What Æon Flux has in spades is style. The original animated series had a very distinct visual style and they have clearly done their best to give the movie an equally vivid visual presence. And I'd say they succeeded. Everything in distant utopia looks great and the film is well worth a watch for the visuals alone.
The premise is also pretty interesting. A virus has wiped out most of humanity and now only small pockets survive in the middle of wilderness, protected by high walls and the advancement of technology. Yet they must live under a tight regime, and naturally some elements of society are bound to rebel. Our story follows one such rebel, named Æon, who manages to dig deeper into the mystery than anyone before. And thus the stage is set and the play can begin. Great, innovative stuff that allows for a lot of action.
Unfortunately what we end up getting from this setting isn't as great as it could have been. One of the problems is the acting. Charlize Theron is as captivating as ever, but the rest of the cast seem bound by the script and their own limitations. It's a stifling utopia, but does that really have to show in the acting as well.
The resolution of the story is also somewhat predictable, or at least unimaginative. The downsides of the utopian society are nothing we haven't seen before, the end moral is boring and as a whole I can only wish the story and the themes had matched the visual splendor.
Æon Flux is worth a watch for the fans of the genre. It's gorgeous, action-filled fun, Theron looks amazing in her skimpy dresses and nothing in it is outright bad. Sure, the script could have been better, but on the whole that merely makes it average.
The premise is also pretty interesting. A virus has wiped out most of humanity and now only small pockets survive in the middle of wilderness, protected by high walls and the advancement of technology. Yet they must live under a tight regime, and naturally some elements of society are bound to rebel. Our story follows one such rebel, named Æon, who manages to dig deeper into the mystery than anyone before. And thus the stage is set and the play can begin. Great, innovative stuff that allows for a lot of action.
Unfortunately what we end up getting from this setting isn't as great as it could have been. One of the problems is the acting. Charlize Theron is as captivating as ever, but the rest of the cast seem bound by the script and their own limitations. It's a stifling utopia, but does that really have to show in the acting as well.
The resolution of the story is also somewhat predictable, or at least unimaginative. The downsides of the utopian society are nothing we haven't seen before, the end moral is boring and as a whole I can only wish the story and the themes had matched the visual splendor.
Æon Flux is worth a watch for the fans of the genre. It's gorgeous, action-filled fun, Theron looks amazing in her skimpy dresses and nothing in it is outright bad. Sure, the script could have been better, but on the whole that merely makes it average.