"Aeon Flux" Movie Review

Aeon Flux, a ruthlessly efficient killer, is the prime weapon in a rebel army's fight for liberation in a future society where nothing is as it seems. From her beginning as a character in a series of shorts on MTV's Liquid Television (an anthology of adult cartoons) through her role in her own regular series, Aeon Flux and her world were enigmatic and logic defying. Originally, her character was killed at the end of each episode, only to 'respawn' in subsequent chapters. She rarely spoke, and the nature of her love/hate relationship with her ultimate antagonist, Trevor Goodchild was shrouded in mystery. As opposites that attract and repel, Aeon was an amoral, anarchistic force of nature, while Goodchild was a dictator imposing mind control technology upon society to enforce his vision of utopia. The series' creator, Peter Chung, co-wrote this cinematic vision of Aeon Flux, and the story's shroud of mystery is finally lifted in a tale that retains many of the qualities of the animated series, while completely changing others, creating a far more conventional story line. Unexpected plot twists keep the story interesting, Chung's surreal inventiveness adds an entertaining "whoa" factor, and Charlize Theron as Aeon provides the expected eye-candy throughout. Theron's casting as Aeon represents something of a reimagining of the character, who was originally a hard-edged, steely eyed death dealer. With a lithe physique and a model's beauty, she looks fetching in the character's body suits and revealing costumes, but her face is so naturally expressive of emotion that the image of an amoral assassin is never truly realized. As the story unfolds, this paradox of actions and appearances becomes an asset that works to fine effect. Readers who have seen the trailer for Aeon Flux should be relieved to learn that the film is much different (and much better) than the preview suggests. It is however, as close in style and substance to the cheezy 1970's cult fave Logan's Run as it is to the sublime perfection of The Matrix. Aeon Flux is not the ultimate vision of a dystopian future, but in its willingness to blend pure imagination and a story with substance, and in offering an unapologetic vision of dangerous beauty, it's something to see.