Movie trailers from the 1980s just hit differently. The look, the sound, the feel. You watch one and you’re instantly taken back in time like you’ve got your very own DeLorean. But, if you don’t know what we mean, the team at Disney has a brand new example.
It just released a retro trailer for Tron: Ares, which is appropriate on a few levels. The main one is obvious. Tron: Ares is based on one of the iconic films of the 1980s, Tron, so it’s paying homage to its predecessor. The other is a little less obvious. It’s that the movie itself has a strong adoration for the era, which comes across not just in this aesthetic, but also in some of the new footage revealed here. Check it out.
As you can see, not only does this trailer have that dated look, feel, and sound from the 1980s, but there’s also a lot of footage to match. Ares (played by Jared Leto) does, at one point, visit the Grid Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) visited in the original Tron. And, as you see in the trailer, he even drives one of its classic original lightcycles.
Beyond even that, without spoiling too much, Ares himself in the movie has a real passion for the decade. There are even a few running jokes about it. It’s a nice way for the movie to wink back at the past while also characterizing this character. Not everything in Tron: Ares works, but that stuff does.
What is Ares doing on the original Grid from Tron? What does he talk to Kevin Flynn about? And how does any of that fit in with the events of Tron Legacy, which came out 15 years ago? You’ll have to wait until later this week to find out.
Co-starring Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson, Tron: Ares opens Friday.