CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 04/28/06

Æon Sux

by dennis sampson

Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi
Based on characters created by Peter Chung

As a comedy, this tale of rebel assassin Æon Flux (Charlize Theron) trying to off the leader (Marton Csokas) of the walled city Bregna in the year 2415, after only one percent of Earth's inhabitants have survived a deadly virus, is inspired. Sadly, the film is not (at least according to Paramount or the filmmakers) supposed to be funny. Flux is deadly serious, highlighted by stilted dialogue monotonously delivered by a cast (Hotel Rwanda's Sophie Okonedo, along with Francis McDormand and Pete Postlethwaite) who clearly has gone slumming. Scripters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi deliver characterizations flatter than the 2D animation of Peter Chung's original series (which ran on MTV's Liquid Television, which along with convoluted storytelling and a bizarre premise too bizarre to be interesting (Æon's part of a clandestine group called "The Monicans" who are rebellious for reasons cloudier than the origin of their, er, moniker) make this all a re-animated mess. The commentaries try to make sense of out of this jumbled debacle of a movie. Little success there as well.

Æon Flux (Special Collector's Edition)
Paramount Home Video
Rated PG-13; 92 min.
$29.95

Buy it now

Dennis Sampson is a commercial production coordinator and unproduced screenwriter. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his better half, Susan, and their dog Tripp.

Æon Flux (Special Collector's Edition) courtesy Paramount Home Video

From the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Art of Craft
Screenwriting experts discuss how to approach various aspects of writing and the writing life. A mini-seminar each week from the people who write the books and teach the classes. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Big Picture

Features that cover all aspects of screenwriting, from our "Seven Best" lists to analysis of old favorites and new classics. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Expert Witness
A panel of experts assembled to provide the facts about the screenwriting business. Readers will be able have their questions answered by an agent, producer, entertainment attorney, and WGA representative—and without paying that 10% commission. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Son of a Pitch
A weekly tutorial on how to write a script. Each week deals with a different element of creating a script, with the ultimate goal to provide a step-by-step instruction manual for new writers. The guide for this is a writer just diving into screenwriting himself, who asks the pros questions any new screenwriter would have about this brave new world. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Weekend Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a writer’s perspective. How can these items help a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey more enjoyable? > VIEW ARCHIVE

DVD Review of the Day
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate the writing, development, and storytelling process? > VIEW ARCHIVE