Aeon Flux
Directed by Karyn Kusama

The visual excitement of Peter Chung’s MTV series Aeon Flux is lost in transition from animation to live action. Weird pop-art becomes routine.

There’s a sincere effort to recreate a cartoon look. Director Karyn Kusama (returning 5 years after her festival hit Girlfight) imbues horizontal line structures through the designs of Earth’s last city Bregna, and finds angles that accentuate star Charlize Theron’s big anime eyes. It’s a look that’s however only interesting when reflecting upon its animated origins. As stand-alone live action, this world isn’t unique. Aeon Flux’s science fiction now plays as a retread of this year’s already derivative The Island. The characters have clouded histories, so even Oscar-chaser Charlize Theron is working against a rounded performance in the title role.

Aeyawn Flux is the latest incident of a talented actress trying to latch on to the commercial longevity of a superhero franchise â€" Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider, Halle Berry in Catwoman, Jennifer Garner in Elektra. (We’ve won their middlebrow parents. Now let’s get their dorky kids.) Is it possible that any of them believe these scripts are good?

When Kusama delivers an expertly edited action sequence, the movie perks up. But the movie’s over just as it starts getting better.

Aeon’s mission is to kill ruler Trevor Goodchilde (Martin Csokas), which will free Bregna’s oppressed citizens. In this sense, the story’s concern becomes akin to the viewer’s: Awaiting escape from boring imprisonment.