TV Times

TV Times

Aeonflux: The world of the future
One of the latest Hollywood releases sci-fi action 'Aeonflux' starring Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron was released at Majestic cinema from January 27.

Set in 2415, "Aeonflux" is a startling vision of a future in flux from Karyn Kusama, director of the acclaimed 'Girlfight'.

Written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, Aeon Flux is based upon characters created by Peter Chung in the pioneering MTV animated series.

When government agents murder her family, Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) swears revenge. A highly trained soldier on the front lines of a war against the perfect society, Aeon is one of the few to suspect that this perfect life is hiding a perfect lie.

Paramount Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment present a Valhalla Motion Pictures and MTV Films production, "Aeon Flux," stars Marton Csokas, Jonny Lee Miller, Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo, Oscar nominee Pete Postlethwaite, Amelia Warner, Caroline Chikezie and Frances McDormand.

When her family is killed by government agents, Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) is eager to take revenge; but, before she can complete her mission, she uncovers secrets that change everything. As the top operative in an underground rebellion against the dictatorial leaders of Bregna - a walled future city - everything Aeon knows is challenged when she receives her latest assignment:

the assassination of Trevor Goodchild, ruler of Bregna, a seemingly utopian future society with no disease, no hunger, and no war. Aeon-Flux is as her name implies-a dynamic operative working for a group called the 'Monicans' rebelling against the overly sanitised government of Bregna, led by her archenemy, Trevor Goodchild. Tall, sexy and lethal, Aeon is given a mission to assassinate Trevor; a mission she has been waiting to receive her entire life.

"She thinks this one mission will change her life and make everything better, but nothing is that simple," says Theron who brings Aeon to life. Aeon was the first that Theron took on after her Oscar winning performance in 'Monster'.
"No one else could have played the role," says Kusama. "We needed someone who had an incredible physical grace and strength, but not an overmuscular kind of strength. Charlize fitted perfectly. In her first action-heroine role, Theron called upon her unique skills as a ballet dancer to bring the character to life. "I was a ballerina for 12 years - it took me that long to figure out why I loved ballet so much. It wasn't because I liked the technical aspect of it; I liked to get on stage and tell a story.

For years, I did that, just using my body. For me, the physical aspect is as important as any line of dialogue." After gaining 30-plus pounds for her Academy Award ID-winning turn in "Monster," Theron was eager to take on the physical challenges of "Aeon Flux." I got very excited about how far I could actually push myself, and how many new things I could learn to do on my own on this film to really physically feel like I was this character," she says. "1 got excited about pushing my body to that limit."

Theron trained for almost four months prior to the start of production. "When I began training, I hadn't done anything with my body for two years," says Theron. "I had to lose weight and build muscle, get some strength back. I wanted to get to a place where I felt stronger and more capable of doing the things that I had to do in this film." To lose the final pounds and build long, lean muscle, Theron combined gymnastics, trampoline and acrobatic work and dance with elements of karate, judo, Capoiera and Krav Maga, the Israeli fighting style. The aim was to build flexibility and strength.

"Aeon Flux" began life as an animated series created by Peter Chung as part of MTV's "Liquid Television." In 1991, "Aeon Flux" debuted as a series of six two-to-three-minute short films, then reappeared in 1992 with five more three-to-five-minute shorts. Director Karyn Kusama wrote and directed the critically acclaimed film, "Girlfight," which won numerous awards, including the 2000 Grand Prize at the Deauville Film Festival, the Director's Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival; and, the Youth Award at the Cannes Film Festival. "Girlfight" was also nominated in 2001 for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature Film.

The filmmakers found what they were looking for - that combination of yesterday and tomorrow - in the buldings and gardens of Berlin and Potsdam, Germany. The Bauhaus architectural style, which Walter Gropius popularized as director of the Bauhaus art school from 1919 to 1928, exemplified what Kusama wanted to achieve on screen.

The Bauhaus belief, that the union of art and technology could bring about new social conditions through the creation of new visual surroundings, underscores the principles that guided Kusama's choices in creating the look of the highly controlled and contained city-state of Bregna, where ordinary citizens are constantly under surveillance and nothing is quite as it appears to be.
The film is released here by CEL.

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