Reaction paper to a movie: AeonFlux

This weekend a new science-fiction movie staring Charlize Theron captivated my interest for one and a half hours. My boyfriend had given me the previous history of the original cartoon series (a cult hit) by Peter Chung. This short reaction paper will explore the movie’s costumes, location, and the meaning of the name “Aeon Flux”.

Let’s start off with a short synopsis of the movie: This thriller is set 400 years in the future. Charlize Theron stars as Aeon Flux and she is the top underground operative at war with the totalitarian regime. The regime is trying to govern what appears to be a perfect society. However, the perfect life is hiding a perfect lie. Aeon is on the front lines of a rebellion that reveals a world of secrets. The director Karyn Kusama was able to create an astounding vision of a possible future. Aeon Flux is written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, based on characters created by Peter Chung from the pioneering MTV animated series.

Every time I see a science-fiction movie I find it extremely interesting to see how they portray the life in the future, where one part is the costumes. In Aeon Flux the costumes have a highly organic look. They are clean cut and don’t have a lot of frills or accessories. The pieces of clothing have a lean design and there was barely any use of synthetic fabrics.

The location where they filmed was in Berlin and also in a studio. I found this fact remarkable – the opening scene shows a building that looks like the castle Sans Souci in Potsdam. There is also a lot of Bauhaus architecture and style present. Walter Gropius was one of the persons who tried to popularize the Bauhaus style. He was director of the art school from 1919 to 1928. He believed that the union of art and technology could induce new social conditions through creation of a new visual surrounding.

This is extremely fascinating especially with the plot of the movie in mind. The city in the film looks like an ordinary city with functional architecture. This place had a fresh, almost sanitized look to it. It appears sunny, beautiful and perfect. Quite the opposite of the standard portrayed sinister futuristic city.

Another fact that I found intriguing was the name they picked for the movie – copied from Peter Chung of course, but still extremely suitable. Aeon Flux: I think there could not have been a better title. According to the Webster’s dictionary the word “aeon” is a divine power or nature emanating from the Supreme Being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe. “Flux” means flow. Hence, according to this information, the protagonist gives the universe the necessary flow into the right direction. Makes it go back into its normal way – fascinating!

In my opinion, the movie was entertaining and it had a clear plot. It was not confusing or challenging. This is a very stylish sci-fi movie which has a lot of action. In futuristic movies there are so many things different yet many things remain the same like tools, windows, utensils, etc. Furthermore, it was tremendously pleasant to the eye. The shots very beautifully composed with slick lines and not much going on; almost minimalistic.

I would recommend this film to anybody who is interested in science-fiction action movies. It is of a lower caliber than The Matrix or The 13th Floor, yet it is worth seeing.