Released: 12/02/05

Viewed: 10:10pm 21/02/05

Starring: Charlize Theron, Marton Cosokas, Johnny Lee Miller, Sophie Okonedo, Francis McDormand

Directed by: Karyn Kusama

So the big fall sci-fi action movie featuring a cult classic cartoon, that's the perfect weapon, with the perfect body and a face like a dented truck, has finally come out. They cast a name with real talent and a body to match. So she's got a stunning face which is out of character for Flux, but it isn't as bad as Constantine not being British. Diehard fans warn the world how bad it looks. Those of us that don't know any better just brush them off as just being "too into the show to look at the movie objectively." Then it doesn't get the critics screening, but you've made plans already. Might as well get drunk.

I was going to see Flux either way. I have a warm spot for sci-fi, I'm not too connected to the show (having only seen 4 or 5 episodes) and Charlize Theron looks great in the gear. Of course she can also act, but Aeon Flux isn't the kind of movie that requires a lot of inner depth.

But I have to admit I was looking forward to the movie mostly for the ideas. Weird stuff you won't see anywhere else like someone catching a bug with their eyelashes, or blades of grass poking through the man-hands a rebel woman had surgically attached as replacements for feet. That's NUTS! And awesome. I can't get enough of it.

Flux does have a ton of that. As soon as 30 seconds in you can see that this idea of the future was really embraced in nearly all aspects. Architecture, clothing, hair (whoa Francis McDormand looks loopy!) I really love it when things like that are done with in a big way. But that's where the fun ends.

The fighting is bland, over choreographed, over rehearsed, difficult to watch, and uninteresting in almost every way. None of it's clear. There are lots of hand-to-hand combat but the sloppy cuts and bad angles that hid the wirework so well, only revealed that none of the actors could really fight. I'm sure they put in the time, but if they did, then they should file a joint lawsuit against the editor because he's covering up all of their hard work.

This is forgivable. I've let it go in the past. It's perfectly fine if it doesn't look good, but then it can at least be good. Some original ideas mixed into the action can really bring the movie back to life. For a movie that had so much originality in so many other areas, they really dropped the ball with mixing it into combat. The best you get is a fight where the battling pair teleport between two rooms as they trade blows. Cool idea. Poorly used.

Beyond the sloppy fighting, I have no major complaints with director Karyn Kusama. She does a fine job of navigating the troublesome waters and making the clumsy story somewhat watchable. Kusama got a lot of attention for her last work Girlfight which also made Michelle Rodriguez a star, but since then, what has she been doing? Rodriguez has destroyed and resurrected her carrier at least twice in that time. If Kusama spent those 5 years prepping Flux then she should just take a full decade for her next project.

While the plot was easy enough to follow it's a sci-fi story we've seen a thousand times before. They tell it with the same heart and the same passion and the same lame morals pushed way too hard at the end. But it's just? the same. I'm purposely not using specifics to avoid spoilers. Basically it's a nice story that you've probably enjoyed before.

The acting is fine but I'm convinced that Johnny Lee Miller is box office poison. The most impressive career choice he's ever made is marrying Angelina Jolie. Marton Cosokas as the leader of this future society with a secret past, is just miscast. He's neither a villain nor a figure that demands respect. Both of those are required in the role, and as each comes up it's never believable. At one point he's meant to convince a group of soldiers to disobey orders and follow him. And it works. But there's no reason it should. If he had given an inspirational speech in a truthful heartfelt way then it would have been ok. But his speech had all the passion of "Are you in or are you out?" Blech.

4 out of 10 for a good story that periodically shuts down and has trouble getting restarted.. It could easily have been saved by some solid action and/or some serious editing. As is it now it's the perfect sleep aid. .

For the record, I did get drunk. So did Irv, which explains why he was nodding off. Phil and Brandon had been driving all day so we'll chalk their drowsiness up to that. Maybe we'll see a good movie next time. Sorry guys. I'll fill you in on what you missed.

DVD worthy?: It's totally sick but I keep going back and forth over this. The story and visuals were interesting enough where I feel like the second viewing would go outstandingly better. It's the sort of thing where ? I know what happens. Now that I'm over the initial disappointments and crushed expectations, I'm free to enjoy how the story is told. Most things look better through clearer eyes. But hopefully I'll remember the bad and settle for just renting it.

If you liked this movie check out: The Maxx (comic or animated series)

I know The Maxx doesn't exactly classify as a recommended movie. Like Flux it also enjoyed a short-lived cartoon run on MTV in the late nights of the 90's. I happen to be a huge Maxx fan, for what I'm assuming are the same reasons people became fans, and got so passionate, about Aeon Flux.

First and foremost, great style and animation. Unique like a snowflake and twisted like a pretzel, Sam Kieth's vision of a man trapped between two worlds was a wake up call to my stale comic mind. The visuals were part of the early influences that helped me find my own voice.

The second similarity would be the complicated stories told in a very long and drawn out, sort of trippy way. You could never tell what was real and what was the imagination of our hero. Was The Maxx really a rabbit at one point? I'm not sure I even know. But still, having no real grasp on what was going on I couldn't stop watching the cartoon or reading the comic. I was hypnotized by it. Flux has that same vibe. Go watch the Maxx cartoons even if you hated Flux. At least in that you could tell who the bad guys were.

Trailer Hitch: Pulse

This one stars Kristen Bell from TV's Veronica Mars so I was interested right away. Until about 15 seconds in and the dead people start walking around. I didn't get a great sense on the plot, but from what I understand it involves reanimation of the dead. Not sure how or why, or if they'll bother to give it a reason at all, but it's sufficiently creepy.

The worst thing about it is that it's the sort of thing where they look like normal people at first just behaving oddly. I live in NY, so I get plenty of that. I'm afraid I'll see the movie and constantly be freaked out by the weirdoes around. More freaked out than normal, anyway. This doesn't come out until March 3rd, so I've got some time to get over it.

Vote to see my secret method of staying awake during this disaster.

There is a special event that everyone should check out. Tom at Theaterhopper recently celebrated his 500th strip. An enormous milestone and I couldn't be happier for you Tom. You've been an inspiration to me (pretty much from day one of my web comic career) and I'm sure to so many others as well. And I thank you so much for that. Congratulations and keep up the good work!