Æon Flux

For those people already familiar with the animated series please forgive me for giving a brief introduction to those people who have not experienced Aeon Flux before. The franchise is based in a future world, and the series focused on Aeon and her arch nemesis/love-of-her-life Trevor Goodchild who is the leader/dictator of this future world. The series was very much a freaky, psychedelic, mind-bending collection of odd stories, some of which the plot is verging on impossible to follow closely. Thankfully the film, in an attempt to become more mainstream has gone for a easier-to-follow more Americanized plot, so if you're hoping for more from the giant baby from the series or the creatures that make mind-erasing pills then you may be disappointed. That is not to say that the film is not without its odd gadgets or odd scenes, such as the conversations that Aeon has inside her mind with her boss, or the woman with hands for feet.

For those people already familiar with the animated series please forgive me for giving a brief introduction to those people who have not experienced Aeon Flux before. The franchise is based in a future world, and the series focused on Aeon and her arch nemesis/love-of-her-life Trevor Goodchild who is the leader/dictator of this future world. The series was very much a freaky, psychedelic, mind-bending collection of odd stories, some of which the plot is verging on impossible to follow closely. Thank fully the film, in an attempt to become more mainstream has gone for a easier-to-follow more Americanized plot, so if you're hoping for more from the giant baby from the series or the creatures that make mind-erasing pills then you may be disappointed. That is not to say that the film is not without its odd gadgets or odd scenes, such as the conversations that Aeon has inside her mind with her boss, or the woman with hands for feet (also featured in the series) but the extent of the "oddness" has been greatly diminished. Die-hard fans of the series will notice certain similarities or homages to the shorts and episodes, such as transferring a message in a kiss, or as I mentioned above certain characters, but even so the film does act a stand-alone piece and no prior knowledge is needed to understand or follow the plot.

Probably the film's strongest asset is the plot. To begin with it may seem very similar to the millions of other future-world films out there, but once the plot has been fully revealed it makes for a very interesting film, investigating grounds I have not seen any other films touch upon before. I won't say anymore with regards to the plot as I may give-away something that could ruin it, but let me just say that if you do like this area of cinema and are looking for something a little different, buy it now! Otherwise nothing else in the film is of massive merit or poses any cause-for-concern, the acting is good, the music and sound effects are fine, the stunts are nothing amazingly new, but are adequate and the locales and settings are believable and well-constructed. If it sounds like your sort of film so far then you will find its freshness welcome in a somewhat stagnant pool of dictator/future/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic films. For those who are fans of the series again it is well-worth a look, it doesn't fit in continuity with the series in any place but serves as both a good introduction and final conclusion to the series. And for those people who don't fit into either of the above categories it can serve as gentle introduction to this area of cinema, or however could sour you to any further films of this genre in the future. So I guess for you its your choice good film....!

We just got home from seeing Aeon Flux, and for my money, it turned out to be far better than I had expected. Ready for an action movie with lots of leaping, jumping and hero stuff, it was all of that - but more. It actually had a story line! And it was that story line that kept things moving nicely along.

I think that it's relatively short length (97 minutes) also helped it from being bogged down with minutiae and having a plot that had to be mercilessly stretched beyond its limits. The scenes were crisply photographed, the special effects were enough to give the film its character WITHOUT making it a special-effects movie, per se.

Although a little thin in some parts, the dialogue was fair. The only thing I thought might have made it better was the development of some of the peripheral characters.

Charlize Theron is very versatile, and now I fully intend to see the anime of Aeon Flux.

Aeon Flux takes place in the last city on Earth, Bregna, 400 years after a deadly virus wipes out 99% of the population. Dr. Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas) eventually found a cure and treated those that were left. Along with his brother, Oren (Jonny Lee Miller), the Goodchilds ruled over Bregna the entire 400 years in what had become a dictatorship.

A rebel group named the Monicans soon rose up and challenged the Goodchilds authority. Their goal is to assassinate the Goodchild family and win back their freedom. Their top assassin, Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron), is assigned to assassinate Trevor Goodchild and after making her way through a booby trapped field, makes her way to Goodchild. She gets him in her sights and has every intention of going through with it until Trevor notices her and gives her a look like he knows her.

I can not go much further without spoiling the story for some but needless to say, I think this movie has some nice surprises and twists and ties together nicely in the end.

The movie begins in a very weird manner, similar to The Fifth Element in regards to the special effects and overall feel of the movie. I also have to say that I love the fact that Aeon had to wear tight spandex throughout the entire movie. They could not have chosen a sexier woman than Charlize Theron to play this part and she does not disappoint, not even in the action scenes.

Some of the action scenes show a large amount of creativity while others seem to have been somewhat influenced by The Matrix trilogy. There is nothing wrong with that and Flux ends up with a style that is pretty much it's own.

