Official Synopsis:
400 years in the future, after a virus decimates the world population, only one city on Earth remains. Ruled by the Goodchild dynasty, it is a perfect society of peace and prosperity - except that its citizens keep mysteriously disappearing. Charlize Theron stars as Aeon Flux, a secret agent/assassin/warrior whose mission is to bring down the regime. But as she goes deeper into her mission, Aeon uncovers some shocking secrets that put the mission -- and her life -- in danger.
Our Take:
How you can take one of the most unique, odd, and individual cartoons in recent memory and turn it into one of the most bland, lifeless, and unoriginal movies in recent memory is beyond me. But that's exactly what the filmmakers of Aeon Flux managed to do.
And it's not even that Aeon Flux is bad; it's not, really. It's more that it's... serviceable. It is utterly average in every way. It's not great, it's not terrible, it's just there. It doesn't even look all that spectacular. Sure, there are lots of futuristic looking hallways and buildings that look futuristic because they have clean white walls, but the action sequences seem forced and stiff, and the special effects are decent but unspectacular. Charlize Theron approaches the part of Aeon with all the energy of an overweight housecat, utilizing that monotonous delivery that is supposed to scream, "I'm a badass! Fear me!" but instead only makes her sound as if she has a hormone imbalance. But hey, at least the film never gets too boring, and there is a mildly intriguing plot mystery that will keep you engaged for a little while.
The DVD release for Aeon Flux includes some pretty solid extra features. Typical featurettes are the order of the day here, but at least Theron does sit down for a commentary track, a rarity for an actress of her level and a film like this.
* Commentaries - There are two commentary tracks: the aforementioned one with Theron and producer Gale Anne Hurd, and one with co-screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi.
* Creating a World: Aeon Flux (21 minutes) - This featurette focuses on the futuristic world of Aeon Flux and how it was brought to life.
* The Locations of Aeon Flux (15 minutes) - A look at the real city where the movie was filmed.
* The Stunts of Aeon Flux (9 minutes) - Learn all about how to jump around a futuristic city.
* The Costume Design Workshop of Aeon Flux (13 minutes) - How the clothes we'll all apparently wear in the future were made.
* The Craft of the Set Photographer on Aeon Flux (3 minutes) - Learn about the trade of the set photographer. This is actually a much more interesting piece than I would have expected.
Aeon Flux the cartoon was a strange little slice of animation that I never entirely understood, and I can understand why the filmmakers took the liberties they did to make the movie version a bit more mainstream. I just wish they hadn't erased all the fun and originality while they were at it. Recommended only for hardcore fans.
Overall Picture:
Movie: C
DVD: B+
- Mike Spring
Editor
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