A Paramount Pictures Release
Story - $3.99
Acting - $9.75
Directing - $7.50
Production Design - $10.75
Special Effects - $8.50
Score/Music - $10.75
*"REEL" VALUE - $8.54 = A ground breaking animation vignette without a plot has one thrust upon it in order to transform it into a live-action feature film.
SYNOPSIS: It is 2415. Only one percent of the world’s population has survived an industrial virus and now resides within the wall city of Bregna. This utopian city is ruled by a congress of scientists, headed by the Trevor Goodchild. However, citizens are disappearing from their homes and off the streets. This picture perfect society is hiding a dark secret. There is an underground rebellion by a group called the 'Monican' led by The Handler (MCDORMAND). On the front line that of the rebellion is their top operative Aeon Flux (THERON). When a government agent murders her sister she swears revenge against the Goodchilds. Almost a year to the date, an opportunity arises and Aeon is sent on a mission to kill the government leader, but before she can carry out her assignment she has a vision that leads to a world of secrets towards the shocking truth about Bregan and its inhabitants.
REVIEW: In its heyday, before MTV succumbed to rampart corporate commercialism and bling-bling, the network offered experimental animation. Their groundbreaking show, Liquid Television, showcased the work of numerous animators who went on to become house hold names, such as Mike Judge, John Kricfalusi, and Peter Chung, creator of AEON FLUX. Going back and watching the episodes on DVD it becomes obvious that the stand alone episodes were all about pushing the envelope of the art form while paying homage to the great Asian martial arts films. They were edgy, cool, and, like “Seinfeld,” they were about nothing. Given the popularity of this animated series it was inevitable that it would make its way to the big screen.
In terms of the production and costume designs, which were some of the memorable elements of the animated series, the architecture is less extreme and the costumes designs are more on the couture level. There is starkness to the overall production design that feels like a subdued re-imagined homage to Lang’s “Metropolis.” Aeon Flux’s costumes are sleek and sexy, and so tight fitting that there is a sequence where she is leaping through the air and, especially if you’re a guy, you can’t help but notice the hole in the crotch of her tights. You would think that with all the money spent on the visual effects for this film they couldn’t have fixed that in post-production. The other costumes are an odd mixture of recycled concepts from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” or an art deco take on E.C. Segar and Fleischer’s “Popeye” characters.
The film’s title sequence opens with the character’s signature “catching a fly in her eyelashes” shot. There is a ton of narration to establish the film’s setup at the beginning; in fact there is more dialogue in the opening sequence than in the entire animated series. There are other superficial elements lifted from the animated series. Still, you think they would have used a more memorable sequence from the series to set the tone of the film and just that to springboard into the direction they wanted to take this adaptation. Where as the animated series was gritty and graphic the cinematic adaptation turns this ruthless killer into a “super spy” that feels like a “Bond Girl” transplanted into a classic sci-fi tale like “Logan’s Run.” In fact, it would have been more interesting if they “borrowed” a few plot points from a great piece of sci-fi literature, but the big dark secret of AEON FLUX plays out like the screenwriters lifted their big idea from this summer’s box office bust “The Island.”
Charlize Theron is in great shape and does some amazing stunts and action sequences. In fact, this was such a grueling shoot that she actually broke her leg while doing a stunt. While she physically looks like the character, the story doesn’t allow her to explore the emotional intensity of the role. There are key moments where she doesn’t hit the emotional depth required to sell the film’s drama. Again, her performance seems like a “Bond Girl” lost in a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” tale.
When a friend asks what you thought of a film, you take a moment to think about it, and the best you can come up with is the score, you know there are problems; by-the-by the score is by Graeme Revell. If you know nothing about the animated series you might be a tad bit more forgiving of the film’s shortcomings, still the story will do little to impress sci-fi fans. Charlize Theron is great to look, but that’s not much when you’re standing in front of mediocre special effects and production designs. Regardless of any “special features” the DVD release of this film could boast, AEON FLUX the film will be buried by the long lasting memories of the animated series.
CREW: Director - Karyn Kusama; Screenplay - Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi; Based on the Characters Created by Peter Chung; Producers - David Gale, Gregory Goodman, Gale Anne Hurd, & Gary Lucchesi; Cinematography - Stuart Dryburgh; Original Music - Graeme Revell; Production Design - Andrew McAlpine; Art Direction - Marco Bittner Rosser, Sarah Horton, & Andreas Olshausen; Costume Design - Beatrix Aruna Pasztor; Special Visual Effects & Digital Animation – Digital Domain, The Orphanage, Inc., Radium, Illusion Arts, Inc., CIS, CINESITE (Europe); Make-Up Effects Created & Design – Kevin Yagher Productions, Inc.
CAST: CHARLIZE THERON... Aeon Flux; MARTON CSOKAS... Trevor Goodchild; JONNY LEE MILLER... Oren Goodchild; SOPHIE OKONEDO... Sithandra; FRANCES MCDORMAND... Handler; PETE POSTLETHWAITE... Keeper; AMELIA WARNER... Una Flux; CAROLINE CHIKEZIE... Freya;
NIKOLAI KINSKI... Claudius; PATERSON JOSEPH... Giroux; YANGZOM BRAUEN... Inari.
* Based on the regular $10.75 ticket prices of a Manhattan theater.
Reviewer: Joseph B. Mauceri
Score:
Related web link: AEON FLUX Movie Site
Language: eng