The Ultimate Ranking of Tron Films from Classic to Modern

With the release of Tron: Ares, I thought it was a good time to watch through all of the Tron movies. Prior to September, I had never seen either of the other Tron movies. I was aware of them and understood the basic premise, but had just never gotten around to seeing them. On paper, they are my kind of movies, combining science fiction with video games. With all that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the three Tron films.

3. Tron

The original Tron was groundbreaking when it came out and was ahead of its time in a lot of ways, but unfortunately, it lacked the technology to fully capture its vision. For the positives, the movie is a very unique experience with a visual style that I had not seen before. There were also several aspects of the visuals that impressed and made me wonder how they managed it in the 80s. It was also fun to see a very young Jeff Bridges in a movie. However, this movie is extremely dated. The CGI did not age well at all, and the costumes come across as cheesy by today's standards. This can all be forgiven by viewing the film as a product of its time, but the plot itself is also pretty lackluster. The plot feels very convoluted, with a lack of forward momentum and no clear direction for the conflict and what the villain’s plan is. Most everything about this film is largely forgettable besides the visual style. Overall, the movie has a unique visual style and was very ambitious, but ultimately felt more like an experience than a compelling story.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

2. Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy matches the ambition of the original film, but this time, it actually has the technology to portray it. The visuals in this film are significantly better than in the original film. We still get the same visual style but utilize 21st-century graphics. Making things like the costumes actually look cool and the light bike scenes actually watchable. I like how the movie still has ties to the original film and brings back the characters while also allowing new characters to take the lead. However, much like the first film, the plot in this movie lacks any sort of cohesion and excitement. This film has a little bit more forward momentum, but the overall plot and villain plan are still not super interesting. There are some cool action sequences, but not much of a plot holds them together. This is another film that you are going to remember for spectacle and visuals, but not know who anyone is or what happened in the film. In the end, this film finally brings the visuals to tell a story like this, but still doesn’t have the right quality of story to make anything beyond the visually memorable.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

1. Tron: Ares

Tron: Legacy is the best of the three Tron films, but only slightly. Much like the other two films, it is visually impressive. What makes this film stand out is that it does something different with the plot. Instead of a real person being sent to the grid, this movie has a program come to the real world. This makes for a refreshing take on the Tron story as we get to see the programs cope with aspects of the real world that aren't present in the grid, like rain. This also lends to some cool action sequences in the real world such as the Lightcycle chase that is chopping cars in half. This movie has the most straightforward story of the Tron films, as it is just about these two companies trying to get a code that can permanently bring programs to the real world. However, the characters and writing in this movie are just so bland. The Jared Leto/Ares character is so poorly written and boring, and all of the corporate characters are so forgettable. Overall, while the movie does something new in the Tron franchise, it is still just as forgettable from a plot and character standpoint.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-