Aeon Flux, animated Series.

December 2, 2005 12:36 PM

Aeon Flux, animated Series.This may kill all your time today. With the release of the new Aeon Flux Movie, they are releasing some of their animated shorts on their Overdrive application. Unfortunately, I can't provide a direct link to it, since it goes through a flash interface. You can get their by clicking on the 'movie' link on top. Requires IE, Flash, and probably windows only.
posted by countzen (50 comments total)

As a side note, the movie looks really really really really really really really embarrassingly awful.
posted by xmutex at 12:38 PM on December 2, 2005

I'm getting a message that states: We're sorry, but MTV Overdrive is currently unavailable in your territory.
posted by Staggering Jack at 12:38 PM on December 2, 2005

Hmmm here's a link to the page that links to that, maybe it'll work better for you folks. Overdrive
posted by countzen at 12:44 PM on December 2, 2005

this is exactly what I'd rather watch than the live action sure-as-shit awful movie. Why didn't they get Lara Flynn Boyle, a body match to the cartoon? It won't matter. Is the live-action movie an experience that all young actresses will have to go through nowadays?

Scarlett Johanson is Firestar!
posted by Busithoth at 12:47 PM on December 2, 2005

The second DVD I bought was Aeon Flux and its still among my favorites. I'm not sure how bad the movie will be but they could have made about ten Aeon outfits out of all the material they used to make the Charlize Theron version of Aeon.

Its about the skin, the sin and her dry humor as she kills dozens of people. I don't think Charlize was a bad choice but the costume designer should be drawn and quartered.
posted by fenriq at 12:51 PM on December 2, 2005

PC Users with Netscape, Mozilla or Firefox: you need to run Internet Explorer to use MTV Overdrive.

Boo.
posted by Alison at 12:55 PM on December 2, 2005

I read somewhere that Charlize refused to wear a skimpier costume.

/anecdote
posted by lyam at 12:56 PM on December 2, 2005

I caught a visibly embarrassed Charlize Theron promoting that stinkpile on MTV. The host asked her why people should see the movie and she seemed more than a little stumped.
posted by Sticherbeast at 1:05 PM on December 2, 2005

A real live-action Aeon Flux movie, with "the skin, the sin and her dry humor as she kills dozens of people" would have warranted an R-rating. As we all know, R-ratings are bad news for the bottom line.
posted by linux at 1:07 PM on December 2, 2005

Considering the movie wasn't screened for critics, I think Ms. Theron is in for a long weekend.
posted by solistrato at 1:08 PM on December 2, 2005

The first time I saw the preview for the movie, I thought it was going to be one of those mock previews that is in reality a "turn off your cellphone" reminder.
posted by goatdog at 1:15 PM on December 2, 2005

I was so excited when I heard that a live action Aeon Flux flick was in works- until I saw the teasers. I'll reserve judgement until I see it, though.
posted by kryptondog at 1:18 PM on December 2, 2005

I hate MTV. And screensavers. I accidentally didn't pay attention to the fact that you had to click around the flash interface. So after three commercials, some terrible band of guys who look like gals started playing music. I clicked on the real link and after three more commercials, the strange cartoon began playing. And then my goddamn screensaver came on. After going through three more commercials and about five minutes of buffering, I finished the episode. And then watched the other episodes. Totally worth it. Though by comparison, the movie looks even worse than I first thought.
posted by panoptican at 1:26 PM on December 2, 2005

Its blocking anyplayer without Microsoft's DRM, how do you circumvent this? (Ideally on a Mac)
posted by jeffburdges at 1:41 PM on December 2, 2005

If you can't circumvent the Microsoft DRM, we should seriously consider self censoring to not propogate such links.
posted by jeffburdges at 1:43 PM on December 2, 2005

Wired magazine has an extremely brief item on Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung's take on the new movie.
posted by Western Infidels at 1:45 PM on December 2, 2005

Don't see it - I hear from people at the studio that it sucks severe ass - like they're avoiding screening it for anyone, there have been almost NO ads for it anywhere and, yes, Peter Chung's more than a little pissed about the movie.
posted by OhPuhLeez at 1:48 PM on December 2, 2005

"MTV Overdrive uses Windows Digital Rights Management (DRM) to protect videos from unauthorized re-distribution.

