Aeon Flux Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)December 9th, 2005
"Aeon Flux" Cool Name but Lukewarm Execution
by Homer Yen
(c) 2005
Some things are better left two-dimensional.
Take for instance the MTV-hip, animated series of
the same name. The episodes provided dark humor amidst philosophical debate of our own humanity.
And, the flaunting sexuality gave the show a kind
of chic edge that made it somewhat progressive.
But where did all of that go in this tame sci-fi
film? Sure, Charlize Theron, who plays the
titular character, looks slinky in her
leather-ish S&M outfit. Theron's background in
ballet serves her well in this film, and she is well-suited to play an alluring, sexy assassin.
The filmmakers and the storytellers really had a chance to make a daring statement. But the PG-13 parameters kept them from helping "Aeon Flux" realizing its lurid potential.
The film takes place in the semi-distant future
where the world of Bregna is under constant surveillance by Big Brother cameras that watches everybody's movements. This totalitarian state
is led by Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas) and
his brother Oren (Jonny Lee Miller). There is a back-story as to how these two arose to power,
and I'll leave that to discover that for
yourself. However, underground elements have
emerged, who call themselves Monicans. Their top assassin is Aeon Flux and she is commanded to
destroy the central spying hub and assassinate
Trevor.
There is a fun sequence that shows off the
gymnastic abilities of Aeon as she cartwheels and summersaults through a booby trapped field.
However, much of the film is inexplicably
sluggish. Although she has sworn to kill Trevor,
Aeon finds that she can not. It's another neat
plot twist. But, the amount of time she spends reflecting upon her next course of action and
fighting through her internal debate of right and wrong makes Aeon look less like a lithe
power-babe and more like a malfunctioning fembot.
It's the difference between seeing Kate Moss
wearing Victoria's Secret undergarments and
looking at a mannequin through the store window wearing Victoria's Secret undergarments.
Of course, Theron's sex appeal is the main draw
for movie goers. And she is. And so I went.
The story, though, isn't quite as captivating.
The emphasis is more on the visuals, which is
peppered with quick edits and close-up angles
that can't give us an appreciation for the scope
of what's going on.
Sadly, much of what made Aeon Flux cool on the
small screen has been sterilized on the big
screen. The result is a tepid action flick that needed to be less conservative to be effective.
It needed more heat. It needed a more convincing mission. Maybe, it needed to stay in its
original MTV home. Here's a film that needed to embolden itself into the R-rating territory.
Lacking soul, the film seems pretty empty.
Grade: C
S: 2 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
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