It’s been well over a decade since Tron: Legacy was released in theaters, and while fans of the franchise have done their best to show love for the series, there’s only so much that can be done with the lack of new projects. Enter the long-developing Tron: Ares, a not-so-much sequel to Legacy, but also not entirely a reboot that has been trying to get made and released for several years. Now, Joachim Rønning’s vision for Ares is finally out for the world to experience, and the end result has been, at least to critics, something of a mixed bag.
Tron: Ares hasn’t received the best reviews upon its release, and it’s struggled to make an impact on the weekend box office. It seems like another entry in the franchise doomed to obscurity, though there is one major element of its production that shouldn’t be ignored: the score composed by Nine Inch Nails (NIN). The films of Tron have always been closely associated with the music that drives the story, and Ares is no different. In fact, NIN’s music may very well be among the best the Tron series has had in its films, and Ares should be seen in theaters for the audiovisual experience alone.
‘Tron’s Legacy Has Always Been Closely Associated With Its Musical Identity
When it was first announced at D23 that Tron: Ares would move forward, it was no surprise that the first major aspect of the film revealed to the panel was that NIN would compose the film’s score. What made this announcement so alluring at the time was that it wasn’t Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross making the music, as the duo has become well-regarded for their film scores outside their work with NIN. No, what really made this exciting was the NIN moniker, their style, and the fact that the group members/producers would all work towards making the Tron: Ares soundtrack a piece of art on its own.
The need to bring this level of talent to the score of the film is completely understandable when considering the legacy of Tron. In the original 1982 film, Wendy Carlos’ music was also an impressive album at the time of its release. The composer had previously worked on Stanley Kubrick’s films The Shining and A Clockwork Orange, and the synth-electronic style she brought to Tron would influence the franchise’s future films decades later. There were also the two songs Journey created for the film, which would set a precedent for future films.
Of course, it’d be remiss not to mention the score created by Daft Punk for Joseph Kosinski’s 2010 follow-up film Tron: Legacy. The cultural zeitgeist of electronic and house music in the 2010s undoubtedly helped contribute to the success of the score, but it’s the immense talent of Daft Punk that has helped to make the music of the film still hold up 15 years later. Nominated for a Grammy and still praised as one of the best film scores of all time (and a good Daft Punk album on its own) meant that NIN had a lot to live up to for Tron: Ares.
The Music of ‘Tron: Ares’ Should be Experienced in Theaters
Thankfully, NIN more than delivers with their album made for Ares — an industrial fever dream of a score that also works incredibly well as its own separate album in the rock band’s discography. Unlike Daft Punk’s score, which incorporates orchestral instruments and sounds into its electronic score, NIN’s Tron: Ares album doesn’t use a single traditional instrument. Moreover, Reznor has gone so far as to say that the album can be enjoyed separately from the film, though the added bonus of hearing the sound mix in a movie theater’s surround sound system can’t be understated.
In fact, it’s the neon-soaked visuals of Tron: Ares that make the album even better, as NIN’s intense musical score elevates everything that is happening on screen. Right from the opening credits, which showcase the creation of the Ares AI program and are set to the beat of the opening track “Init,” the movie feels almost entirely dependent on NIN’s music to guide the visuals and storytelling throughout the runtime. The end result is a phenomenal sensory experience from what would otherwise be a muddled film. This writer isn’t under the impression that Tron: Ares is a misunderstood or underappreciated film by any means (it just released in theaters, after all). Rather, the music, which is usually a supporting element in most films, is deservedly at the forefront and should be viewed for that reason.
While the four Reznor-centric vocal tracks on the album aren’t used in their entirety, the bits and pieces that are in Tron: Ares tie into the movie’s themes in brilliant ways. “I Know You Can Feel It” is one highlight in a sequence in which Ares (Jared Leto) and Eva escape the Grid, with the action and the neon-red world of the computers beautifully conveyed through the slow build-up of an electronic-fueled crescendo of music that elevates the entire scene. Bits and pieces of the existentially powerful “Who Wants to Live Forever?” play as Ares gains the ability to live outside the Grid in the real world, providing a sense of melancholy and emotion that would otherwise have been absent had the album not been part of the film.
Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Tron: Ares’ Album Is the Best of the Franchise
Although it doesn’t seem likely that Tron: Ares will have a lasting impact over the next few years, the validity of NIN’s album and their work on the film has a good chance of standing the rest of time. Reznor, Ross, and the rest of the team’s work on the music resulted in an intense and beautiful score that tells a story on its own, with track titles and composition that doesn’t just tie into the themes of Tron: Ares, but can be enjoyed independent of everything else surrounding it, while simultaneously enhancing the theatrical experience unlike any other movie score in recent memory.
It’s rare for creators like Reznor and Ross, who have built very successful careers outside NIN, to bring their two worlds together for a musical project that defies categorization. It’s the first NIN album in five years. It is also the first Tron movie soundtrack in 15 years. Much like Leto’s Ares program, NIN’s album for the movie is something independent of the film that spawned its creation, resulting in a riveting, grungy, and powerful musical experience that makes the troubled production of Tron: Ares completely worth it.
- Release Date
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October 10, 2025
- Runtime
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119 minutes
- Director
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Joachim Rønning
- Producers
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Jared Leto, Jeffrey Silver, Sean Bailey, Steven Lisberger, Emma Ludbrook