Unfortunately, Microsoft's Windows Media Player Plug-in for Macintosh does not support Windows DRM. If DRM support becomes available for Macintosh, MTV will develop a version of MTV Overdrive that works on a Mac."

Yeah, it appears to be Windows-only.

As a side note, the motion picture looks to be really horrid.
posted by majick at 1:50 PM on December 2, 2005

No doubt, goatdog. I don't see the point in making a live action version of AF. Its twisted, surrealistic, over the top nature was so much of the appeal. I actually laughed out loud in the beginning of the trailer where they show Chalize's AF catch the fly in her eyelashes.

Have to say, too, that 'Liquid TV' was the first time I forgave MTV for straying from music vids back in the day. Good stuff.
posted by Frisbee Girl at 1:53 PM on December 2, 2005

Aeon Flux is so....cool. And weird.
posted by graventy at 1:59 PM on December 2, 2005

"To do a jeté wearing a G-string could be problematic to film," says Theron, who suffered a herniated disc and was out of commission for six weeks. "We had to recognize our limitations."

Can't say that I blame her.

They've also remastered all the episodes and provided some new dialogue in the new dvd release.
posted by longdaysjourney at 2:02 PM on December 2, 2005

...there have been almost NO ads for it anywhere...

No? I feel like I can't escape the incessant onslaught of Aeon Flux TV ads, movie previews, web banners, magazine puff pieces, etc.
posted by Western Infidels at 2:13 PM on December 2, 2005

Whatever-- I'm going to see the film tonight in order to enjoy the (probable) ten minutes of itthat make me feel fourteen again, and as for the rest of it I will be trying (desperately, at times, I'm certain) to enjoy it on its own (heavily criticized) merit (if it does indeed have any).
posted by hermitosis at 2:19 PM on December 2, 2005

Regardless of whether or not the movie $uxx0rz, I'm just glad that they finally realized that it made no sense to put out a 3-tape VHS collection of all the Aeon Flux episodes and not release the same thing on DVD. Then again, maybe the strategy all along was to wait for the movie.
posted by deusdiabolus at 2:29 PM on December 2, 2005

Dear God, why did they have to make this movie? I mean it's not like there is an Aeon fan base, like there is a Spiderman fan base - so why did they even need to take these characters? And if they wanted to appeal to the fan base wouldn't they logically give creative control over to Chung, and he could have directed/written a live action or cartoon movie. It's like they made this movie just to tarnish the creation and punish the fans. It would be like a Calvin and Hobbes movie where Calvin plays the pissing redneck kid on the mud-flaps. They've taken one of the smartest cartoon series ever made and turned into another Residence Evil/Tomb Raider low IQ Hollywood crap-fests.
posted by dgaicun at 2:44 PM on December 2, 2005

I could imagine a good live-action Aeon Flux, but it would have to be really, really out there. No way could you make it a mainstream action movie. The level of violence alone would make it tough to watch. I mean, the shorts had rivers of blood, right?
posted by mr_roboto at 2:54 PM on December 2, 2005

I can only hope the PS2/XBox360 version of the movie will have Aeon in her proper almost-there outfit.

I bet if they'd cast Rebecca Romijn as Aeon, she would have insisted on the skimpy costume.
posted by fenriq at 2:57 PM on December 2, 2005

Well, duh, dgaicun, that's how Hollywood works. I'm guessing that the studio believes that by purchasing the rights to the character they've also purchased the attendance of anyone who likes that character. So they then modify the movie in pursuit of other, unrelated demographics --- not believing that they might lose the interest of people who were interested in the original AF shorts. (After all, legally it's still the exact same character, even if it's now totally different from the AF it was based on.)
posted by hattifattener at 2:58 PM on December 2, 2005

I remember MAD Magazine quipping something to the effect of

"Fans will note that the live action Aeon Flux's costume is not an accurate portrayal of that from the original cartoon. Rumor has been that this was done to avoid an R rating.

