Tron: Ares

[Owain Taggart]

It doesn't help that there's been little to no advertising. I venture to guess there are still loads of people who don't know this movie actually exists.

 

[Gaith]

Just because you can describe the broadest strokes of the plot in two sentences doesn't mean much to the quality or structure of a film. ..."Kyle Reese and the Terminator try to find Sarah Connor. Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese try to escape from the Terminator."

I mean, you could describe T1 that way, but I'd say that "Kyle and Sarah meet up, clash, and gradually learn to trust each other" is just as important a broad stroke of that movie in terms of both plot and runtime. Whereas "Find Sam’s Dad. Than try to Escape" really does convey the essence of Tron: Legacy. Even the introduction of Quorra doesn't really affect the the plot; it just adds "with Sam's new born sexy yesterday girlfriend" to the "try to escape" part.

Just because one can sum up Hamlet with "The ghost of Hamlet's dad tells him to kill his stepfather. He then does that" doesn't mean one is making a particularly useful observation about the play. Calling Tron: Legacy a two-act story, however, cuts to the quick of its narrative shortcomings, and thus is a useful observation.

 

[Tosk]

It's two-act because you're making it that way by ignoring story points to make the film sound simpler than it is, just as I did with The Terminator.

Besides all that, I personally don't buy into the implication that a film having two acts is some kind of damning criticism. Even if Tron Legacy was undeniably a two-act film, that means nothing in terms of the story, it's characters, or it's plotting. Is a five-act play somehow superior to a two-act play regardless of all other factors?

I mean, you could describe T1 that way, but I'd say that "Kyle and Sarah meet up, clash, and gradually learn to trust each other" is just as important a broad stroke of that movie in terms of both plot and runtime.

Yeah. "Kyle and Sarah meet up, clash, and gradually learn to trust each other" would be the first act, and "Kyle and Sarah escape from the Terminator multiple times before finally destroying it" would be the second act.

Edit: For the record, I'm not arguing that Legacy is some masterwork. Or that it doesn't have deficiencies. Only that "it's a story told in two acts" only says one thing about it. It's not an insightful criticism on any level.

 

[Gaith]

It's two-act because you're making it that way by ignoring story points to make the film sound simpler than it is, just as I did with The Terminator.

Nah, in terms of two-hour mainstream sci-fi action movies, the plot of Tron: Legacy really is that simple. The movie is about the same length as, say, The 6th Day, but in plot terms, The 6th Day is a lot more eventful and complex.

That doesn't mean The 6th Day is necessarily better overall. But it's definitely more eventful and complex.

Besides all that, I personally don't buy into the implication that a film having two acts is some kind of damning criticism.

It's not, but it is a useful observation in that it invites a frank discussion about how thin T:L's story is. No one, not even an ardent admirer of the movie, could credibly argue that the movie has anything like a complex and eventful story in sci-fi action movie terms.

Besides all that, I personally don't buy into the implication that a film having two acts is some kind of damning criticism. Even if Tron Legacy was undeniably a two-act film, that means nothing in terms of the story, it's characters, or it's plotting. Is a five-act play somehow superior to a two-act play regardless of all other factors?

If the term "story act" has any meaning whatsoever, then that meaning must be "significant story development." So, yeah, a two-act story should be understood as having fewer developments as a five-act story. If you're not willing to recognize that basic math, there's no use in you using the term "act" at all.

If we're not willing to abide by a fundamental spirit of fairness, there's no point in having movie criticism discussions at all, because all we could say would be "Me like thing" or "Me not like thing."

Yeah. "Kyle and Sarah meet up, clash, and gradually learn to trust each other" would be the first act, and "Kyle and Sarah escape from the Terminator multiple times before finally destroying it" would be the second act.

No. Just for giggles, I checked: Sarah and John meet at minute 37 of a 103-minute movie (not counting end credits) - in other words, when the movie is 35%, or pretty much exactly one-third, over. Ergo, it's not remotely honest, in storytelling discussion terms, to say that Kyle and Sarah meet in the first act of T1. In the context of two-hour sci-fi action movie storytelling, their meeting is about as classic an endpoint to Act One as they come.

The only reason to say that John and Sarah meet in T1's first act is to make a dishonest argument, in the sense that one is actively flouting basic fairness.

Edit: For the record, I'm not arguing that Legacy is some masterwork. Or that it doesn't have deficiencies. Only that "it's a story told in two acts" only says one thing about it. It's not an insightful criticism on any level.

Obviously, no one-sentence observation can be "insightful" in the sense of "it's argued at length," because "at length" inherently means "across multiple paragraphs." Therefore, calling the observation "not insightful on any level" is not a productive argument on any level. The meaningful question, rather, is whether said one-sentence observation is useful - and, again, I argue that it is, for the reason stated above.

 

[Tosk]

I checked: Sarah and John meet at minute 37 of a 103-minute movie (not counting end credits) - in other words, when the movie is 35%, or pretty much exactly one-third, over. Ergo, but it's not remotely honest, in storytelling discussion terms, to say that Kyle and Sarah meet in the first act of T1.

You yourself said "Kyle and Sarah meet up, clash, and gradually learn to trust each other" so checking the time when they first meet does not cover the events as you described. Sarah isn't really on Reese's 'side' until an hour in.

If we're to check times, in Tron Legacy the characters are not in a position to actually escape the Grid until an hour forty-two into a two hour movie. Prior to that we have Kevin simply not wanting to leave, and then after that his disc is in the possession of others for about a half hour.

