When the hero of the movie is an AI

The saga Throne He was born before his time. When Disney released this 1982 film about a programmer and hacker (Jeff Bridges) transported into a video game company's mainframe – a virtual world controlled by a malicious operating system – the visual effects were disqualified from the Oscars because creating them on a computer was considered to be cheat. Forty-three years later, digital effects are hegemonic in Hollywood and all concepts of Throne about virtual universes and intelligent programs are more relevant than ever, so Disney has now revived a franchise that already had a first sequel in 2010, Throne: Legacy, directed by a debutant Joseph Kosinski.

Throne: Ares It brings back a single character from the saga's past, a Jeff Bridges who has evolved from a jumping hacker to a digital divinity in every installment, and dispenses with all the characters and ideas of Throne: Legacy, except one: the possibility of materializing characters and machines from the virtual world in the real world ThroneThe fight between two corporations to control this revolutionary – but still unstable – technology structures the plot of a film that, despite taking its cue from the saga's imaginary Throne, primarily assimilates the conventions and language of modern superhero cinema. In fact, it basically functions as a origin story of the character played by Jared Leto, a security program that becomes self-aware and challenges its creator, the egomaniacal CEO of a tech giant.

Rather than reformulating the Promethean myth in a digital key, Throne: Ares It seems like a tailor-made vehicle for Leto to play a new anti-hero after the failure of Morbius, that failed attempt to turn an enemy of Spiderman into a vampiric superhero. Pursued by accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior by nine women, Leto may have found refuge in this "ultimate soldier of biblical strength and supreme intelligence," a role that requires more photogenic appeal than acting ability; the latter is provided by a motivated and convincing Greta Lee (Past lives) as a technological genius and a skilled motorcyclist – in this saga the two attributes always go together.

On his journey towards the codes of blockbuster superheroic, Throne: Ares loses interest in exploring the relationship between the virtual and real worlds that articulated the previous installments. Stripped of its identity, it's an impersonal but fairly dynamic action film, with somewhat forced touches of humor—the touches of the dozen uncredited screenwriters are noticeable—and some decisions as problematic in 2025 as turning an AI into Depeche Mode's first albums. However, it must be acknowledged that NIN's excellent soundtrack (the first by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross under their band name) helps digest everything and enjoy the experience more than expected. One thing is certain: Throne It's one of the sagas that takes the most care with the music; I wish they'd do the same with the scripts.