Aeon Flux

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Charlize Theron	Æon Flux
Marton Csokas	Trevor Goodchild
Jonny Lee Miller	Oren Goodchild
Sophie Okonedo	Sithandra
Frances McDormand	Handler
Pete Postlethwaite	Keeper
Amelia Warner	Una Flux
Caroline Chikezie	Freya
Nikolai Kinski	Claudius
Paterson Joseph	Giroux
Yangzom Brauen	Inari
Aoibheann O'Hara	Scientist
Thomas Huber	Scientist
Weijian Liu	Scientist
Maverick Queck	Chemist
Ralph Herforth	Gardener
Megan Gay	Weaver
Rainer Will	Commander Puhl
Charlie Beall	Lieutenant Ord
Bruno Bruni Jr.	Armory Soldier

Director	Karyn Kusama; Peter Chung; Howard E. Baker
Producer	David Gale; Gregory Goodman
Writer	Phil Hay; Matt Manfredi

Like the animated series it’s based on, Aeon Flux is the kind of sci-fi that’s best appreciated by the MTV generation. It’s a serious attempt at stylized, futuristic action/adventure (the title character, played by Charlize Theron, is essentially a female James Bond for the cyberpunk era) and taken for what it is, it’s not all that bad. The action takes place in the year 2415, four centuries after a virus nearly decimated the human race, leaving only five million survivors in a utopian city called Bregna. Aeon belongs to the Monicans, a secret rebel resistance force that is struggling to destroy the Goodchild regime led by its namesake, Trevor Goodchild (Martin Csokas), the ruler of Bregna and a descendant of the man who found a cure for the deadly virus. As instructed by the Handler (Frances McDormand, gamely playing along in ridiculous sci-fi regalia), Aeon is assigned to assassinate Goodchild, but there are deeper secrets to be discovered, and conspiracies to be foiled. This leads director Karyn Kusama (who fared much better with her debut feature Girlfight) to indulge in all sorts of routine action and fast-paced gunplay, but the elusive pleasures of Aeon Flux are mostly found in the sleek athleticism of Theron and costar Sophie Okonedo (as a fellow Monican), who commit themselves 100% to roles that are dramatically flat yet physically dynamic. Other highlights include Aeon’s high-tech gadgetry (including an eyeball that doubles as a microsocope) and the amusing sight of Pete Postlethwaite in a costume resembling a construction-site disposal tube, but Flux fans may wonder what happened to the surreal, chromium sheen future that gave the MTV series its visionary appeal. As a live-action feature, Aeon Flux is a miscalculated exercise in cheesy style and dour tone, but it’s entertaining enough to earn a small cadre of admirers. --Jeff Shannon