If you enjoyed the theoretical markings of “The Matrix,” enjoy the writings of Philip K. Dick or Isaac Asimov, or have a penchant for twisted science fiction, you’ll enjoy Aeon Flux.
Tools:
Recommend review to a friend »
There are few things in this world that make me sit up and go, "Wha-huh?" Congratulations, "Aeon Flux," you´ve left me flummoxed. After watching ten episodes, I can safely say I have absolutely no idea what is going on. The question I´m left to ask, then, is why did I enjoy it so much?
Set in a dystopian, utilitarian (or would it be totalitarian?) future, "Aeon Flux" is the story of a double agent who keeps her true motivations as secret as her allegiances. In the world Aeon occupies there are two cities that butt up against each other, Bregna and the Monican Republic, though they couldn´t be any different. Bregna is under dictatorial, "Big Brother"-style control, where every movement is watched and the citizens work not for their own advancement but because the collective demands it. The Monican Republic, meanwhile, is a utopian, autonomous paradise where the citizens control their own destinies and actions. Separating the cities is an impenetrable wall that is loaded with traps designed to keep people out… and in.
Each story in "Aeon Flux" is completely separate from the one that proceeded it; they play like short stories featuring familiar characters in new and different roles. Trevor Goodchild, the antagonist, is occasionally a scientist, a ruler, or a doctor. He always plays a neat foil to Aeon, confident in his victory yet obsessed with his adversary in an unhealthy sexual fashion.
Which gets us into the character design for Aeon herself. Much like the animation, Aeon is designed in a ridiculously stylized, sexualized way that accentuates her as an object for gratification rather than a person. The rest of the world looks appropriately as I expect a science fiction setting to look. The animation style, too, is sexualized, though how I couldn´t describe. There is just something about the fluid bodies, camera angles, and movements on screen that emit a sexual tension.
I want to wrap up the review by revisiting the issue of the stories. Each plays like a short story in the style of SciFi greats like Orwell and Huxley, and takes tips from films like "Blade Runner." I imagine "Aeon Flux" as a wonderful, occasionally incomprehensible, amalgamation of the best parts of modern science fiction. The twist endings, including the routine death of our heroine, are right out of "The Twilight Zone." Brilliant.
I still don´t know if "Aeon Flux" is good or not. I enjoyed it, but was often inalterably confused for the first 18 minutes of each episode, only to have a realization of the purpose of the story after the plot twist at the end. More than once, the words, "what the hell is going on?" slipped from my lips.
For comparison´s sake, I´d say if you enjoyed the theoretical markings of "The Matrix," enjoy the writings of Philip K. Dick or Isaac Asimov, or have a penchant for twisted science fiction, you´ll enjoy "Aeon Flux."
Video:
Recorded in its original 1.33:1 broadcast aspect ratio, "Aeon Flux" looks as good as you could expect from a decade-old cable TV cartoon. It seems soft and the color palate is muted, but I blame that more on the originating elements than the transfer. There aren´t any marks on the print and the lines are clean.
Audio:
The newly remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is an absolute marvel, a tour de force that should be viewed as the gold standard for how to put together a new audio track for a television program. The rear tracks are used extensively to make the music cues immersive, there are a lot of sound effects that happen in each channel, and a the dialogue comes through clean and clear. There is an original 2.0 DD track included as well, though after hearing the remix I can´t imagine going back to it.
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]17384[/release]