"Aeon Flux” (Paramount Pictures)
Recently Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand co-starred in the film “North Country.” Their performances could result in Award nominations for both of them. Now they are onscreen together in “Aeon Flux,” a movie that will forever be a blight on their resumes. What a difference a movie makes!
“Aeon Flux” is a futuristic adventure that stars Theron as Aeon, a woman who is trying to oust the current regime in her country. The time is four hundred years in the future and Aeon is a member of the Monicans (named after Courtney Cox-Arquette’s character on “Friends” perhaps), a group headed up by the “Handler” (McDormand). Aeon has a helper in the group named Sithandra (Sophie Okonedo).
The person they are trying to oust is Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas), the head of the current government. It is Aeon’s assignment to assassinate him but when she gets the chance she falters. Something in her remembers him from her inner being. Suddenly Aeon and Trevor or on the same side and are being hunted by both the Monicans and Trevor’s brother Oren (Jonny Lee Miller).
Nothing in this movie makes any sense and about halfway through you stop caring whether it does or not. You try to concentrate on Theron’s beauty and athletic skills but the plain inanity of the script plus the dullness of most of the performances has you squirming in your seat and praying for the end of the movie to arrive.
It is hard to believe that Theron didn’t recognize this turkey for what it is when she read the script. The script, the look of the movie, the lack of anything that would justify interest in the film should have set off all kinds of alarms in her head.
It should be noted that Theron does look great, and she executes the acrobatic movements that are required with agility and grace. McDormand looks awful and acts with lifeless enthusiasm, while Okonedo plays a woman with hands for feet and if that isn’t a strange sight then nothing is.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
“Aeon Flux” is the latest comic book hero to make it to the big screen, and she is the least enjoyable of the bunch. To put it succinctly “Aeon Flux” sucks!
I scored “Aeon Flux” a back to the future 2 out of 10.
