Aeon Flux Review

"Aeon Flux" reviews

Movie

Aeon Flux

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-06-15 22:59:26

Rating

1.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Charlize Theron apparently didn"t heed any of the warnings left by Halle Berry"s colossal failure Catwoman. Let"s just say, if you"re an Oscar-winning actress, you should just stay away from wearing black leather and wielding weapons of any kind.

Story

It"s been 400 years since a virus wiped out most of the planet. All that"s remains is a small walled-in community of sorts, Bregna, run by the Goodchild Regime. Most of the citizens have no choice but to put up with their quasi-Totalitarianism. But Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron), a top operative of the underground Monican rebellion, has had enough and seeks revenge on the government she believes destroyed her life. At the behest of the Handler (Frances McDormand), who gives out the orders to the few do-gooders of Bregna, she aims to sabotage the Regime. Little does Aeon know, however, that there is already unrest within the Goodchild clan between brothers Trevor (Marton Csokas) and Oren (Jonny Lee Miller). When Aeon arrives to carry out her revenge, she unlocks a number of secrets and finds out who"s really on her side.

Acting

There are a heap of objectionable themes in Aeon Flux, but the real shame is that these actors willingly took part in this film. Granted, Theron looks stunning, steely and sultry, all at once, but we thought her Monster Oscar would afford her more meaningful roles so her looks wouldn"t be the focal point. Her acting is hard to gauge here because her stark beauty is accentuated. It"s a step back for her, even if taking the role must have padded her wallet. McDormand--who was so good just months ago in North Country with Theron--looks like Tim Burton"s twin sister in Flux, with her outlandish makeover. It is only slightly more ridiculous than the robot-like character she"s supposed to be playing. And Sophie Okonedo, who plays Aeon"s partner-in-crime, is worthy of praise, but after her Oscar-nominated performance in Hotel Rwanda, you have to wonder what made her do Flux.

Direction

Aeon Flux just might do in director Karyn Kusama, whose only other credit is the 2000 indie darling Girlfight. Most directors work a lifetime to get a big-budget monster like this, but unfortunately for Kusama, she can"t quite carry the torch. The film looks like Tomb Raider"s jealous younger sibling who still has much to learn. There"s non-stop action in exotic locales, smoldering lead actress in skin-tight wardrobes, etc., but it leaves you feeling dizzy more than anything else, especially since the death-defying action is constantly cutting back and forth between Theron and her stunt double. And everything is only grossly accentuated by awful dialogue that sounds like a satire of an over-acted heavy drama. The film"s set design is spectacularly elaborate and breathtaking, but it unfortunately can"t redeem the rest of the film.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 1 1/2 stars.

Movie

AEON FLUX

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-02-10 16:33:56

Provider

Review

They must be running out of Marvel comics, for Tinseltown has now taken to adapting animated TV shows instead. Aeon Flux made its screen debut as an MTV short, and later ten-part series, in the mid-'90s, but here gets translated into live action film, with Charlize Theron - on a no-brainer holiday after heavy duty turns in the gruesome Monster and earnest North Country - in the title role as an assassin for the merry band of rebels, the Monicans. She may be only one letter away from a daft haircut, but Aeon Flux can kick it with the best of them, and in her elegantly shredded spandex, Theron makes a cool seductive futuristic (the film is set in the 25th century) Nikita.

That is, until she's detailed to execute Trevor Goodchild (Martin Csokas), sinister co-ruler, with his brother Oren (Jonny Lee Miller), of the post-apocalypse city state of Bregna. Not for the first time in the history of the cinema, the assassin falls for the prey and Aeon and Trevor run away together, each pursued by their respective former allies. Unfortunately, though it looks typically wonderful (if only Hollywood would produce a sci-fi that spends even half the time on its script that it does on production design), Aeon Flux is mired in portentous, earnest dialogue and a plot that grows less credible the more convoluted it becomes. Theron should avoid raiding Jolie's tomb - she has done and will do better.