Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
When government agents murder her family, Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron, pictured above) swears revenge. A highly-trained soldier on the front lines of a war against the perfect society, Aeon is one of the few to suspect that this perfect life is hiding a perfect lie. - CONTRIBUTED
AEON FLUX is rather well-titled, though only accidentally so. The name is appropriate because it is not the English meaning of flux (continuous change), which is an apt description, but the Jamaican variant 'fluxy', which suitably describes this sci-fi action flick.
Aeon Flux, starring Charlize Theron as the title character, is 'fluxy', that is, immature or 'force-ripe', because it simply fails to live up to its full potential. In these AM (that is After Matrix) days of movie making, it seems all futuristic, action, sci-fi flicks must sport not only slick camera work, but twice as slick leather outfits.
LACKING INTENSE ACTION
Aeon Flux sticks with that trend. It's really rather pretty to look at, but it lacks the action intensity it needs to make it a fully mature product. Being an action star seems to have got far too easy these days, and the result is far too often ineffective fight scenes, scenes that make fighting look like a non-contact sport.
Directed by Karyn Kusama, the story is your classic battle for freedom over tyranny. The citizens of Bregna, the supposed last city of the world are controlled by the Goodchild regime and rebels called the Monicans (hmmm, that sounds awfully like Mohicans) attempt to overthrow them.
So, the movie's premise is decent enough. But let's face it: We watch action movies to vicariously enjoy a little violence. This violence can be separated into three groups - at least for fighting. There is the brutal hard-hitting kind that one gets in a The Rock movie, or the beautiful but deadly fighting that Jet Li delivers. There is also comic fighting, that delivers as much punch as laughter as in Jackie Chan's repertoire.
The movie aimed at 'deadly but brutal', but missed badly. It is too sleek, too unreal. As a result, the fight scenes were singularly unimpressive, but one must admit that Charlize Theron does wear tight leather well and so she got it at least half right. To be completely fair to a good actress, Theron does not do a bad job with Aeon Flux; the character is merely uninteresting.
IMPRESSIVE VILLAIN MISSING
Also missing in the film is an impressive villain. Time and again it is forgotten that a hero is often nothing more than a person with a tights fetish unless he or she has a suitably evil person worth defeating. So the movie is instead left to 'force-ripedom'.
Nonetheless, it is good to see Sophie Okoneo, who plays Sithandra, again. This role is not nearly so stimulating as her performance in Hotel Rwanda, which earned her an Oscar nod this year, but she appears to be one of those actors with a presence that is always worth noting.
Finally, Aeon Flux has the feeling of the 'fluxy' because the story is merely not intriguing enough. Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi attempt to develop some mystery and intrigue but the plot is barely interesting.
Of course, if all you really wanted to see in the first place was Charlize Theron sporting tight black leather, then more Aeon Flux to you. For any other reason, like a fluxy mango, this movie may be ultimately disappointing.
