Customer Reviews

Aeon Flux (Widescreen) (Bilingual Special Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had a life.

Now all I have is a mission

The year is 2415; it has been seven generations since the industrial plague whipped out 99% of the people. The few remaining survivors are all huddled into one city with walls protecting them from what ever is outside. It is an ideal city of Bregna ran by Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas) and a council. And as with any such city there will always be rebels that thinks something is wrong with lack of freedom and mysterious disappearances. Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) belongs to such an organization. Her mission as the most ept agent is to dispatch the so called benevolent ruler. Can she do this or will circumstances and chance encounters change the situation?

The film does not boast of any thing really extraordinary except maybe an exceptionally rich architectural back drop. Shot mostly in Berlin we see many popular places that for some reason they though would not be that familiar to the audience. Evidently they must not know how popular Berlin is, especially key locations. The original location on their wish list was Brasilia because of its 1050's futuristic look; however that proved to be economically unfeasible. See if you recognize Sans Souci, Potsdam built in 1745 by Frederick the Great, one of the world best know orangeries.

Although this movie had nothing extraordinary it is a perfect example of the genre and will hold your attention as you anticipate where they are going with the story. Only someone that anticipates that it will stick to the animated series may be disappointed.

The DVD rendering adds some background commentaries that make rewatching the film more enjoyable.

i had high hopes for this movie going in.it didn't live up to my expectations.then again,it is a movie based on some cartoon shorts from the 80's.the characters work well in a an 8 minute cartoon,because you don't need alot of character development.a 90 minute movie is a different story,as evidenced by the track record of saturday night live sketches turned into movies.there is very little character development here and a so-so plot.charlize theron looks uncomfortable wearing that black suit,and i got the feeling she would rather have been somewhere else.the movie is well photographed and nice to look at, but the action sequences are so over the top,it boggles the mind.the dialogue was not that well written, so that the actors look ridiculous delivering some of their lines.add to that,i found myself bored by most of the movie,even during the action scenes.in short,i was disappointed with this movie and i think charlize theron's talents deserve a bit more.

In the early twenty-first century, a deadly virus had wiped out 99% of the earth's population. Now, four hundred years later, all of humanity lives in a walled-in city named Bregna and are led and monitored by a group of scientists. But not all are happy with this arrangement and a rebel group called Monicans have risen to oppose those in charge.

And Aeon is one of them.

At first glance, the main story of this movie is like many others that have come before: a small band of rebels going up against an oppressive government. But this movie isn't that simple and the aforementioned plot is just what gets us from Point A to B. There are other factors that play into the story, complicated ones, taking what could have just been a B-sci-fi movie all the way to A-level.

Charlize Theron stars as Aeon, the Monicans' cold, stick-to-business top assassin. The intensity she brings to the role drags you in and makes you want to discover what makes her tick. Yet she also has a warm side, but one hidden and numbed by years of training and running top secret errands for her team. Theron put on a wonderful show in the lead.

The supporting cast, though they all did a good job and their characters were believable, were just that: a supporting cast. No one's performance really stood out except maybe Sophie Okonedo as Sithandra (the girl with the hands for feet). She was just plain cold (in that good way).

The special effects are astonishing. There is not a single element in this film that is "everyday." Everything was built for it, whether physically or via CGI. The action is astounding, part Matrix and part Underworld.

Action and sci-fi fans should really get into this movie.

With special effects and action superseding characterization, Aeon Flux makes for a fast-paced futuristic trip to the 25th century. There's a definite "cool" factor to the whole thing, what with all sorts of ingenious futuristic gizmos and Charlize Theron's nifty little outfit, and the story, which is not exactly straightforward, does tie everything together in the end, but this just didn't feel like a complete movie experience to me. This comes partly from the fact that the movie basically drops you into the middle of an unusual story without really providing you with a guide map at the start, but it has even more to do with the fact that the characters in this film are rather robotic. The main character, Aeon Flux (Theron), is basically a terrorist, so it's a little hard to sympathize with her early on -- especially since you have no way of judging the government or its leader, Trevor Goodchild (Martin Csokas). When personal feelings do finally work their way into the story, they really aren't that dramatic at all. Rather than explore anyone to any great depth, the director just keeps diverting our attention with special effects.

Here's the backdrop for this story: in 2011, some disease wiped out 99% of the human population before a scientist was able to find a cure for it. This scientist basically built a large walled city to house all of those he was able to save -- and no one has been outside the walls in the last four centuries. The Monicans, an underground group of terrorists and assassins, want their true freedom (and seem to be the only folks concerned by the fact that random people just keep disappearing out of the blue) and have decided that the Goodchild regime has to go. Since Aeon Flux is their top assassin, she is given the task of assassinating Trevor Goodchild. If you're thinking that 25th century security must surely be better than its modern-day equivalent, think again -- Aeon basically just has to avoid some spiky grass and dart-shooting coconuts (and, if you're wondering, the "bad guys" of the future still can't hit the broad side of a barn). Once Aeon comes face to face with Goodchild, everything changes for reasons she herself really doesn't understand. As if things weren't complicated enough already, you also have a coup d'etat thrown in the mix.

