Æon Flux

Aeon Flux is one of the sexiest animated characters I've ever seen. "Aeon Flux" is one of the most bizarre, intense, reality-bending animated series I've ever seen. It aired as part of MTV's "Liquid Television" in 1995, and won over a devoted following. 10 years later and one feature-length film starring Charlize Theron later, "Aeon Flux" remains a milestone in animation.

Created by visionary Peter Chung, its style is reminiscent of Anime', yet to a trained eye it isn't. It's distinctly American, and the animated series itself is unique because the star of the title died at the end of nearly every episode, with the next entry redrawing the lines of reality and continuity.

Hundreds of years into the future, Trevor Goodchild is the charismatic dictator running a utopian society and is locked in a costly battle of wills with Aeon Flux, an amoral, sexy-as-hell mercenary who seeks to bring him down at all costs. Her motives are unknown, yet we get the sense she is the rebel hero though her amorality makes it truly unclear about why she has it in for Goodchild.

I don't know what inspired Chung to give rise to this, but given if he creates more stuff like "Aeon Flux," you can bet I'm going to buy the next DVD set of whatever he envisions. "Aeon Flux" walks a fine line between intense sci-fi battles and borderline pornography, but I have to hand it that this is some really amazing stuff here.

It's tripping the rift, "Aeon Flux," but the recent DVD made my jaw drop and its style is unmatched. This is "Aeon Flux."

Having first seen Aeon Flux as MTV shorts I was instantly captivated, breaking free from the constraints of the "standard" method of story telling, so much is left in the mysterious and unknown, with very imaginative and surreal atmosphere, in some cases one feels like they have just been dropped in the middle of a story with no real explanation of what is going on, its not needed it adds to effect. An interesting format that the heroine is killed off only to be reincarnated in the next short, almost like a video game in some contexts.

This format was eventually abandoned and a more story like series followed, which might lead one to believe that the initial shorts might of been proof of concept or tests? These episodes are very similar in the same surreal atmosphere but with a little more story line and plot driven in to make them more durable.

A highly imaginative animation series that is worth inclusion in anyones collection especially those seeking something a little off the beaten path.

I remember watching this series late at night about 5 years ago on MuchMusic (Canada's MTV equivalent). It was (and probably still is) the most innovative animated series I've had the chance to lay my eyes on (and wrap my brain around). Definitely not for kids, definitely not straightforward, this series fluctuates between abstract narratives, warped motives, and unconventional characters to tell us the stories of a futuristic communist society ruled by Trevor Goodchild and clashed with by the ever-present iconoclast known as Aeon Flux, a society that is both a distortion and a reflection of our own. Nothing in this series is clear-cut and the writing definitely lets you think your way through instead of being spoon-fed. Thank you, mister Chung, for the great work.

Peter Chung is definitely one of the most creative minds in animation today. This is his groundbreaking work he is best known for.

Originally a recurring short for MTV's Liquid Television, Aeon Flux combined the flash of the sexy heroine and action movie violence with extremely surreal and bizarre scenarios. MTV later commissioned 10 half-hour episodes. Obviously the more high profile placement of a scheduled program lead to more network restrictions. Not quite the same surreal vision as the original shorts but definitely interesting in themselves.

A lot of people saw it as some kind of anime rip off. It's nothing of the sort. While without a doubt drawing influence from Japanese animation the more apparent influences are European fantasy illustrators like moebius.

I bought the TV episodes and shorts on a VHS several years ago. I'm not sure if it has made it to DVD. There's a live action movie based on the characters of the animation series coming out this winter. It's extremely doubtful they'll be able to pull off any of the weird stuff. It will probably be just another boringly ordinary Hollywood sci-fi/action movie. One of Peter Chung's ideas with his animation is to create something you can't do in live action.

I'll spare you the standard review and assume that you've already accepted that Aeon Flux is bloody awesome. What follows is a guide to getting the full bloody awesomeness out of this experience.

If at all possible, take it in chronological order since the first 6 shorts are what set the stage. Essentially all rules are bent, broken, defecated upon and then handed back to us with a hint of Snuggle fabric softener. This is no mere cartoon; this is a revolution in storytelling.

The best way to describe the shorts is to say they are visual puzzles for us to solve. It ain't easy, either. I highly recommend watching the short, feeling like an idiot, and then watching it again with Peter's commentary. He doesn't always spell out the solution, but he gives some good hints that allow you to appreciate it on its intended philosophical level.

I'll give you just one example without really ruining anything. In the episode "War", we see a bunch of people killing people, getting killed, and more of the same. But there's much more to it than that. What Chung does is play on our fickle sympathies to make us change loyalties over & over. Without noticing, we start out rooting for the black team, then the white team, back to black, white, black, etc. You can surmise what sort of statement he's making about the act of war & society's attitudes. I can't help but wonder if Peter Chung was a fan of the 19th century French writer Maupassant ("Tell the people to vote for the Emperor and they'll vote for the Emperor. Tell the people to vote for the Republic and they'll vote for the Republic.")

Bloody awesome.

Other episodes are more abstract but just as deliberate & defined. In "Tide" we're presented with some seemingly arbitrary, repeating scenes. But actually it's a very carefully orchestrated show. The scenes, each exactly 2 sec long, repeat in a scripted sequence that can only be described as mathematical (or as Peter says in the commentary, "musical").

Bloody bloody awesome.

OK, I'm probably losing some of you, and that's to be expected. After all, what's interesting about political, mathematical & metaphysical themes? The answer: a hot assassin chick in a vinyl bikini with boobs that defy Newton's Laws of Physics, that's what.

What's the word I'm looking for? Oh right: bloody freaking whacktastic awesome.

After the initial 6 shorts comes the Pilot which is also without dialogue and highly expressionistic as well as philosophically jam packed. However when the actual series followed, MTV took more of an active role making changes that weren't always for the best. The biggest change is that the characters speak. Another big change is that Aeon develops more of a consistent personality and morality (unlike in the shorts where she was an Existentialist to the max). Some of the episodes are still very good--the ones written by Peter Chung--but others were given to different writers who didn't have a clear grasp on the artistic concept. The result was more plot driven, linear, humorous at times & random at times. At the same time, some of it became more poetic in a literal sense. In all, a very different flavour but still very enjoyable, even if the episodes aren't the brain-teasers we had seen at first.

That's about all I have to say, so I'll close by saying we need more women dressing up as Aeon Flux at halloween parties. Ladies, if you do that you win hands down. Well except for maybe the green star trek chick.