In reality, the costume designers were being merciful on the rest of the world, in anticipation of the numerous fat goth chicks who will undoubtedly adopt this as their costume come next Halloween."
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 3:03 PM on December 2, 2005

Beggin' yer pardon, guvnor, but there is an Aeon Flux fan base, who've enjoyed the original Peter Chung animated installments for their deadpan, almost gallows wit, their bizarre sexuality, and their nearly nihilistic yet arty tone. And yet, some of us, mainly out of the morbid curiosity born of hearing of Charlize Theron try gamely to bring this off, will still dutifully troop to the theater to plunk down our $6.50 to spend the next 90 minutes mortifying ourselves.

If they'd been serious about Aeon Flux on the silver screen, they would've shoved seven figures at Peter Chung and given him complete creative control.
posted by alumshubby at 3:14 PM on December 2, 2005

My favorite part was when Trevor calls for "total information awareness." Classic.
posted by BackwardsCity at 3:16 PM on December 2, 2005

As noted, these won't play in Firefox, so I didn't watch them, but from the menu, it looks like it's just the first episode of the MTV series. I personally much prefer the Liquid TV shorts, especially in the second season when they abandoned a continuous plot and killed her off all the time. They are readily available "in the wild" if you want to see what made Aeon awesome in the first place.
posted by team lowkey at 3:35 PM on December 2, 2005

I can't believe Theron even decided to squander her credibility so soon after winning an Oscar. She even almost broke her neck, and ended up like Christopher Reeves for this shite. Also, I'm not all too sure what she did to her body for Monster was completely reversible, as I find myself somewhat disgusted by her breasts, even in her depressingly unslutty Aeon outfit.
posted by dgaicun at 3:38 PM on December 2, 2005

Why can't I use MTV Overdrive on my Macintosh Computer?

The videos on MTV Overdrive are encoded using the Microsoft Windows Media 9 codec to ensure the maximum possible video quality. In order to offer you a broad selection of full-length music videos on-demand and free of charge, MTV Overdrive uses Windows Digital Rights Management (DRM) to protect the videos from unauthorized re-distribution.

Unfortunately, Microsoft's Windows Media Player Plug-in for Macintosh does not currently support DRM. When DRM support becomes available for Macintosh, MTV Overdrive will work to support Macintosh.

boo! (and it never should have become a movie--it was great animated, and the silence of it, the music, and the look of it was perfect as is)
posted by amberglow at 3:44 PM on December 2, 2005

We're sorry, but MTV Overdrive is currently unavailable in your territory.

Bollocks.
posted by drill_here_fore_seismics at 3:47 PM on December 2, 2005

MTV--radical firebrand of alternative media--has Microsoft so very far up its ass that it refuses to offer any of its online content in a Mac-friendly format.

I learned this some time ago when, in a nostalgic trip down memory lane, I visited mtv.com to try to watch some actual, you know, videos.

Apropos of nothing, I'd be interested in hearing MeFi'ers views of other brands which have strayed so far from their original (implied) mission. Wired's late '90s attempt to become Forbes for Code-Spewers comes to mind.
posted by the sobsister at 3:56 PM on December 2, 2005

Yes, but the queestion is should we voluntarily censor ourself by not propogating such links which depend on DRM?
posted by jeffburdges at 5:04 PM on December 2, 2005

Why is this discussion only focused on Charlize Theron? Did she direct, write, and produce this? Sounds like she got swept up in a cool sounding project "Remember that Aeon Flux cartoon? They want you to play her. Its being directed by the woman who made Girlfight" must have been tempting. I'm sure by the the time she and her people saw what a mess this movie was becoming it was a bit too late to back out.
posted by skallas at 5:19 PM on December 2, 2005

Or maybe I should be asking, will this be so bad that it will retoractively destroy all her previous work, like how the new Weezer album does to all the other Weezer albums?
posted by skallas at 5:20 PM on December 2, 2005

Okay, back from the movie. Yes, it sucks. The sad thing is there are a lot of fascinating elements that get dragged down by the rest. And one moment involving an earring during a particular fight scene that I felt was worth the price of admission and showed a trace of the real Aeon. Trevor was a joke.