It takes a while for the viewer to find out what is really going on here, as the film is more concerned with showing off fancy special effects and superhuman abilities than it is in giving us a tightly-wound plot. I for one would have liked to get at least a cursory look at this futuristic society and better insight into the main characters. The film's entertaining, and I did enjoy it, but it was more of a snack than the full meal I would have preferred.

Aeon Flux is a terrific movie. The story is very interesting, the action and stunts are great, and the acting is good. This is a must see for fans of science fiction. You will not be disappionted.
If you Liked Aeon Flux you should try:
Ultraviolet
Aeon Flux The Complete Animated Series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Seasons 1-7
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Alias Seasons 1-5
Elektra
V For Vendetta

Aeon Flux is the 2005 film based on the early 90s animated shorts and late 90s half hour eps;and quite ride it is.I highly recommend the Aeon Flux animated collection also available,but do not try to compare the two.The movie(like any anime'to film property)is a palatable(dressed down)version of the animated series,with the action in the animated series much richer and heavier in content than its' movie counterpart.But that doesn't mean there's not alot to recommend here.
The story is set in the year 2011 and the walled-in city Bregna,is host to earths' last surviving population.A plague 400 years ago left the survivors sterile and the Goodchild Research Foundation now runs the city with an iron hand.It is in turn run by its' name sake brothers Trevor(Marton Csokas,Borias from Xena) and Oren(John Miller).
But something strange is happening to many of the citys' citizens.Besides a myriad of daily disappearances,many of its' citizens who meet perfect strangers have inexplicable remnant memories of them;some good,some bad.
Our heroine Aeon Flux(Charlize Theron)is part of a rebel group called The Monacans who are fighting to end the Goodchild regime,by any means.Monacans are genetically and drug enhanced humans with superior strength and speed.They also can contact one another and/or their leader "The Handler"(Frances McDormand) psychically.Aeon is first given the job of sabotaging the security system which she accomplishes with little problem.On her way to meet her sister she sees her being carried out dead on a stretcher.Aeon wants and gets her revenge as her next assignment is to kill Trevor Goodchild.Making her way through many extremely difficult defences she manages to penetrate the Citadel where she finds Trevor rehearsing a speech.As she approaches him he turns,recognizes her and says the name of "Catherine".She also vaguely recognizes something in him but it is too late and her hesitation causes her to be caught.Not for long as she escapes and returns to meet with Trevor.They make love and after a brief sleep Aeon wakes up and chokes Trevor to near death.She leaves and realizes that her answer may lay in an object that circles the city in the sky called the"Relico".It is a flying ship supposedly built to remind the inhabitants of their sacrifices but she thinks there is more to it.She gets aboard and finds out the whereabouts of her sister and leaves.Trevor who has followed behind now knows what she was after and finds out even more information he didn't know of.He meets Aeon at the location of her sister to find that the sister is now a baby.Trevor reveals that she has been cloned;in fact everyone has been cloned over the past 400 years.He also says the real reason her sister was killed was that she was pregnant,naturally.Nature has found a cure on its own for the sterile plagued society and Trevors'brother Oren wants to keep the information from getting out,thus all the kidnappings,disappearances and deaths.Oren has also condemned Trevor to death as a traitor for sleeping with Aeon and both are now wanted fugitives.Aeon herself has also been handed a death sentence seperately by her own Monacan organization for not carrying out her mission.After a bloodied battle with Oren's forces who fight not only Trevor and Aeon but other Monacan snipers,the two barely escape with their lives.Aeon again climbs aboard the "Relico" and blows the ship up,sending it crashing into a section of city wall and exposing the outside forested world to the startled inhabitants.The citizens now free of the Goodchild oppression can now start to live their lives anew.
The film is filled with spectacular stunts and CGI effects throughout and some sequences are amazing to watch.One especially delightful sequence is with a friend,the hand-footed Zathandra,as they attempt to cross the rolling grassy landscape towards the Citadel.With incredible jumps by the pair punctuated by deadly gourds with shooting syringes of poison and the grass,which becomes seemingly alive when a human presence is detected-going from blades of grass to razor sharp blades of steel.
It is certainly both an aural and visual feast to be sure.But the plot keeps you intrigued and interested,I found,throughout the picture with very few let ups.And more importantly this film is one you can watch over and over and still find something just a little different each time.
The picture here is top notch,crisp and clear all the way and with that wonderful sound available in D/Surround 5.1 or 2.0.
The special features abound:Commentary by Theron and producer Gale Hurd or by co-writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi,"Creating a World:Aeon Flux"(20 m),"Location of AF"(15m),"Stunts of AF"(9m),"Costume Design Workshop of AF"(13m),"Craft of the set Photographer"(3m) and trailers.
All in all this DVD is a worthy addition to anyone's movie library.It's a very engaging Sci-Fi concept brought to the big screen via its' animated roots and one you can watch again and again.

I thought this movie was very good and definatly original. it has plently of twist and turns that keep you on your toes and is action packed with a touch of romance. if your looking for a good time then this movie is perfect!