Pop Culture Princess

Pop Culture Princess
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Saturday, December 03, 2005

Aeon Flux:Liquid TV comes alive

So,I ventured forth alone to the multiplex(Little Sister teamed up with Mom to commense
the household holiday shopping)to check out Aeon Flux,starring Charlize Theron as the
rebel assassin in a futuristic facist society sent to wipe out Trevor Goodchild(Marton Csokas),the chairman in charge who may also be Aeon's true love. Frances McDormand also
appears as the rebel leader(seen mostly in telepathic communications) and Pete Postlewaite has a small role as a holographic guide.

Aeon Flux:The Movie is based on Aeon Flux:the Cartoon that was part of what MTV used to
call Liquid TV. Liquid Tv showcased several not-for-kids animation shows,such as The Maxx(now that would be one hell of a movie with the right director at the helm)and The
Head-sort of an early version of Adult Swim. Aeon Flux gained alot of it's cult status
from MTV(who have conviently packaged the Flux cartoons into a DVD set just in time for
the film's release)so it's no shocker that they produced the movie. As with many films
of this ilk(based on an earlier version that the fans adore),comparisons are flying fast and furious,reviewwise. It didn't help that the studio decided not to give the
critics a pre-screening-that always brings the vultures out.

My opinion:it was pretty well done. The main probelm in turning AF into a feature length film is setting up a structured plot. The majority of AF cartoons were very
nonlinear and most had little to no dialogue. That was some of the beauty of the Fluxverse:at the best of times,it was a ballet of sinewy bodies and sleek action.
However,the cartoons were not very long so that worked out fine- but for ninety minutes,
an audience needs to know what's up and to bond somewhat with the characters. Aeon
Flux;The Movie manages to do that but the tone is almost haiku like-you get what's
happening but there is a detached aura surrounding it.

Theron does a good job here with what she's given to work with and the rest of the actors follow suit.I wasn't disappointed in the movie(this certainly isn't a Catwoman
situation)but it's not a must buy for me when the DVD release hits the show. Worth a
rental but if you really love Aeon,your best bet will be the animated version that's
more lively than the live action one.

2 comments:

Jake McCafferty said...

I saw a commercial where it looks like she ate a fly through her eye. That was enough for me to stay away. Was I wrong?

lady t said...

The Fly Eye bit looks much cooler in the animated version,I must confess. Best I can really say is that if you
don't catch AF in theaters,there's always the evitable DVD.

Now,the Narnia movie looks like a must-see on the bigscreen but I'll have to wait due to the impeding snow
storm that approachs...dum dum dum:)!