Today’s quick review: Aeon Flux. Charlize Theron stars as Aeon Flux, a highly capable rebel in a dystopian future. Centuries after a disease wiped out most of mankind, the remainder of humanity has moved into the walled city of Bregna. The Goodchild family has ruled Bregna for centuries, driven to power by their creation of a vaccine for the disease and kept there by a police state. The Monicans are a group of rebels out to overthrow the Goodchild regime; they are motivated by the disappearances, unaccountable memories, and inexplicable feelings of emptiness that haunt the seeming utopia. Aeon receives the chance she has been waiting for when Monican intelligence reports that Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas) will soon be vulnerable for a brief period of time. But her assassination attempt runs aground when she discovers a hidden connection to Trevor. Aeon must use all her skills to evade capture, discover the secret of the Goodchild regime, and decide once and for all whether Trevor Goodchild should live or die.
Aeon Flux is an action sci-fi flick based on an animated series that aired on MTV. It fits handily into the same category of sci-fi epitomized by Underworld, Equilibrium, and Ultraviolet: a speculative setting with dystopian elements plus a stoic action protagonist with enhanced combat abilities. Unlike Underworld and Ultraviolent, Aeon Flux does not go the monster route: its spectacle comes largely from the futuristic aesthetic of Bregna, the peculiar biological weaponry used there, and wire stunts. The action is fast-paced and plentiful, if nothing remarkable. The wire stunts have an unnatural feel to them—Aeon traces out straight-line trajectories through the air, and she dodges bullets by flipping around at high enough speeds—but give the combat a distinctive flavor.
The plot is put together well and satisfies sci-fi’s core purpose of speculation. The mysteries behind Bregna, the virus, and the Goodchild rule are handled satisfactorily, and the two or three plot twists are interesting enough to be worthwhile. The plot is nothing outstanding for the genre, but it is handled well. Where Aeon Flux sets itself apart is in its unusual approach to the technology of the future. Ordinary guns and explosives coexist with limb grafts, motion-tracking razor grass, telepathy-inducing pills, and more. The future of Aeon Flux is weird even by science fiction standards. While the key elements of that future are recognizable, many aspects that the audience might take for granted are shockingly different. Organic needle-shooting machine guns, prevalent eye imagery, and a couple of gross moments give Aeon Flux a unique tone and a unique take on the genre.
Aeon Flux is a solid watch when you’re in the mood for sci-fi action with a decent plot. The genre has many entries, but Aeon Flux is one of the better ones, delivering a good mixture of action, plot, and speculation. The squeamish may want to steer clear, as the organic technology can be a bit unnerving. The viewer should also be warned that, while the plot is understandable, Aeon Flux is a movie that likes to play its cards close to its chest. Even when fully revealed, the plot remains somewhat abstract. The strange technology and mysterious plot also give the movie an air of surrealism that may frustrate more detail-minded viewers. Finally, those who dislike the conceits of action sci-fi films should skip Aeon Flux entirely. The plot is good but not deep, the setting is geared more toward spectacle than meaning, and half the plot exists to justify the movie’s fun but unrealistic action scenes.
5.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for good fundamentals and a unique take on its genre, but one which is hampered by its strangeness.