This was pretty Good!
Added 1/2/2010
I liked this movie this is one of the best Science Fiction action movies ever.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Okay film, but terrible adaptation
Added 4/17/2009
Taken on its own, this is a so-so B science fiction movie with very nice effects and visuals. But as an adaptation of the animated series, it is pretty terrible.
Granted that the TV series's storylines were always byzantine, often bordering on the incomprehensible, but there was always a lot of thought and wit behind them, and the dialogue was consistently brilliant. It was a show that expected a lot of its audience, and it's unfortunate that a lot of people (the makers of this movie in particular) can't see past the show's eye candy. By comparison, this film's script just drips mediocrity. The effects are wonderful and must have cost a fair penny, and they really do capture the distinctive look of the show, so I can't help but wish they'd taken the time to write a decent story that was somewhat faithful to its source material.
They could have at least tried to get the basics of the premise right. In the original show, Aeon is a super-competent freelance agent, working to undermine the rule of Trevor Goodchild, an eccentric megalomanic scientist who has seized political control of the city-state of Bregna (pronounced BREN-yeh) to use as a giant petri dish for his scientific and social engineering experiments. Trevor is weirdly charismatic and seems to genuinely believe he is creating a utopia, despite the obvious dystopian aspects of the world he has made. Across the heavily guarded border lies the rival nation of Monica. We never see much of Monica, but it appears to be a much freer place than Bregna, and Aeon frequently helps people try to sneak across the border, as well as sabotaging all of Trevor's crackbrained pet projects as they occur to him. Although she clearly sympathizes with Monica, she "takes no side" and is essentially an anarchist, rebelling against any controlling authority, and therefore despising Trevor's despotism. Further complicating matters is the fact that Aeon and Trevor share a past, the details of which are never given, and are still deeply infatuated with one another, even though they are now enemies.
So there you go! The makings of a terrific movie script, right?
I guess not. In this movie, Aeon is not her own boss, but instead is a minion taking orders from a rebel organization called the Monicans. Monica itself does not exist. Trevor never staged a coup, but is instead the hereditary monarch of Bregna (pronounced BREG-na). Most of humanity was wiped out by a disease generations ago, and Brega is all that's left. People have been getting secretly killed by Trevor's government, so the Monicans want to kill Trevor. Aeon begins experiencing flashbacks to a past with Trevor that she doesn't clearly remember. Without spoiling the big revelation about why Trevor's government is assassinating people, I can say that Trevor's personality and motivations end up bearing no resemblence to the original, and that the original was a lot more interesting. For her part, Aeon is far less confident than her animated counterpart, and spends most of the movie being led around by various different people and being unsure what to do. When she finally does something proactive toward the end of the film... frankly, it seems like kind of a stupid action under the circumstances, but it works out. The dialogue is a huge let-down, with none of the wonderful, multi-leveled verbal sparring betwen Aeon and Trevor that defined their relationship in the original show. Aeon does get in a couple of very good lines right as she's about to make the above-mentioned big decision, however.
The funky music is cool, and the film is fun to look at. Charlize Theron does an admirable job with the material she's given; I'm impressed by how well she nailed the animated character's voice. On it's own merits, it's not such a bad film, just nothing remarkable. But it is a lousy adaption of its source material.
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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re-gift for your pre teen, now
Added 3/28/2009
Although the previews & star suggested the film might be worthy of a mature & intelligent audience, it was an old, boring story with some flashy special effects and nothing very new. Aeon Flux no doubt does come or will come from the gaming world & thus, the attraction for youth, but any adult who thought they had discovered quality Sci Fi because someone fast talked Charlize Theron into the star role will be no less disappointed. Game World brought to life with Charlize Theron, end of not-so-hot-old struggle for power, clone story...big deal-not.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Alot of bang for your Flux bucks! 3 1/2 Stars!
