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 style of Æon Flux is partly influenced by Japanese anime. Graphic violence and sexuality, including fetishism and domination, are frequent themes. 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.
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.
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.
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
- 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
- "Gravity"
- "Night"
- "Leisure"
- "Tide"
- "War"
Season 3 (1995)
Thirty minutes each with commercials
- "Utopia or Deutoronopia"
- "Isthmus Crypticus"
- "Thanatophobia"
- "A Last Time For Everything"
- "The Demiurge"
- "Reraizure"
- "Chronophasia"
- "Ether Drift Theory"
- "The Purge"
- "End Sinister"
Film cast
External links
