Æon Flux 2005 GMPN Review
Category: Action, MysteryGMPN Rating: 9/10
art imitates art By far the finest film adaptation of a MTV animated short yet! Oh wait, it also may be the only one...;) While any review of this movie that didn't mention the inspiration would be remiss, it should be noted that Aeon Flux not only stands well on it's own, but leaps and bounds as an eclectic sci-fi tale that just happens to feature a beautiful lead actress in skin-tight outfits laying waste to suckers by the dozen. Aeon Flux began as a component of MTV's "Liquid Television" animation showcase, where Peter Chung's drastically drawn heroine would zip across infiltrated compounds accompanied solely by the sound of rhythmic footfalls and gunfire, leaving a gory trail of slain soldiers only to meet a gory end herself. The short merited expansion into a series that added a host of profound characters and plot lines, not to mention some well-acted dialog. I was never able to catch the series in sequence, but never felt much of a need to, as the "what the hell is going on here?" feeling that I got from each episode greatly contributed to an overall feeling of "I don't really know, but it's awesome!". Cerebral. Dynamic. Trippy. Sexy. Words that come to mind to describe the Aeon Flux flavor. I was highly doubtful that any film version could do justice to the original animation, but this movie delivered quite nicely in it's own way. The pleasant disorientation of the series remains to a degree, but the movie is also able to backfill the story behind Trevor and Aeon in a satisfying manner without dumbing down Peter Chung's unique and panoramic bio- nanotechnological science fiction. I also wasn't sold on the idea of Charlize Theron as lethal-lightning agent Aeon Flux when I first heard she had the part, but once again, Miss Theron demonstrates her versatility and power as an actress, leaving me thinking that no one else could have played the role as well. Charlize took what could have been a hollow, eye-candy-only part and added a sublime depth while bringing the angular, scantily-clad "woman of few words" to life. Any number of hot actresses could have filled out the skimpy digs, but Charlize is able to provide the essential intrigue as well as the splendiferous ass. Add "Action Heroine" to Charlize Theron's already formidable repertoire. Marton Csokas did a great job of capturing the odd ambiguity of Trevor Goodchild. The supporting cast all performed to par and beyond, with the end result being a memorable post-apocalyptic pseudo-utopian action cyberpunk romance. Say that five times fast! ;) Of course there will be purists who beef about this or that not being true to whatever part of the original series, and of course there will be sanctimonious "critics" who make droll comparisons to Catwoman, but I feel that the Aeon Flux movie certainly accomplishes a potent and complimentary mix of visual and mental stimulation, and anyone who likes that sort of thing should go see this movie.
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