Added 3/9/2009
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.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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fabulous effects, mediocre story, not watchable more than once
Added 2/23/2009
As a fan of hard sci-fi, I am at a loss as to why so many current productions have great computer effects but the same banal plots (revolutionary against dystopia with special abilites to inflict violence, etc.). I read reviews, buy them, and then feel so disappointed that I never want to view them again. For the most part, while occasionally intrigued, I feel, "that's it? They did this whole thing and THAT was all they had to offer?" Unfortunately, this is one of those films: the images are striking, the mystery fun, and then you get to the end and wonder how any producer could have imagined it would sell enough to recoup the investment.
Not recommended. I won't play the spoiler, but really, you are better off reading the comic book.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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intrigue in a futuristic world, to break a 400 year long cycle . . .
Added 1/11/2010
Aeon Flux (2005) is a slick science fiction adventure, with Aeon being a sleek, attractive, and athletic heroine. The character is taken from an animated MTV short, created by Peter Chung. Substantial changes were made in order to develop a suitable full length story, and to allow for the adaptation of an animated adventure, to a real life format. The story is complicated, but holds together pretty well, and features various futuristic sets, numerous action sequences, and impressive special effects.
In order to survive a deadly plague, drastic measures were required, and the last remnants of humanity live in a city with walls along its perimeter, called Bregna. Life seems ideal, but a small organization, known as the Monicans seeks to destroy the government structure. Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron), is an elite guerilla operative for the Monicans, who receives instructions telepathically, from the Handler (Frances McDormand). Her next mission is huge, to assassinate the head of the government, Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas). Tragically, before she is about to embark, Aeon's sister Una (Amelia Warner) is shot, apparently for being suspected as a Monican.
Oren Goodchild (Jonny Lee Miller), is also a member of the Government, believing his brother Trevor is not with the program, he hatches a scheme to eliminate his older sibling using the Monicans. With the help of Sithandra (Sophie Okonedo) another elite operative, Aeon enters the Cidadel, the seat of the government, and gets into position to complete her mission, but when face to face with Goodchild, Aeon hesitates, and is captured. Things take a dramatic turn when Aeon learns the truth about Trevor, and the work he has been involved in. The two team up to try and survive the Bregnan government, and the Monicans, who regard Aeon as a traitor.
The film shifts into a high action mode in the final stretch. There are some shaky, over the edge moments, but the result are exciting, stylized, and dramatic. Whether the resolution is palatable, is another matter, as Aeon makes a decision that all humanity must live with.
After Charlize Theron won an Oscar for Monster (2003), by her own admission, she did no major physical training, and needed to get in top shape for her physical demanding role as Aeon Flux. Theron and Sophie Okonedo, both tall and athletic, underwent similar training regimes, eventually training together. Remarkably, Theron did almost all of her own stunts, and amazed the production crew with her physical ability and timing. Her acrobatic performance, in a skin tight suit, is quite impressive, as is that of Okonedo whose character has hands for feet.
The future world of Aeon Flux is intriguing, and semi-understandable, but with many mysterious elements. There are theatrical show pieces like the cathedral where the Handler gives directions, a and blimp that flies over the city, and interdimensional transitions, that are really not explained. The unique architecture of Berlin was featured, and helps give the film an certain ambiance and futuristic look. Director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer's Body), whose only previous experience was Girlfight (2000), does a quite remarkable job in a challenging project. The screenplay by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, apparently covered much more ground, and may have filled in some of the gaps. Some 30 minutes was reportedly deleted from the director's cut, for the theatrical release. Some may feel that the liberties taken with the character, had already gone too far. Creator Peter Chung, apparently had some problems with the film.
The blu-ray disc does not contain the director's cut, but appears to contain the same 92 minute version of the film, as well as the extras from the Special Collector's Edition. This includes two separate commentary tracks, and a number of informative featurettes. Graeme Revell contributes a cool score for the film. Although perhaps an incomplete vision, for some thoughtful science fiction, with some stylized action, Aeon Flux is worth a look. Based on her performance here, Charlize Theron has great potential in the action genre, and hopefully she will pursue this avenue at some future time.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Aeon Flux
Added 12/26/2009
This is a real film about choices that could only be made because of the future and the technologies of the future. The film is beautiful and cerebral but also with great acrobatic action.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Good movie
Added 5/23/2009
Blue ray is beautiful, and this is a very vibrant film. I suggest this as a good demo to show off to friends and family.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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