Follow @screenit

"AEON FLUX" (2005) (Charlize Theron, Martin Csokas) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons None Heavy Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Minor Moderate None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Moderate Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Sci-fi: When a covert operative is sent to assassinate a government leader of the future, she uncovers disturbing secrets about her society's supposedly perfect state. PLOT: It's the year 2415, and more than 400 years after a virus killed off nearly everyone on the planet, one vestige of civilization has managed to flourish in the self-contained and walled city of Bregna. Run by Trevor Goodchild (MARTON CSOKAS) and his advisory council that includes his younger brother Oren (JONNY LEE MILLER), the city-state seems idyllic, but unrest is underfoot. And that comes in the form of an underground band of rebels deemed the Monicans by the government that desperately wants to quell any sort of uprising. That's led to people simply vanishing from the city never to be heard from again, prompting the rebellion's leader, The Handler (FRANCES MCDORMAND), to send her operatives into the highly protected, labyrinth-like headquarters to assassinate Trevor. Her best assassin, Aeon Flux (CHARLIZE THERON), who manages to sneak in with Sithandra (SOPHIE OKONEDO), has a personal ax to grind with the leader since her sister, Una (AMELIA WARNER) was murdered by government agents despite having nothing to do with the rebellion. Yet, Aeon can't manage to complete the job as she experiences a range of emotions and fractured memories that cloud her judgment upon meeting the leader. After she's captured, Trevor doesn't have her killed, thus raising the suspicions of Oren and the other council members who soon plot a coup against him. As Aeon tries to figure out what's going on, she must not only contend with Trevor and his powerful assistant Freya (CAROLINE CHIKEZIE), but also Oren and his crew as well as Sithandra who's been ordered along with others by The Handler to take out the operative who they believe has failed her mission. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of the original, animated series that aired on MTV, or someone in the cast, they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sequences of violence and sexual content. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: CHARLIZE THERON plays a highly skilled and proficient assassin who's sent in to kill Trevor, but can't due to conflicting emotions and fractured memories that cloud her judgment. As she fights off and seemingly kills many government types and even battles some of her former allies, she tries to figure out the truth and then set matters straight. MARTON CSOKAS plays the leader of Bregna who's actually trying to cure his people of a malady of which they're unaware, all while dealing with his feelings toward Aeon and the coup that his brother and others are running. He fights with those attempting to overthrow him. JONNY LEE MILLER plays his younger brother who thinks his sibling's gone soft and is thus trying to usurp the city-state's leadership. He's responsible for many deaths. SOPHIE OKONEDO plays another rebellion operative who's eventually assigned to kill Aeon when word gets out that the latter has failed at killing Trevor. AMELIA WARNER plays Aeon's sister who doesn't see the problems her sister does regarding their supposedly idyllic lifestyle. FRANCES MCDORMAND plays the rebellion leader who meets and instructs her operatives through some sort of chemically induced, telekinetic state. She orders for Trevor and then Aeon to be killed. CAROLINE CHIKEZIE plays Trevor's powerful assistant who briefly battles Aeon. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this sci-fi offering that's rated PG-13. Violence consists of all sorts of highly stylized and often rather brutal fighting (punches, kicks, and other such contact), some of which is lethal. Large-scale gun battles leave many wounded or dead, but much of that's blood-free. That said, some bloody wounds are worked on (fingers into them, etc.) and that might be a bit much for the squeamish. Those scenes and various moments of potential peril might be unsettling or tense for some viewers, but most likely only the very young or those with low tolerance levels for such material. The fighting and other stunts may be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. Off-screen sex is implied, some passionate kissing is observed, and some brief and partial nudity is present (as is the sight of a woman in very skimpy attire as well as a form-fitting, cat suit type outfit, although there isn't a great deal in the way of gratuitous views of her in the latter). A man must deal with his brother's treasonous ways, while a woman briefly deals with her sister's murder. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None. BLOOD/GORE Sithandra's feet (that look like hands) have small bloody holes in them after landing in extremely sharp "grass." Freya fires many shots at Aeon who uses a special device to teleport to another room, but not before being hit with one shot (we see a tiny bit of blood that Freya rubs on her finger). The side of Sithandra's face is bloody from where Aeon yanked out her earring. A man has some blood on his head as he's dragged across the ground to Oren. Aeon's hand is rather bloody after cutting it on a shard of glass she's used to kill others. A person who's been shot has a wet blood stain on her clothing. Needing to remove the ammo that's lodged in Trevor's skin, Aeon uses her fingers to dig into the bloody shoulder wound (we see this in full, but hear more of the related squishy sound than we actually see of the extraction). Her fingers are then bloody as well as she uses some adhesive to cauterize or otherwise close the wound. Aeon pushes some sort of small ball into her skin (through a wound or other previous opening) that will enable her to communicate with The Handler and others (we see the bloody insertion). A man has a little blood on his face and some on his shirt after being shot. