Review of Æon Flux (2005) by Andy S — 29 May 2010

This film is based on the animated MTV series of the 1990's. Unfortunately I never saw any of that show, but it lasted three seasons and had a cult following from what I've read. So I thought it might be an interesting one to watch on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon.

The setting in four hundred years in the future. A mystery virus has all but wiped out mankind. Those that remain were saved by Dr. Goodchild, a scientist who brought them to the city of Bragna where they live in peace and harmony, isolated from the outside. The Goodchild family has ruled over the city ever since and the current leader Trevor Goodchild rules with his brother, Oren, at his side. There is growing unrest amongst the population and a group known as the Monicans are determined to overthrow Trevor Goodchild and the ruling council. One agent of the Monicans in particular, Aeon Flux, has been chosen for a special mission, and that is to assassinate Trevor Goodchild. Her sister, Una, was recently killed in a police action and she is keen for revenge. But when she confronts the leader, she finds she cannot pull the trigger. There is something familiar about him and she wants to find out more. She eventually uncovers the truth and it is much bigger than she imagined, it will affect all of the surviving humans for centuries to come.

This is a very well made film with some excellent special effects. There were a few places where the pace seemed a bit laboured, but over all it wasn't too bad to watch. Adequate performances from the leading cast, so honourable mentions go to Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux, Marton Csokas as Trevor Goodchild, Jonny Lee Miller as Oren Goodchild, Sophie Okonedo as Sithandra, Frances McDormand as the Handler and Pete Postlethwaite as the Keeper.

I thought the city of Bragna was very well done, it looked I would imagine a city of the future would look like. The film has a very stylish feel to it, but unfortunately the dialogue didn't live up to the visuals. The middle third of the film seemed to drag quite badly. The ending was surprisingly very good though. Over all, it's pretty good, I've seen much worse! Recommended for a one-off viewing.

My score: 5.9/10.