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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
"If they were to make a sequel that made more sense that would be great. As-is, this is an action movie with Charlize Theron in the lead role. Need I say any more?" --from the review ------------- Sidebar :: ------------- No sidebar comments for this review. Yet...
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Aeon Flux
A Review by TechtiteThe Film: The latest "Catwoman"? Hardly! Sure some ignorant online amateur critics will tell you that, and all I can say is, they never saw Catwoman, and most likely, never saw this film, either. By all accounts Aeon Flux is a simple "The Fifth Element" style popcorn flick whose only major flaw is that it could've been so...much...more. Here's a quick refresher course for those unassociated with any animated heroines names "Aeon." Back in the heydays of 1980's MTV, the network introduced a little show called Liquid Television, showcasing animated shorts. Among these shorts was Aeon Flux: a scantily clad high tech action heroine from the future who, as bad luck would have it, would always die a horrible death at the end of each mission. How does she survive to fight another day? Who knew; it was a cartoon, after all, and a fun one. The cartoon spawned a half hour series, and now, a film. As you'd expect; this film's core flaw is its story. Ask not if having seen the cartoons makes this story more explanatory. It doesn't. You see; in the cartoons (being cartoons, after all), Aeon dies the occasional horrible death. Now, nobody ever asks how a cartoon coyote can survive a fall off a giant cliff, and an anvil upside the head, but this film's core story wants to explain to us how this can be so. The resulting explanation is filled with so many attempts at a plot twist that the end result is not a pretzel in nature. It is a Rubik's cube that has been twisted and turned so that the end result is colorful, yet makes no sense at all. That is perhaps the best metaphorical summary of this flawed Aeon Flux movie It doesn't help that said plot twists are complete cornball. When revealed, the story's "biggest twist" not only unravels the story; it turns it into a pile of tangled twine. Who are the bad guys? Who are the good guys? Who is Aeon? Why do we care? Most importantly; why did someone try so hard to make a simple cartoon into such a complicated mess as this? All they needed was to have a maniacal villain threaten the lives of millions and Aeon Flux comes in and kicks butt. Was this so hard to accomplish? Apparently...yes. Oh, darn. Perhaps this is all the more surprising when you see how hard someone tried, to keep true to the original subject matter. There's no denying this film was made by people who actually saw of the original TV series, and wherever possible, "salute" it with a scene straight from the cartoon. Like how Aeon's reflexes are so adept she can catch a fly in her eyelashes (which, much like the cartoon, is seen just before the opening credits). Then there's the classic espionage scene where Aeon gets her secret mission specs from a fellow spy, having him (ahem) "pass along" the secret message during a passionate kiss. Scenes like these are as cool in this movie as they were then...which is to say; these scenes are by far the best moments of the movie. Ah yes; then there's Charlize. Could there possibly be a better femme fatale for the title role than Charlize Theron? Here's an actress that not only was a dead solid perfect choice for Ms. Flux; she was so "into" the role she quite sadly nearly paralyzed herself, yet as soon as she was healed went right back to finishing the film. What a sport she is. True, she allegedly is responsible for this film's change of Aeon's classic costume, whereas the animated Aeon wore a barely-there costume, and Charlize opted for a one-piece skintight cat-burglar sort of outfit. But hey; it's Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux. To heck with the original costume! Yet at the film's core, you have an action movie that makes little sense. Then again; how many action movies do? Ask not why Aeon wants to kill a guy, only to vaguely remember him, but not really, then sleep with him, only to try and kill him anyway, but not really, because...oh never mind. Just chalk up moments like this to a Death Star which can destroy any planet, yet must orbit that planet just to shoot its small rebel moon. Why not simply blow up the planet, and then blow up the rebel moon? The answer to that ---and Aeon Flux's mysteries as well--- is totally immaterial. Sometimes the only need is to have fun. I had fun watching this movie...confusing as its story may be.
The DVD: You have to give Charlize Theron credit; she doesn't shirk her duties as the lead star, either during or long after a film. Here's a film that earned roughly 26 million in the U.S. box office, for a film costing roughly 55 million dollars to make. Yet she still stays on hand for the audio commentary track. And, after all; how much cooler is this film's DVD, with Charlize Theron's lovely voice in the audio commentary? It helps that Charlize has so much to talk about. I think anyone would be tickled pink going on a date with Charlize but seriously; how cool would the conversations be, based on this totally intriguing commentary track? Sure; one of the most intense subjects is the moment Charlize nearly paralyzed herself during a practice stunt for the film. She goes into detail of how it happened and the aftermath, right down to the rude comments she received from various internet sources, that she didn't do any of her own stunts in the film and "that's" why the film failed, which is bunk (as you probably read already in the film's review above). Yet did you know that one of the so-called "buildings of the future" used in the movie was in fact another country's version of an animal shelter for abandoned dogs? FYI; Charlize loves dogs. As if we needed even more reasons to like her.
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