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We learn that Oren is the one who tried to have his brother killed (via an unknowing Aeon) and that since that didn't work, he's now attempting to orchestrate a coup. We also learn that he's killed (or had killed) anyone in the city who's become pregnant by natural means. Those working for him also have bad attitudes. Some viewers could see the rebels as having bad attitudes for their actions, but they're portrayed in the movie as the "good guys." FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Aeon flips her head back and then looks forward with her eye now all black (so that she can see what's inside a glass of water she's been given to drink). When she flips it back and then forward again, her eye appears normal. Aeon holds her gun on Trevor, but can't get herself to assassinate him as ordered. She's then knocked out by an unseen assailant. Aeon holds her gun against Trevor, but again can't shoot him. Waking up after apparently having sex, Aeon flips through the air and lands on top of Trevor who she proceeds to strangle until he unconscious. An octopus style amulet suddenly wraps itself around Aeon when she picks it up, but rather than be menacing, it serves as a portal type device that sends her to other places. Aeon races and jumps off a tower to try to catch the decorative fabric that hangs like tails from a blimp-like device as the vehicle circles the city. As Aeon falls through them, she misses several opportunities to grab the large strands of fabric, but eventually does so with her feet. She slips a little, but finally gets control and climbs up that to get inside the blimp. The Handler orders Sithandra and some others to kill Aeon. We see Sithandra under a shallow body of water, tied up but with a reed through which she can breathe. Some government types aim their guns at Trevor and Aeon until the two talk them out of doing anything. We see the POV through a sniper scope as the gun is aimed at potential targets (including Aeon). After setting explosives in a large, blimp-like device, Aeon leaps out of it as they go off. She grabs the tail like fabric straps hanging below it and holds on as the burning blimp sideswipes a building (causing some damage) and then smashes into the city's outer wall, sending Aeon hard to the ground, but she's not seriously injured. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine Guns/Futuristic Weapons/Knives/Explosives: Used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "I'd keep off the grass." The various stunts and scenes of fighting and other such action may be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. JUMP SCENES Aeon suddenly kicks open a door. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of action-oriented and some suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY Aeon passionately kisses a man, but does so in order to allow him to pass a small capsule (that will enable her to communicate with The Handler) from his mouth to hers (we see a close-up of her tongue entering his mouth and retrieving that capsule). Aeon shows some cleavage from time to time in her somewhat low-cut top (although nothing that's explicit). After Aeon wakes up, we see frontal and rear views of her in some small panties as well as some small strips of vertical fabric that barely cover her breasts (from the side we see partial views of her bare breasts, but no nipples). Aeon wears a formfitting cat suit that shows off the curves of her body, but beyond a brief view of her butt (from below) as she ascends a ladder, that look is not sexualized too much. We see a brief and partial flashback of Aeon and Trevor passionately kissing. We see a flashback to Aeon and Trevor kissing and then see them doing the same in the present, clothed and standing. We then see Aeon waking up later (with sex being implied), apparently nude -- we see a head and shoulders shot of her that way, then her flipping through the air (so fast it's hard to tell if anything's seen) and landing on top of Trevor who she proceeds to strangle until he unconscious. During that, we see her bare back and just brief/partial glimpses of the side of her bare breast, but the scene is violent rather than sexual. The council looks at distant footage of Aeon and Trevor in bed together under the covers in the "spoons" position, seemingly asleep (we see bare shoulders). As Trevor explains to Aeon how people become pregnant in their society, we briefly see a couple lying side by side in bed under the covers (with sex before or after that view suggested as we later briefly see the woman giving birth -- no nudity and nothing graphic). He then states that a false pregnancy is created and then an embryo is implanted in the woman during her exam. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see a miscellaneous father who's asking anyone if they know what happened to his missing daughter. Aeon must deal with seeing that her sister has been murdered (but there's little grief, just the need for vengeance). She then states that she once had a family and life, but that all she now has is a mission. We learn that Oren is the one who tried to have his brother killed (via an unknowing Aeon) and that since that didn't work, he's now attempting to orchestrate a coup. Trevor must then deal with all of that, including brotherly attempts on his life. Aeon learns that her dead sister has been reassigned to be another person in the city. