(The same thing happened with the Jason Bourne movies: The Bourne Identity had fantastic camera work and great fight choreography that showed off Matt Damon’s prowess and athleticism. With the budget “Flux” had and Theron’s talent, I’m not sure why they balked on this important aspect of the movie. Quick cuts and a jerky camera are usually tricks that are used to hide the lack of coordination/combat skill in actors or the lack of a good fight choreographer. She’s very athletic, with the flexibility and strength of a gymnast (she had trampoline training with Cirque du Soleil’s Terry Bartlett).Īs a martial artist, I found the hand-to-hand sequences a bit disappointing, but that was due to Karyn Kusama’s jerky camera work. She performed all her own stunts, even after her injury, and they are quite impressive (although she now includes a stunt-double clause in all her contracts!). Theron manages all this and turns in a physically stunning performance (which made me hope she didn’t just do “Aeon Flux” for the money and that there will be more action movies in her future). The danger with actors crossing over into action movies is that they require tremendous athleticism (coordination, flexibility, and strength) and an often grueling training regimen. She is an amazingly beautiful and talented actress with more than enough intensity and charisma to handle the role of the deadly operative. Theron easily carries the weight of the movie as Aeon. ![]() I won’t reveal any more of the movie’s plot, because “Aeon Flux” actually isn’t bad, for a sci-fi/action/mystery blockbuster. They have ordered that no one ever be allowed outside the city walls, as nature has reclaimed the Earth and it is no longer safe. Her sister is killed by the Goodchilds and revenge becomes her guiding principle.īrothers Trevor and Oren Goodchild (Marton Csokas and Jonny Lee Miller) are the leaders of the Bregnan city-state, who seem to be searching for a cure to the mysterious illness that is plaguing the population. ![]() She is not “an amoral agent working only for herself,” but an underground operative searching for truth. For the movie, the character of Aeon is is given a thorough makeover. For 400 years, the Goodchilds reigned over Bregna, a walled utopia where life was wonderful, if you didn’t ask any questions about the people who routinely disappeared… and you didn’t mind the occasional strange vision or nightmare.Īeon is the top operative in the Monican underground, led by The Handler ( Frances McDormand), who is trying to discover the truth behind the disappearances and the Goodchild family’s totalitarian regime. In 2011, a virus killed all but 5 million people, who were saved by Trevor Goodchild and moved into the walled city of Bregna. “Aeon Flux”, the movie, is about the last remaining human city on the planet. (This usually means the movie is a dud and the studio wants to rake in as much money as possible over opening weekend, before it is trashed by the critics.) Well, I’m happy to say that I found the movie to be a surprisingly good sci-fi adventure. Then Paramount announced that it would not screen “Aeon Flux” for the press. The online rumor-mill had a field day with “Flux”: it wasn’t true to the original series, Theron only did it for the money, she chose to perform her own stunts, which led to a back injury that stopped production for a month, etc. The action sequences also looked well-done, paying homage to the fast-paced, superhuman acrobatics from the cartoon. For starters, Aeon’s costume covers her entire body (almost), and she is played by Oscar-winner Charlize Theron. When I first saw the trailer for the “Aeon Flux” movie, it looked much different than the ultra-violent, sexually explicit cartoon I remembered. The cartoons were excessively violent and Aeon was very scantily clad, with bondage and lesbianism also thrown into the mix. ![]() (She died at the end of every episode.) She was also in love with a ruthless dictator named Trevor. ![]() I recall that Aeon was an “amoral” agent, working only for herself, who routinely dispatched hundreds of enemy soldiers, single-handedly, before dying. I vaguely remember the “Aeon Flux” animated short films that aired on M-TV in the mid-90’s.
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