A new entry in the Tron franchise has been released, titled Tron: Ares. So far, it has managed to become the second-highest-grossing film in the series. However, it is still far from being considered a financial success, as the film had a slow start at the box office. It currently holds a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, indicating that critics have a mixed outlook on the film. At the same time, audiences are much more positive, giving it an 87% score on the Popcorn Meter. So, there may still be a chance for it to turn things around at the box office. The purpose of this article, however, is to explore the previous entries in the franchise, including both big-screen and small-screen projects.
1. Tron (1982)
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Director- Steven Lisberger
Streaming On: Jio Hotstar (India), Disney+ (U.S)
Plot: Tron marked a pivotal point in film history with its extensive use of computer-generated imagery. Bruce Boxleitner took on the role of the titular character, while Jeff Bridges played Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer who gets trapped in a software world within a mainframe. At the time, the film’s visuals were groundbreaking and widely praised.
Plot: It took 28 years for another feature film to be released within the Tron universe. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, this film tells the story of Sam, played by Garrett Hedlund, the son of Kevin Flynn, who also enters the virtual world after receiving a message from his father. Most scenes were natively shot in 3D, and the visual effects work was handled by ten different companies. Just like the previous entry, this film was a moderate success and later became a cult classic.
3. Tron: The Next Day (2011)
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Director: Kurt Mattila
Streaming On: Apple TV & YouTube
Plot: It was originally released as a special feature on the Blu-ray edition of Tron: Legacy. With a runtime of 10 minutes, this short film attempts to fill in the gaps between Tron and Tron: Legacy. However, the short film is now available on YouTube.
4. Tron: Uprising Animated Series (2012)
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Director: Charlie Bean and Robert Valley
Streaming On: Jio Hotstar (India), Disney+ (U.S)
Plot: This animated series takes place in the timeline between Tron and Tron: Legacy. In the series, the virtual world known as the Grid is governed by Clu and his subordinate, General Tesler. A young revolutionary program named Beck rises against them.
Plot: Tron: Ares is the latest film in the franchise. In the film, Ares is an AI program soldier originating from the world of the Grid. It is set 18 years after the events of the previous movie. Although Ares is initially considered a disposable soldier, it later becomes clear that he has feelings and a will to survive. However, there is a problem: programs cannot survive in the real world for more than 29 minutes, and two companies are racing to find the code that could make this limitation a thing of the past.