The only parts that showed real promise were the areas where it edged past pg-13. That actually is true of most of the terrible movies I've seen over the last few years.

Had a good time though, all the same. Wish I could have afforded $5 popcorn to throw during the unbearables.
posted by hermitosis at 9:15 PM on December 2, 2005

Also I have a hunch that Charlize probably gave a pretty deep performance that just never really made it to the screen. She seems pretty committed to the role onscreen, however butchered it ends up seeming. I bet she feels ripped off.
posted by hermitosis at 9:17 PM on December 2, 2005

Hergh. Oh well. I'll go see it, because I am Hollywood's bitch. If only they would make other movies of my cherished teenage memories, so I could pay them more money to go and have my dreams crushed!

Also, on the amazon editorial review of the box set- wtf?

Aeon and Trevor play with two peoples life, Sybil and Onan, who are a couple trying to get to Monica, where it has more freedom. They are currently in Brenga, in which Trevor runs. When they both try to escape Onan is successful but Sybil is not. She breaks one of her spinal column and keeping her from falling apart or upright, she needs a device in which Trevor provides. Sybil decides she had enough of Aeon, Trevor and Onan and decides to try her jump into Monica again. Only to see a new device, that she help make, was planted there, cutting her legs off instead.

Who the hell wrote this?
posted by 235w103 at 9:33 PM on December 2, 2005

On a casting note - and I'm not sure about acting, but on purely visual grounds - few people would make a more perfect Trevor Goodchild than MSNBC's Ron Reagan. The fact that he's Ronald Reagan's son only adds to the Goodchild persona.
posted by dgaicun at 2:58 AM on December 3, 2005

Who the hell wrote this?

Probably someone whose native language isn't English.

The director's cut of the series, discussed above and reviewed in longdaysjourney's link, looks great. I'll have to pick it up -- instead of seeing the movie.
...

This reminds me, I still haven't watched The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury.
posted by jiawen at 4:22 AM on December 3, 2005

Jiawen -
Dark Fury is actually pretty good...
posted by woil at 11:52 AM on December 3, 2005

Or maybe I should be asking, will this be so bad that it will retoractively destroy all her previous work, like how the new Weezer album does to all the other Weezer albums?

Haha, well played.
posted by ludwig_van at 12:54 PM on December 3, 2005

I actually enjoyed the AF movie. Not sure what everyone else was expecting...
posted by melt away at 3:43 PM on December 3, 2005

I enjoyed the AF shorts that originally played on Liquid Television. About 5 minutes each, with no dialogue, and downright puzzling plots. They were really vague and obtuse, and you had to think about the context and guess what was going on. Great animation, too.

The series was pretty disappointing, though. LOTS of dialogue, less mystery, and the animation quality went down a notch. Had its moments, but I admit I only watched a few episodes.

The movie looks terrible. Will watch it if it's free and I have 2 hours to kill.
posted by zardoz at 12:11 AM on December 4, 2005

Woil, I own it but just haven't gotten around to watching it yet. I definitely will, one day.

I also love Chung's work on the Animatrix ("Matriculated") -- about as hypnotic and intricately weird as his work on Aeon Flux.
posted by jiawen at 3:37 AM on December 4, 2005

Well, duh, dgaicun, that's how Hollywood works. I'm guessing that the studio believes that by purchasing the rights to the character they've also purchased the attendance of anyone who likes that character...
posted by hattifattener at 5:58 PM EST on December 2 [!]

Yep, their hubris is pretty much impetuous. Because they got you with Product A, they think that they can rope you into the sequel, the spinoffs and whatever toys or themed Happy Meals™ they can get to tie into the promotion. After all, it worked with Star Wars, the Burton-Schumacher Batman, The Matrix and the careers of David Goyer and Ehren Kruger – why should it fail to work anywhere else?
posted by vhsiv at 4:15 AM on December 9, 2005