Aeon Flux (Special Collector's Edition)

         Like the animated series it's based on, Aeon Flux is the kind of sci-fi that's best appreciated by the MTV generation. It's a serious attempt at stylized, futuristic action/adventure (the title character, played by Charlize Theron, is essentially a female James Bond for the cyberpunk era) and taken for what it is, it's not all that bad. The action takes place in the year 2415, four centuries after a virus nearly decimated the human race, leaving only five million survivors in a utopian city called Bregna. Aeon belongs to the Monicans, a secret rebel resistance force that is struggling to destroy the Goodchild regime led by its namesake, Trevor Goodchild (Martin Csokas), the ruler of Bregna and a descendant of the man who found a cure for the deadly virus. As instructed by the Handler (Frances McDormand, gamely playing along in ridiculous sci-fi regalia), Aeon is assigned to assassinate Goodchild, but there are deeper secrets to be discovered, and conspiracies to be foiled. This leads director Karyn Kusama (who fared much better with her debut feature Girlfight) to indulge in all sorts of routine action and fast-paced gunplay, but the elusive pleasures of Aeon Flux are mostly found in the sleek athleticism of Theron and costar Sophie Okonedo (as a fellow Monican), who commit themselves 100% to roles that are dramatically flat yet physically dynamic. Other highlights include Aeon's high-tech gadgetry (including an eyeball that doubles as a microsocope) and the amusing sight of Pete Postlethwaite in a costume resembling a construction-site disposal tube, but Flux fans may wonder what happened to the surreal, chromium sheen future that gave the MTV series its visionary appeal. As a live-action feature, Aeon Flux is a miscalculated exercise in cheesy style and dour tone, but it's entertaining enough to earn a small cadre of admirers.

Comment:
    "Aeon Flux" is one of those rare films that gets universally negative reviews from critics who are normally used to 'epics' such as "Out of Africa" or "Terms of Endearment". It takes a different sort of mind to appreciate science fiction, because the genre is rare at giving us true classics. That said, if you liked David Lynchs' dark and disturbing film version of "Dune", then you will certainly find much to like in "Aeon Flux". The film runs like the fractured tale of a universe in peril, and one woman seems to hold the key and the balance between two insane realities. Charlize Theron really brings it as the lead character, and they really prop her well with the choicest special effects and the most liberal use of CGI, though in an appropriate manner. Theron has always been a good actress, but her stiff, warrior-like role here will win over the most jaded of science fiction fans, simply because there is no comparison (Milla Jovovich in "Ultraviolet" comes close, but that was more pop-art than dystopian art). The storyline is bleak, yet hopeful, and the multiple realities really make the film work even in areas where the script might sometimes let it down. There are issues with it, yes, but I think that it only works in making the film truly a work of art, because unlike other films in the genre, it doesn't cheapen science fiction, but rather glorifies it as a true vision of the future, much like the classic SF novels of the 1960s (remember Roger Zelazny?) "Aeon Flux" deserves five stars, and a really good projection system, because the visuals in this movie are just so clear, stunning and memorable, and this is one movie you can watch again and again - which in my book is the hallmark of a true classic.