make up for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Somehow <\/span>Ares<\/span><\/i> also outdoes the film literally titled \u200b\u201c<\/span><\/span>Legacy<\/span><\/i>\u201d in its navel-gazing \u2013 its callbacks to the first instalment feel especially desperate. The film cites Greek mythology, with Ares and his subordinate Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), but its ploys for a\u00a0sequel are more reminiscent of the wax wings of Icarus. It\u2019s a\u00a0film with less substance than its predecessor, attempting to reach for more, and likely doomed never to make it that\u00a0far.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Leto is simply not a\u00a0capable enough or, for that matter, an even remotely likeable performer, certainly not to the level needed to connect the thematic dots. People (fairly) criticised the uncanny lifelessness of the digital replica of Jeff Bridges in <\/span>Tron: Legacy<\/span><\/i>, but Leto feels like an even less convincing impression of a\u00a0human.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a\u00a0crucial failing, as the film hinges on our belief that there\u2019s a\u00a0burgeoning humanity in the character Ares that deserves to be preserved. More convincing in this regard is Turner-Smith who, as Athena, plays a\u00a0program more confused and troubled by the human sensations beginning to creep into her code. There\u2019s some actual substance here, or at least a\u00a0clearer through-line than how Leto robotically flips between two contrasting tones of voice. Meanwhile as Eve Kim, replacing the previous film\u2019s Sam Flynn as head of Encom, Greta Lee is given little to work with. Her supporting cast, who honestly could have been flown in from the <\/span>M3<\/span>GAN<\/span><\/span><\/i> set with little difference in either case, have even\u00a0less.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nGet more Little White\u00a0Lies<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n