Æon Flux

From Academic Kids

Æon Flux is an animated science fiction television series that aired on MTV. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a six-part serial of short films, followed in 1992 by five individual short episodes. In 1995 a season of ten half-hour episodes aired as a stand-alone series. Æon Flux was created by Korean American animator Peter Chung.

Æon Flux is set in a surreal, futuristic universe of mutant creatures, clones, and robots. The title character is a tall, sexy, scantily-clad secret agent from the country of Monica, skilled in assassination and acrobatics. Her mission is to infiltrate the strongholds of the neighboring country of Bregna, which is led by her sworn enemy and sometimes lover, Trevor Goodchild.

The visual style of Æon Flux was deeply influenced by the figurative paintings and drawings of the Austrian artist Egon Schiele. Other key influences on Æon Flux can be found in Japanese anime (especially grittier fare like Akira), and European comic works such as the work of Moebius (particularly in lineforms, color palettes, and figure characterizations). Graphic violence and sexuality, including fetishism and domination, are frequently depicted. One peculiarity of the series is that every short and some full episodes end with the recurring, violent death of Æon Flux. Another is that, with the exception of a single spoken word, all of the short episodes are completely devoid of dialogue. Peter Chung has said that this plot ambiguity and disregard for continuity are meant as a satire of mainstream action films, and his stories often emphasize the futility of violence and the ambiguity of personal morality.

A second season of half-hour episodes was considered, but never materialized. A PlayStation game based upon the series was advertised but never released.

A graphic novel called Aeon Flux: the Herodotus File was published, which vaguely explained some of the show's setting and backstory.

After nearly a decade of speculation and rumor, filming began August 2004 in Berlin for a live-action feature film version of Æon Flux, to be released in mid-2005. The screenplay was written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, and the film is being directed by Karyn Kusama. The character of Æon Flux is being played by Oscar-winner Charlize Theron. Filming was temporarily suspended during September 2004 while Theron recovered from a neck injury she suffered during stuntwork on the tenth day of shooting. Production resumed in early October. To coincide with the release of the movie, Majesco Games and developer Terminal Reality will release videogame adaptations on Xbox and PlayStation 2. (Presumably this will be a different game than the aborted TV series-based PS1 game mentioned above.)

As is often the case when popular animated characters are adapted to live-action, fans of the series have been critical both in the choice of lead actress and in the very decision to do a live-action version.

Contents

1 Series cast 2 Series episodes 2.1 Season 1 (1991) 2.2 Season 2 (1992) 2.3 Season 3 (1995) 3 Film cast 4 External links

Series cast

• Denise Poirier - Æon Flux (voice)
• John Rafter Lee - Trevor Goodchild (voice)

Series episodes

Season 1 (1991)

Serial, six parts of two to three minutes each, shown on Liquid Television

1. Pilot

Aeon kills many Breen soldiers in an attempt to assassinate a man who is already dead in Trevor's apartment. A horrible disease is spreading from a bug and infecting people. Aeon steps on a nail and plunges to her death off the ledge of Trevors building. She goes to the Afterlife and has her feet licked for all eternity, meanwhile Trevor becomes famous for his antivirus.

Season 2 (1992)

Three to five minutes each, shown on Liquid Television

1. "Gravity"
2. "Night"
3. "Leisure"
4. "Tide"
5. "War"

Season 3 (1995)

Thirty minutes each with commercials

1. "Utopia or Deutoronopia"
2. "Isthmus Crypticus"
3. "Thanatophobia"
4. "A Last Time For Everything"
5. "The Demiurge"
6. "Reraizure"
7. "Chronophasia"
8. "Ether Drift Theory"
9. "The Purge"
10. "End Sinister"

Film cast

• Charlize Theron - Æon Flux
• Frances McDormand - The Handler
• Marton Csokas - Trevor Goodchild
• Jonny Lee Miller - Oren Goodchild
• Sophie Okonedo - Sithandra
• Amelia Warner - Una Flux
• Caroline Chikezie - Freya

External links

• Æon Flux Official Site (http://www.aeonflux.com/) related to the movie and game
• TV Tome: Aeon Flux (http://www.tvtome.com/AeonFlux/)
• Template:Imdb title
• The SadGeezers Guide to Aeon Flux (http://www.sadgeezer.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=listarticles&secid=8)
• Cinescape Coming Attractions: Aeon Flux (http://www.cinescape.com/0/editorial.asp?obj_id=30794&aff_id=0&this_cat=Development+Heck)
• Box Office Prophets: Aeon Flux (http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/tickermaster/listing.cfm?TMID=1064)
• CountingDown.com: Aeon Flux (http://www.countingdown.com/movies/3115140)pt:Æon Flux