No franchise in Disney’s deep corporate Rolodex is more odd and misshapen than Tron. The original 1982 film was for years a pop-culture bookend: The tale of a video-game developer who gets zapped into his own software, it was the first movie to significantly use CGI in its production. As visually groundbreaking as it was, Tron is also narratively puzzling—built on an internal logic of digital life that required lots of exposition. It was a box-office disappointment, seemingly destined to be a footnote in cinematic history. Somehow, two sequels have materialized to update the swooshing neon visuals and cartoony renditions of a virtual world. The latest attempt is Tron: Ares, which, as dazzling as it often is, features one of the more rock-brained screenplays I’ve ever encountered. It’s anot
The Most Baffling Disney Franchise Returns at the Right Time

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