Aeon Flux

Geeks like me love movies like Aeon Flux—the kind of film wherein one is always striving, ever so slightly, to maintain a firm understanding of the plot while a myriad of futuristic gadgets and scenarios spontaneously appear, adding constant mystery to the story. This movie falls firmly within the realm of sci-fi, so while the story is imaginative and the action is respectable, those with a distaste for comic-booky science fiction might prefer to wait for the DVD. Personally, however, I thought Aeon Flux was awesome.

In the year 2011 a catastrophic virus kills 99% of the world’s population before a vaccine is finally developed by geneticist Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas). The remaining 5 million people must live within the confines of Bregna (the last city on earth), which is ruled by Goodchild himself for over 400 years. And don’t start bothering with questions as to how it is possible for one man to rule a city-state for 400 years—it just is. A small but powerful group of rebels and assassins known as the Monicans seek to overthrow the totalitarian government, which just might be possible using the deadly skill of their top agent, Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron). Communicating telepathically with some sort of psychosomatic pill, The Handler (Frances McDormand) informs Aeon of the mission she has been waiting years for—the assassination of Trevor Goodchild himself. She and fellow Monican agent Sithandra (Sophie Okonedo), who had her feet surgically replaced with an extra pair of hands, break into the high-security government compound and evade the barrage of poisonous darts simply with a combination of backflips and running quickly. Because we all know, a bullet/dart/arrow can’t hit you if you’re in the midst of a backflip. When Aeon’s carefully-planned opportunity to kill Goodchild presents itself, however, she is inexplicably unable to pull the trigger. She suddenly realizes that something is horribly amiss, and after several gunfights, hand-to-hand combats, and various other altercations, it becomes clear that Goodchild may not actually be the bad guy.

Apart from the sci-fi aspects of the film, I really enjoyed the basic mystery behind the plot, which really had only one major hole. The story in itself is not necessarily revolutionary, as viruses and certain genetic experiments are not new, but as a futuristic idea the plot worked quite well—especially with the set designs looking remarkably similar to an Apple computer store. Why does the future always look that way anyway? Some of my friends pointed out that the previews for this movie gave away some of the more intriguing aspects, which is certainly true, although not to such an extent that the audience is not left with any surprises. Trust me, there is more than enough material to confuse you, although I admit some scenes would have been far cooler were one completely taken by surprise. Additionally, the film is only loosely based on the MTV series, so don’t be too annoyed if it’s nothing like what you remember, although supposedly many of the same gadgetry and aesthetics were taken directly from the show.

I highly, highly recommend Aeon Flux to those who enjoy sci-fi and fantasy type stories. Everything is cool to look at, Charlize Theron is awesome in her first action-hero role, and the mystery was intriguing and well-paced. I loved this movie, but if you’re not into quirky comic book-type films, then be forewarned that Aeon Flux is heavy on the fantasy elements.