ÆON FLUX
A SURPRISING THUMBS UP FILM REVIEW RATING!
Once again I find myself in the minority. The Tomatometer’s gauge at rottentomatoes.com levels off at an extremely cool 10% approval rating; meaning 90% of the critics DIDN’T like it.
Most of the bashing comes via comparisons to CATWOMAN (another bomb) or the fact that the original ÆON FLUX was an animated feature on MTV and the translation to live-action cinema didn’t work. Not having seen these animated versions — or CATWOMAN for that matter — I can’t make any comparisons. But what I can do is tell you how the movie flowed, how well it was acted, and its entertainment value.
Charlize Theron (NORTH COUNTRY) stars as ÆON FLUX, a rebel in the 25th century. A terrible disease has decimated humanity and its surviving members hide behind an enclosure, cut-off from the possible devastating effects of what lay beyond (think LOGAN’S RUN and you’ll be close). Within the confines of their home live the remaining five million members of society thanks to the medical efforts of the Goodchild Regime, named after Trevor Goodchild (Martin Csokas). ÆON FLUX belongs to an elite group of resistance fighters known as the Monicans who’s goal is to topple the Goodchild Regime. People have been vanishing. Police actions are resulting in deaths. And ÆON FLUX is going to find out why.
As we move through the stronghold of humanity (the city is known as Bregna), we learn and see much about this futuristic yet completely alien-like society. Pills can heighten awareness and even send coded messages to ones brain. Computers look like musical instruments or a type of String Theory. Everyone feels that something is wrong with their world ...and there is. Cloning and its effects on the power-base of the Goodchild Regime are holding humanity back at a terrible price.
CATWOMAN comparisons aside (yes, Charlize looks fantastic in her skin-tight leather outfit), this is a thinking person’s film. There are lots of little tidbits thrown into the film that give it a futuristic look without trying too hard (the computers were a nice touch, as were filming many external shots in Berlin, Germany where new construction is the rage).
The pacing of the film was excellent. Never once did it get bogged down in the minutia of the times or the science. If you can’t keep up, oh well. Leaping from action sequence to fight scene to action sequence made the 93 minutes fly by. The acting was okay. Nothing special but nothing horrible either. Charlize was the shining star, of course, and gave a relatively fine performance.
For my time, this was extremely entertaining and sexy, and full of great sci-fi scenery.
Only one question remains: What’s up with the critics?!
posted by "The Fanatic" @ 11:51 AM
2 Comments:
Regarding your review of "North Country"...
"One thing I love about films - if done right - is they get us up-close and intimate with a character or characters. CAPOTE did it. RAY did too. And WALK THE LINE was also excellently done. They focused on one character and so had that advantage, but NORTH COUNTRY is about one woman, too, named Josey Aimes played by the uglied-down (again!) Charlize Theron (AEON FLUX). Mrs. Theron has proven her metal (I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE MEANT TO USE THE WORD "METTLE" HERE--WHADDYA THINK?) thanks to her stunning portrayal (and Oscar win) in MONSTER.
You're right! Thanks for catching it!
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