Overall, I thought this was going to be a confusing and possibly boring movie. However, once sitting through it and giving it a chance, the story turned out to be just as good as the action. I never watched the cartoon series so I am walking into this movie cold and furthermore, I can not tell you whether the movie retains the same story but I can state that I did enjoy this movie. If you liked Elektra (and I know many of you did), then you should enjoy Aeon Flux as well. 7.5/10

When I originally heard of Aeon Flux, it sounded absolutely terrible. The posters looked even worse. However, after seeing a trailer somewhere, I loved the look and bright colours (being easily pleased) and decided to give the movie a chance.

Aeon Flux is the story of a female, barely clothed rebel sent in to assassinate the ruler of a dystopian isolated city, which contains the entire remainder of mankind. Let's just say the plot is entirely unoriginal, a derivative of many other Sci-Fi movies and stories.

Charlieze Theron gets to prance around with an insect-like walk (her first appearance strongly reminded me of a praying mantis), salamander-like crawls, and other, animal-inspired, ballet-like movements. The world of Aeon Flux is drawn in bright, almost psychedelic colours, and it feels as if we glimpse only the tiniest part of this strange place. A lake of tears acts as CCTV for the entire city, pills exchanged in French kisses are used for telepathy, little pellets of liquid metal have a will of their own... A good chunk of the film is dazzling to watch, without any explanation behind it. Strictly speaking, Aeon Flux is about 80% futuristic fantasy, with very little science fiction in it. In fact, it sometimes feels as if the strangely organic gadgets of the rebels do not fit in this world - as the authorities seem to have more conventional technology and weapons.

What Aeon Flux succeeds at the most is dazzling the audience. Visually, stylistically, and with its energy and futuristic fantasy (and constantly underdressed heroine). In that, it reminds me strongly of Fifth Element - another film where we feel as if we only get a glimpse of a futuristic, colourful world full of strangely dressed people, without the need to explain or expose every aspect of it. However, Aeon Flux is less satisfying than Luc Besson's classic - because it lacks a sense of humour and takes itself too seriously (which, given the plot, is a bad move).

All in all, I would recommend the film to people who enjoy Fifth Element, bright colours, a sense of visual alienation, and unoriginal science fiction dressed up in a bright, original and almost unique coating.

It's a bit unnerving when a studio declines to screen a film for the press before it goes into wide release. That many movies suck is no surprise, but when a studio itself admits as much ahead of time, the process of movie-going becomes a passion play of sorts. Consider it an early Christmas gift from Hollywood, then, that "Aeon Flux" isn't nearly the affront to taste and decency one might expect, given the above. Though ultimately overwhelmed by its flaws, it at least has (sort of) an idea with which to toy around. Too bad director Karyn Kusama seems to have little clue how to execute it all.

It's the future. There's been a plague. There is a dictatorship, and there are rebels. The latter are known as the Monicans, and far from being a cult of beret or tennis racket worshipers, they're into attempts to overthrow the former, called the Goodchild regime. The regime is occasionally mean to the citizenry, which is more than Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) and her pals can stand. Through some sort of biochemical virtual reality technology, the Monicans receive orders from their dear leader (Frances McDormand), a mystical priestess-type who appears to have been cross-bred with a carrot. It falls to Aeon to strap on some form-fitting, futuristic spandex get-ups to carry out the High Carrot's orders, which are of course some version of "destroy the regime." Having years earlier watched her sister get liquidated by the Goodchilds, she needs little convincing.

Not surprisingly, things get complicated. The Goodchilds might not be quite what they seem, and Aeon herself might have an unexpected history with them. Though occasionally muddled, the film's central conceit (of which I won't reveal more) contains some neat notions about the nature of human existence and survival. There's room for much more examination of which the film doesn't take advantage, but the ideas are there, at least. The big problems of "Aeon Flux" are technical. Kusama has made the baffling decision to film nearly all the action so close that we can rarely follow what's going on. To make matters worse, it's edited in a flurry of jump cuts that leave us completely lost. The result is some serious spacial disorientation that takes over the film. "Aeon Flux"'s aesthetic is one of sleek costume, oddly-angled architecture, and nimble characters. Much of the action occurs in minimalist, open spaces that beg for some unbroken long shots that might convey the grace and athleticism implied by the above. Instead, we get split seconds of flying limbs, breaking glass, and accompanying sound effects.

There is a pretty good movie trying to get out of the morass of "Aeon Flux." Put this stuff in the hands of the Wachowski brothers, say, and the results could be quite different. As it is, though, I felt like "Aeon Flux" was willfully pushing me away from a movie I wanted to enjoy. This film is unattuned to its own strengths. Like a novice poker player dealt a royal flush, it somehow finds a way to lose in spite of its potential.