Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and sexual content.
93 Minutes

Directed By: Karyn Kusama
Written By: Phil Hay and Matt Manfretti
Staring: Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Johnny Lee Miller, Frances McDormand, Sophie Okonedo, Amelia Warner, and Pete Postlethwaite

We’re meant to die. Its what makes everything about us matter. -Aeon Flux

Synopsis

Aeon Flux is a mysterious assassin working for the Monicans, a group of rebels trying to overthrow the government. When she is a sent on a mission to kill the Chairman, a whole new mystery is found.

Review

This movie left me so underwhelmed it was outrageous.  I can’t even put my finger on exactly what was so tragic about this movie.  Perhaps it was the fact that it had incredible potential, but from start to finish felt like a deflating balloon.  There were so many cool elements and idea’s about this movie that were intriguing and seemed like fun, but everything never seemed to reach what could have been conceivable.

It seemed like it began with the little things.  Charlize Theron was way hot as Aeon, and physically looked the part, but somewhere she never attained the aloof exterior, and the passion that lay dormant underneath her cold exterior.  Her cartoon character always came off as very calculated, and even when challenged emotionally, she burrowed it underneath.  This is not unattainable forCharlize, she is a brilliant actress, but I never felt she really “got” Aeon.

Marton Csokas, whom I like, and some will remember as Celeborn from Lord Of The Rings, was a constant reminder to me, that he was a poor mans Dougray Scott.  If Dougray Scott had been cast as Trevor I think this movie would have changed alot.  There is something dark, mysterious, and intense about Dougray that Csokas never touched on.  There was just a dynamic he never brought to his character, who bumbled threw the film as though he’d taken too many muscle relaxers andvicodin.  The kinetic energy that was supposed to radiate between Trevor and Aeon never developed, and that left the entire plot vacant of motivation.

The script itself had so many weak lines that I’ve seen in movies done much better.  The line quoted above, “We’re meant to die.  Its what makes everything about us matter”, is a deep reflection about humanity and what makes the nature of our existence so important.  Achilles, played by Brad Pitt, in Troy says the line, “Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed.”  That is the way to say and deliver the point.  There is a sort of epic poetry to it, that offers a pathos into the heart of man, where Flux’s delivery was flat and without any real commitment to what she was saying.

The best part of Flux was the visual world.  The director, Karyn Kasuma, really got into what the show was about visually.  The strange world was paid a brilliant homage to this live action version.  From the way the character’s moved, to the architecture and structure of everything, it was as though the cartoon had literally been brought to life, Pinocchio style.  The entire set design was wicked smooth.

The disappointment of Aeon Flux was mainly the fact that there was obviously the acknowledgement of what made the show great, and heart for what it was.  The live action film felt like it really tried to appeal to that fan base, but it consistently fell short of completing it’s goal.  It seemed as though much of whoAeon was got Lost In Translation for Theron, and poor Csokas just didn’t have the range to make Trevor the perplexing character he was in cartoon-land.  This one is okay for a one time viewing, but I sadly won’t be returning for a re-watch.

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