Visuals are strong, but the script is "awful" and characters are dull. Labeled it "over-stylized" and gave it a 1/5 rating.

Despite story criticisms, reviewers from sites like Under the Radar and RogerEbert.com agree that the visuals and the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack provide a "master class" in atmosphere, even if the characters feel "flat".

The Master Control Program is often reviewed as a masterclass in early sci-fi villainy. Critics and fans alike praise its cold, calculating logic—a digital tyrant that zaps hacker Kevin Flynn into the grid. It remains a foundational piece of the Tron mythology, representing the fear of unchecked AI decades before it became a reality.

In the newest installment, "Master Control" is treated more as a mantle or title rather than a single entity. The program Athena (played by Jodie Turner-Smith) takes on the role to lead a digital army.