Aeon Flux Review
by samseescinema (sammeriam AT comcast DOT net)December 5th, 2005
Aeon Flux
reviewed by Sam Osborn of www.samseescinema.com
rating: 3 out of 4
Amidst all the pitch-perfect melodies of heavy dramas this Oscar season, Aeon Flux is a welcome distraction of creative invention and involving science-fiction violence. It's the big-budget adaptation of MTV's Liquid Television animation series of the same title from 1995. The cartoon was a disaster, in my opinion; but I run contrary to the wooed, nostalgic masses that all but bow down in prayer to the series. It followed the Monican terrorist Aeon Flux-who was unexplainably clothed in stringy, revealing leather that became engulfed in disgusting, unsightly flab-as she led the life of a double agent with a strange relationship to her enemy, Trevor Goodchild. The series wasn't ongoing and kept itself contained to paper-thin storylines for each 22-minute segment, delving into clichéd theories of privacy, environment, and government systems, all while Aeon wasted hundreds of stupefied baddies with slick, futuristic weaponry. And despite all the so-called innovative animation the show touted, it can't be denied that the visual style of the project looked very similar to the make-up of a soiled infant's diaper. It didn't last long, but the show created a fan base loyal enough to elevate the series into cult status and convince Hollywood to finally put Aeon to celluloid. You can only imagine my severe lack of anticipation for this film. But alas, the film is less of a translation of the cartoon and more of an ode. Characters and situations from the series make their appearances, but the mood of Aeon Flux has shifted away from tasteless humor and disappearing thongs, and into a realm of fun, stylistic solemnity. This is no operatic science fiction, but a decent fantasy world with characters just itching to dispel some bullet casings.
The year is 2415 and humanity has been decimated by an Industry Virus that has left its scant survivors to inhabit an idyllic city controlled by Chairman Trevor Goodchild. There's a sect of terrorists that see past the perfection of their society and uncover corruption at every turn. The group is called the Monicans, and is led by the Handler (Francis McDormand), who seems to exist within the cerebral corridors of her minions. Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) is the best of these Monican assassins and has been assigned to eliminate Goodchild. Fans of the series will remember this to be the plot to the show's pilot episode. Anyway, when Aeon finds Goodchild and puts a gun to his head, she's suddenly overcome with a strange feeling that compels her to spare his life. The two each feel this twinge of foggy memory and begin to investigate their relationship. But Trevor's brother, Oren (Jonny Lee Miller) will have no cooperation with terrorists, and launches a coupe to topple him.
There's been a lot of talk among other critics about Paramount's decision not to allow advance screenings for this film. Ultimately, it was a poor decision. It's become known to the masses that if a review for a big-budget film doesn't appear in your Friday newspaper, it's because the studio didn't trust its movie to bode well with critics and, frankly, thinks its film is trash. Ninety percent of the time, this is a wise financial decision for a studio, cashing in on opening weekend audiences. But the decision was unnecessary and, at the end of the day, a crutch for Aeon Flux. The film is good. It's not great, I'll admit, but I enjoyed the damn thing. Many critics have gone into theatres predisposed to panning the film simply on the principle of no advanced screenings. Even if the film does well on its opening weekend, it'll be hurt by this bad word of mouth despite the film's quality. Paramount has hurt Aeon Flux with this decision. In my opinion, Hollywood should stop tricking its audiences into a quick opening weekend cash-in and let us critics do our thing. Production companies should strive for quality and not profit. But, of course, this has been the cry of many a critic and film buff for years and is a demand that will never be met.
I mentioned earlier that Aeon Flux is a departure from its cartoon roots. This is true in the sense that the film's heart lies in very different place than the series, but it must be noted that the cartoon is certainly not forgotten. This is especially apparent with the action. Director Karyn Kusama clearly strove to translate the acrobatics of MTV's cartoon, forcing Aeon and Sithandra into countless flips and loops and twirls that defy all rules of physics. Their costumes are also mimicked, with multitudes of leather straps and funky hair-dos; but thankfully Theron fits more pleasingly into her outfits than her awkward animated counterpart. The film does struggle with its look, however. Some sets are sparse and lack imagination, giving the film a cheap look, despite its hefty budget. This could have been a consequence of shifting the film's visual style into an organic, colorful palette, contrary to the cartoon's strict industrial approach. But these rough edges smooth themselves out as the film cranks on to its superior second half. The plot sputters in its first 45 minute segment, working with ill-contrived action sequences and a poor story development with the death of Aeon's sister, Una (Amelia Warner). But when Aeon starts connecting with Goodchild and the actors spark some convincing chemistry, Kusama's film finally kicks into gear. The visual style comes into its own, the action finds a pulse, and Theron finally channels the true badass assassin identity within her.
-reviewed by Sam Osborn of www.samseescinema.com
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