So, yeah, a two-act story should be understood as having fewer developments as a five-act story. If you're not willing to recognize that basic math, there's no use in you using the term "act" at all.

I did not say that a five act story does not have more developments than a two act story. I asked if a five act play was somehow superior to a two-act play regardless of all other factors. Does it have more acts? Yes. Does that mean anything in regards to the quality of the writing, acting, staging, etc? No.

Obviously, no one-sentence observation can be "insightful" in the sense of "it's argued at length," because "at length" inherently means "across multiple paragraphs." Therefore calling the observation "not insightful on any level" is not a useful argument on any level.

"Showing a clear understanding of a person or situation".

A one-sentence observation can be insightful.


My brain isn't well suited to arguing that Tron Legacy isn't necessarily two-act and that if it is it doesn't matter.

 

[Gaith]

You yourself said "Kyle and Sarah meet up, clash, and gradually learn to trust each other" so checking the time when they first meet does not cover the events as you described.

I said that "Kyle and Sarah meet up, clash, and gradually learn to trust each other" is an act, which it absolutely is. It's absolutely the movie's second act, as the time details confirm.

You said it "would be the first act," as in, it could rationally be considered the first act.

It couldn't.

I did not say that a five act story does not have more developments than a two act story. I asked if a five act play was somehow superior to a two-act play regardless of all other factors.

False. You wrote "Even if Tron Legacy was undeniably a two-act film, that means nothing in terms of the story, it's characters, or it's plotting." You could have written "that means nothing in terms of the movie's overall artistic quality," but you didn't. Instead, by using two terms fundamentally linked with narrative acts - "story" and "plotting" - your statement very clearly indicated a belief that "a five act story does not [necessarily] have more developments than a two act story."

If your wording didn't accurately convey your intended argument, that's on you.

 

[Tosk]

If your wording didn't accurately convey your intended argument, that's on you.

You're right. So I shall pretend I wrote "Even if Tron Legacy was undeniably a two-act film, that means nothing in terms of the quality of its story, it's characters, or it's plotting." like it was in my head.

 

[valkyrie013]

Seen it Sunday, was quite good, though honestly they could have cast anyone in the Ares roll, Jared didn't Stand out like say Tom Cruise in a Tom Cruise movie, though he done quite good. Visually.. Absoulutly stunning, Sound track, Awesome.
I enjoyed it, and if your a Tron fan I highly recommend it.

on a personal note, those idiots like critical drinker etc. just poo pooing Everything.. Ugh..

 

[Set Harth]

clash

Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

 

[Dick Whitman]

Honestly when I originally said Legacy had a 2 act story I had to look up what a traditional story structure is and number of acts. Sure I was vaguely aware of it but not something I overthink.

 

[C.E. Evans]

It doesn't help that there's been little to no advertising. I venture to guess there are still loads of people who don't know this movie actually exists.

It might be possible that this just wasn't a movie that many people felt they had to go see in theatres. Ares may find its actual audience once it hits streaming perhaps. From my own experience, I know a couple of people who are going to wait until it's on Disney+, and I came very close to doing that myself.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

My own thoughts on the subject:

TRON
Premise of "what really goes on, on the other side of the screen"? a draw.
The overall look-and-feel? a draw.
Scored by Wendy ("Switched-On Bach") Carlos? A MAJOR DRAW.

TRON: Legacy
Sequel to TRON, after nearly three decades ? A MAJOR DRAW.
Scored not by Wendy, but by an act I'd never heard of? meh.
Cindy Morgan not getting even a cameo? sad.
The overall look-and-feel dropping into Uncanny Gorge? a turn-off.

TRON: Ares
Another sequel to TRON? meh.
The few ads I've seen look even less other-worldly than those for T:L (like they came out the other end of Uncanny Gorge)? a turn-off.
Cindy Morgan died without ever reprising Lora/Yori? really sad.
Scored by a rock band I had heard of, and that holds not the slightest appeal to me? Eeeewwwww!

 

[Char Kais]

It doesn't help that there's been little to no advertising.

Tron Ares had a large ad campaign.

The Tron: Ares ad campaign has included high-profile partnerships like Tesla and the NFL, prominent social media promotions, and a collaboration with McAfee on an anti-scam campaign. The marketing has received mixed reactions, particularly the Tesla in-car update, which some users have criticized as an unwelcome advertisement.

Notable campaigns and collaborations

• Tesla integration: An in-car update for Tesla vehicles transformed the navigation system into a Tron-style light cycle, adding red ambient lighting. While aiming for a futuristic feel, many owners view it as an in-car advertisement and have expressed dissatisfaction.
• NFL partnership: Disney collaborated with the NFL for a promotional campaign that featured football player Saquon Barkley in a Tron-themed commercial.
• McAfee partnership: The movie partnered with security company McAfee for the "Secure Your Grid" campaign, which focuses on educating the public about spotting and stopping online scams.
• Social media and influencer promotions: The campaign utilized social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, featuring content from influencers and promoting a general sense of hype and anticipation for the film's release.
• Out-of-home advertising: The campaign included traditional out-of-home advertising, with posters displayed in elevators, bus shelters, and on motion billboards in major cities like New York and San Francisco.

Tesla pushes Tron: Ares ad inside its cars, upsetting owners

Tesla has partnered with its recent foe, Disney, to promote its latest movie, Tron: Ares, with an in-car update that...

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