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Viruses (such as the bird flu that might come to kids' minds when there's opening talk here that a virus killed 99% of the population in 2011). The notion of cloning and the potential side effects of that. We see that Sithandra has hands for feet (that she walks on). VIOLENCE We briefly see a woman being yanked away by an unseen person. To enter the government headquarters, Aeon must attack and battle various guards. She throws a knife into one and lands with her clothed crotch down onto another guy before kicking another. She then takes out two more guards (possibly breaking one's neck), and then several more, all with rather brutal hitting and kicking. A woman opens the door to see a gun pointed her direction. We see and hear two shots, but don't see the impact (although we later see her body being carried out on a covered stretcher). As Aeon and Sithandra try to get inside the government headquarters, what look like beehives hanging in trees fire many sharp projectiles at them, with both women doing various acrobatic moves to try to avoid being hit. Sithandra uses one such "hive" to shoot other such weapons, but she ends up being hit by one (she's okay) and then lands with her bare feet (that look like hands) on extremely sharp blades of "grass" that cut her there. Aeon jumps and nearly lands on the same sort of "grass," but manages to do the splits and just avoid landing facedown into that. Aeon uses her feet to grab and slam a guard to the floor where she then hits him again. Aeon holds her gun on Trevor, but can't get herself to assassinate him as ordered. She's then knocked out by an unseen assailant. Aeon calls for a number of her ball bearing type objects to assemble outside the cell where she's being held and then blow a hole in the wall, which they do. Aeon kicks one guard and punches another, sending both to the floor where she hits one of them again. Aeon throws a man to the ground and then puts her foot on his chest (but only talks to him after that). Waking up after apparently having sex, Aeon flips through the air and lands on top of Trevor who she proceeds to strangle until he unconscious. Freya fires many shots at Aeon who uses a special device to teleport to another room, but not before being hit with one shot (we see a tiny bit of blood that Freya rubs on her finger). Aeon then reappears, and the two get into a brutal fight there (punches, kicks and slamming each other around) before teleporting into a lab. There, Aeon drives Freya back into some items sticking up from a table or bench that apparently impale or otherwise injure Freya, but she returns the beating on Aeon and all sorts of lab items are broken during their fight. During that, Aeon grabs Freya's earring in her mouth and yanks it off (we don't see the actual act, or any blood at that moment). Freya then shoots at Aeon who dives through a door and gets away. Mad that Aeon didn't kill Trevor, Sithandra holds her gun on Aeon who approaches her, kicks the gun from her hand and then kicks Sithandra in the face. As Sithandra tries to escape by doing some hand-over-hand movement across the "ceiling," Aeon gets up there and kicks Sithandra in the body. She then waits for Sithandra to reappear from the ceiling area, wraps a vine of some sort around Sithandra's foot and yanks her to the floor where she lands hard. A man has some blood on his head as he's dragged across the ground to Oren. After briefly talking to him, Oren has one of his men shoot and kill the man (we hear a few blasts from a machine gun, but don't see the impact). A percussion explosive goes off, knocking Aeon and Trevor backwards and damaging one or more rooms in a home. Various government types open fire on Aeon and Trevor who shoot back at them. During this, Trevor is hit, while Aeon uses what appears to be a large shard of glass to slit two agents' throats (no actual impact or blood) and then stab them, but she cuts her hand doing so (that is then bloody). Aeon and Trevor continue to fire back at the agents and then flee as they set off various explosives that blow up structures on which such agents are standing, sending them crashing to the surface below. As Aeon tries to get the wounded Trevor into a futuristic subway car, agents open fire on that car, missing the two of them, but apparently hitting others (we see several who appear wounded, with one woman lying on the floor with a wet blood stain on her clothing). Trevor discovers a dead assistant and destroyed lab (the work of Oren and his minions). As government agents surround Aeon and Trevor and prepare to kill them, rebellion snipers open fire on the agents and others, wounding some and killing others (no blood spurting, etc.). A large-scale gun battle then ensues, with more agents being shot, as are more of the snipers until the last one is hit by a fired missile that takes out the sniper's perch atop a tower (with a large explosion). During this, Aeon shoots many agents with machine guns, while Trevor is hit by gunfire (and is wounded, but lives). A man prepares to shoot Aeon, but Trevor tackles and hits him (he gets off a shot that may hit Aeon in the side). The man then prepares to shoot Trevor who's sitting on him, but Aeon shoots that man dead instead. After setting explosives in a large, blimp-like device, Aeon leaps out of it as they go off. She grabs the tail like fabric straps hanging below it and holds on as the burning blimp sideswipes a building (causing some damage) and then smashes into the city's outer wall, sending Aeon hard to the ground, but she's not seriously injured. Reviewed December 2, 2005 / Posted December 2, 2005

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2016 Screen It, Inc.