Aeon Flux  

Review: written 2006

Satisfying but forgettable sci fi

It's puzzling why this film was so derided on its original release. Clearly, it is not a classic, but it is enjoyable enough - one can only think that the media were out to get Charlize Theron after her recent Oscar win.

It is the future - a short time from now a disease wipes out 99% of the population, until Trevor Goodchild finds a cure. Now as the movie starts it is 400 years later and mankind is reduced to living in one walled city. However, there is unrest in this Utopia and resistance has sprung up, of which Aeon is one. However, events unfold which lead her to question not just her orders but the truth of her very existence. It's a neat set up, and the story is not as trite as you might expect - it has some genuine unexpected directions and a satisfying conclusion.

If the movie has a flaw, it's that it fails to find much heart - the Utopia is by its nature pristine and cool, but the acting seems to fall into the same trap so that we don't find much humanity to relate to. This future is not just cool but sexy too - almost like an updated version of the future seen in “Logan’s Run”. If you have seen the trailer you might be tempted to see this as a special effects movie, but in fact the effects serve the story well.

All in all a satisfying tale, which is crisply photographed and has a cast and art direction which are very easy on the eye. I recommend it for an undemanding evening’s entertainment where action is desired, but not at the expense of story.