Joachim Rønning’s Tron Ares is the very definition of style over substance - but what style it is, vivid and hypnotically breathtaking. Visually intoxicating, this is a film that thrives on its own aesthetic indulgence. The neon-soaked environments and dazzling digital production design are a total vibe, perfectly complemented by a consistently pulsating Nine Inch Nails score that feels like a character unto itself. Seriously, every synth pulse and industrial beat enhances the sensory overload. Unfortunately, what the movie delivers in spectacle, it sorely lacks in soul. For one, the characters are thinly drawn and emotionally hollow — all attitude, no dimension. With a more fleshed-out script, we might actually care who wins or loses in this ultra-sleek tech war. And, it’s a shame, too, because the cast is stacked with talent. Gillian Anderson is criminally underused, and OG star Jeff Bridges’ return should have been monumental; instead, it’s little more than fan-service. Greta Lee and Evan Peters bring some enjoyable energy as dueling tech moguls, but even they can’t transcend the screenplay’s paper-thin dialogue. Perhaps the film’s MVPs are Jared Leto and Jodie Turner-Smith — the latter giving a ferocious, Terminator-like performance that occasionally jolts the film to life (especially for the conclusion). Still, Tron: Ares never reaches the imaginative or cerebral heights of its predecessors. It’s not a thinking person’s sci-fi, that’s for sure. It’s a big, dumb, gleaming blockbuster. But it is cool to look at.