Aeon Flux

In theory, the ingredients for a decent sci-fi are in place: a futuristic conspiracy plot, an Oscar-winning actress, a Sundance and Cannes-winning director… And yet Aeon Flux is as cartoony as its animated TV series-inspiration, and not in a particularly good way either. Flux (Charlize Theron) is a rebel living in a post-apocalyptic walled city, assigned to assassinate leader Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas). She uses some pretty nifty tricks to break into his high-security headquarters, but once there finds herself attracted to her target. Do they know each other from another life? It’s hard to care when the dialogue and plotting are so rudimentary. Perhaps even more damningly, this is visually drab, failing to exploit either Theron’s catsuited charms or those of its futuristic cityscapes. Fans of sci-fi B movies should find some pleasure in the film’s central ideas – recalling both ‘Logan’s Run’ and ‘The Island’ – but the execution means this is unlikely to win its star or director any further awards.