DUBAI: When British actress Jodie Turner-Smith stepped into the sleek, neon-lit world of “Tron: Ares,” she wasn’t just joining an iconic sci-fi franchise — she was diving headfirst into a meditation on the intersection of technology and humanity. In the latest installment, “Tron: Ares,” Jared Leto plays Ares — a sophisticated digital program sent into the real world on a perilous mission. It’s humankind’s first encounter with artificial intelligence in the flesh and a test of what happens when code meets conscience.

Pointless threequel delivers a leaden cameo from a white-robed Jeff Bridges and an irritating turn from Jared Leto as a hipster-haired humanoid

"Tron: Ares," in theaters Friday, still struggles to figure out what "Tron" means in the 21st century and falls back on a tired sci-fi plot & characterizations.