Aeon Flux and Chronicles of Narnia

AEON FLUX

Went and saw that Monday with Julie (see friends list). She was unfamiliar with the cartoon and I remember fondly watching the adventures of Aeon on MTV's Liquid Television. The movie gives us some rather faithful interpretations of parts of the show including the most iconic image of all to start the movie off, a decent expansion of the plot to the first "season" of Aeon Flux and a couple of nods to the second, plot development that makes the story a helluva lot more coherent and understandable to the lay person and some nice images and stunts and damn purdy pictures. IT uses the already existing "sets" found in Germany (much like Equilibrium did) to full effect and the movie looks a lot more expensive than it must have been. The stunt work is impressive at times and ok at others. The effects serve to show off the stunts or to show the changes to the world. Sure, it all looks HIGHLY digital but it IS based on a cartoon so deal with it. The movie REALLY picks up about halfway in when the plot actually kicks into full swing.

So what's wrong with it? Well, it's mostly boring. The plot, though more developed than the cartoon, is still full of holes and problems that even children will probably question. The stunts ARE good... what there are in the film. Charlize Theron does a good job but this will still go down as her Catwoman. She's still sexy as hell and CAN act. She's proven that. This must just be a paycheck movie for her. That's the only thing that makes sense. Maybe a little bit for the experience but mostly the money.

The movie excels at the visual IDEAS but the logic is what kills it. Sure, everything looks interesting but when it comes time to understand the whys and wherefores, it falls flat.

Side note: We went and saw Kiss Kiss Bang Bang afterwards. Theatre hopping, yes, get over it. It was my second time and I STILL laughed my ass off and enjoyed it. Julie got a real kick out of it, too. It's going to be harder to find now but it's well worth the effort.

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE

That is the only time I will write all that out. From here on, it's "Narnia" or "the movie". Ok? Good.

Kevin and I went to see Narnia tonite. Opening night. The 845 had sold out but the later showings were still wide open. We had planned on the 930 ANYWAY but I wanted to make mention of that. The theatre showing Rent was being used for storage I think. (That was for Crizzle.) Anywho, I never read the book. I saw the old animated one and was surprised how much I remembered of it. Lines and images and whole scenes. I guess the old cartoon version was more faithful than I thought. This is no Lord of the Rings. It may look like it at times and feel like it but then, CS Lewis and Tolkein were friends after a fashion and WETA did a lot of the effects. I guess it all makes sense.

The kids are decent actors. They are better in some scenes than others, of course, and the older kids seem more comfortable than the younger. The CGI characters are generally solid throughout (no pun intended) and the other effects are of the LOTR standards. In fact, it looked like they filmed it in the same locations.

The movie FEELS like a book for most of it. And the book was short. I don't think it would take you two hours plus to READ the book but they do add a lot to the action and such that the book, from just a cursory glance in Walmart, really didn't dwell on. We get the kids into the wardrobe pretty quickly, thankfully, and get the fantasy elements popping before heading back to the real world a couple of times before the bulk of the Narnia adventure hits. Basically, it's four english kids being evacuated from the war who are sent to live with a professor who has a wardrobe hidden away that is actually a SOMETIMES portal to Narnia, a magical land where no humans exist but everyone talks English and has tea and sardines and such and all the animals talk. The land is ruled by a mean witch while the animals are hoping for the return of the Lion, Aslan. Thger you go... that's Narnia, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. Everything else is the kids and the beavers and the wolves but I guess the title would've been REALLY too long by then.

The movie builds towards a large battle which is pretty swell. I was more interested in it than the one in Return of the King. That one put me to sleep. But the battle itself builds towards a climax which was watered down, it felt, for the kiddies. The damn kiddies. So it ends up feeling ANTI-climactic. Damn. That's really my only complaint about the movie ITSELF.

My OTHER complaints deal with the crowd. We, of course, had the stereotypical black guys and gals who couldn't resist trying to change the course of the picture by explaining ther errors in the characters' decisions or by warning them of approaching dangers. I am not wanting to come off as racist but Kevin WILL attest to the fact that they WERE black. They were sitting rather close by so wasn't hard to figure it out. But see, they weren't the big problem. Neither was the one white guy in the fron section who was obviously a HUGE Narnia fan. Fist pumping during the resurrection scene and all that.

It was this one young girl.

Sitting right behind us.

Who didn't want to see the "scary movie".

Who was brought to the theatre by her mother.

Her mother who was a fan of the books, apparently.

And the little girl liked to ask questions.

Oh, yes, she was an inquisitive sort.

"Where's she going?" "Is she going into the wardrobe again?" "Is she going to leave and get her family?" "Is he a bad guy?" "Is she going to hurt him?" "Is he dead?" "Where's he going?" "Are they going to follow him?"

That is just a SAMPLING!! She didn't shut up the whole time... except when her mother took her to the bathroom.

OH, sure, the mother would Shh the kid and ask her to be quiet. But then would go into an explanation as to what was happening. The kid was apparently mentally challenged and couldn't figure anything out on her own. And the mother was all too happy to educate her at every turn. There was a point where she actually EXPLAINED THE REST OF THE MOVIE. This was when there was still an HOUR TO GO!!! Not only that, but she felt the need to explain the christian symbolism to her young daughter. WTF!?!? So for every time she tried to shush her, the times she would answer her questions just encouraged her more.

I hate kids in theatres when they can't behave. I know it sucks that I like cartoons and kids movies and stuff but STILL. The kids should be able to behave BEFORE being brought out in public! So as much as the kids annoy me, it's the PARENTS that truly piss me off.

Anywho, the movie was good... Harry Potter was better.... I would like to see them make more from the series though. There you have it... my reviews. Hope they help.