Aeon Flux: The Curiously Dull Sci-Fi Actioner Comes to 4K (Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray Steelbook)

The Film:

"Aeon Flux" originally started as an animated sci-fi series consisting of three seasons that aired on MTV from 1991-1995. It was received rather well by critics, who praised its creativity, characters, and themes, making it no surprise that a live-action version was eventually brought to life on the big screen. However, things didn't go quite as well for the film as they had for the series, with critics & audiences being quick to dismiss it, and its box office performance falling far short of expectations.

That said, it's not without its fans, people who were able to look past its multiple flaws and appreciate its designs or its attempted big swing at a post-apocalyptic tale of a society barely hanging on. For them, Paramount has decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film by giving it a marvelous 4K upgrade for a Limited Edition Steelbook release, one that comes with plenty of extras to accompany it. So now, as usual, it's time to go back and revisit this peculiar sci-fi outing to see if it truly deserved the derision it received two decades ago or if it's perhaps worth reconsidering as it reaches this special milestone.

At the start of the film, we learn that a virus has wiped out 99% of Earth's population in 2011. Four centuries later, the remaining humans now live in a walled city called Bregna, which is ruled by a council led by Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas). While the city may seem idyllic, it's not without its problems, which is why a group of rebels known as "Monicans" has emerged to resist. After Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron), one of their top agents, infiltrates & disables a surveillance station, she comes home to find that her sister Una (Amelia Warner) has been mistaken for a rebel and killed. This naturally leads her to want revenge, making it convenient that her Handler (Frances McDormand) sends her on a mission to kill Trevor, assuming he must be behind the murder. However, after making contact with him during the mission, she soon discovers that there's much more doing on than originally thought, ultimately putting her on a quest that involves the fate of the entire city.

When it comes to the big-screen adaptation of "Aeon Flux," something seems to have been very much lost in its transition from a series into a film. The animated show, as mentioned, had been praised for its creativity among other aspects, but in trying to turn that into a feature film, screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi were apparently quite lost as to how to give it the same edge it had displayed on the small screen.

What they, and director Karyn Kusama, end up delivering is nothing short of a tedious bore that will have even the most die-hard science-fiction fan struggling to stay awake. It's a shame because there is the start of a somewhat interesting narrative buried within it, but it's executed in such a dull fashion as to make its 85-minute runtime (without credits) feel like three hours. One has to assume that this was not the filmmakers' intention when trying to give fans a satisfying adaptation of the popular show, which merely makes you question why they didn't try a little harder when it came to its narrative, one that is clearly struggling to stay afloat throughout the entire film.

Perhaps they were indeed aware, and thought that a few action sequences & some intriguing designs/special effects would be enough to cover up its rather weak story & characters, but clearly its flashier elements didn't even begin to make up for the lack of attention given to its far more important & fundamental parts. In the end, it's not that hard to see why it was so quickly dismissed upon its original release 20 years ago, especially given how readily apparent its flaws are from the start. Luckily there have been recent rumblings regarding a new attempt in the pipeline, so perhaps fans will finally get something closer to what they were hoping for, or at least something far more satisfying than the disappointing attempt the film turned out to be.

Video/Audio:

This edition of "Aeon Flux" comes with the film on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 2.35:1 transfers of excellent quality. The picture has been cleaned up beautifully, perfectly highlighting the film's intriguing designs & multitude of visual effects. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Paramount has done a marvelous job in both areas for this new Limited Edition Steelbook release of the film.

Special Features:

Commentary by Charlize Theron and Producer Gale Anne Hurd

Commentary by Co-Screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi

Creating a World: Aeon Flux (21 Minutes)

The Locations of Aeon Flux (15 Minutes)

The Stunts of Aeon Flux (9 Minutes)

The Costume Design Workshop of Aeon Flux (14 Minutes)

The Craft of the Set Photographer on Aeon Flux (4 Minutes)

The film comes with a wonderful collection of extras that consists of two informative commentary tracks and an extensive series of featurettes, totaling just over an hour, that focus on areas such as the production design, the stunts, and the costumes. Any fan of the film will no doubt be very pleased with the incredible behind-the-scenes material that's been included here.

Conclusion:

Karyn Kusama's "Aeon Flux" takes what had been a rather well-received animated science-fiction show and turns it into a curiously dull & tedious live-action big-screen outing, one that may contain the start of an intriguing narrative, but which is executed in such a dull, plodding fashion that even the most devoted fan of the genre will struggle to stay awake, ultimately making it no surprise as to why the film was quickly dismissed upon its original release 20 years ago.

Score: 2/5

Available on Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray Steelbook starting tomorrow.

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