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Review

Director Karyn Kusama follows up her critically-acclaimed 2000 debut Girlfight with this underwhelming, CGI-heavy adaptation of the cult MTV cartoon. The film starts off on the right track featuring the stylish tongue-kissing and eyelash-fly-catching that its animated counterpart is known for. It quickly descends into the bland tale of a group of rebels who fight their science-based oppressors within a seemingly Utopian-like city state. Aeon Flux is a top operative of the rebellious “Monicans” who are lead by “The Handler,” played by a strangely cast Frances McDormand. Aeon is assigned to kill chairman Trevor Goodchild, played by Marton Csokas without any of the sexual ambiguity of the cartoon’s villain. In order to stretch the film’s length to 90 minutes, a subplot is introduced involving Aeon’s mysterious past and its possible ties to one of the film’s villains. The fun in watching the early Aeon Flux cartoons was that she usually died at the end of each episode, an occurrence that apparently had to be left out of the film’s finale for franchising sake.

The film’s true attraction and most redeemable quality is the presence of Oscar winner Charlize Theron in the title role. Clothing is tight and revealing in the future and Theron wears it well. She approaches her role in this silly sci-fi film with the utmost sincerity and should be commended for doing so. The remainder of the cast seem like they’re merely going through the motions, especially Jonny Lee Miller who gives a very stiff performance as Goodchild’s brother. The usually notable Miller comes across less as an untalented actor and more like someone who has begrudgingly succumbed to the villainy of the Hollywood studio system. Director Kusuma was apparently given this job based on her past work with fighting females and she graciously treats the material with more seriousness than it deserves. This film would have no problem existing without its licensed property, change the character names and its merely another derivative sci-fi film rather than a disappointed to fans of its source material.