Directors Series: Karyn Kusama

The goal for the Directors Series will be to take a deep dive into the entire filmography of either an up and coming director whose name should be on the tip of everyone's tongue or a potentially well known director with a diverse filmography. Some of the names on this list will surprise you, as they have been working as a director in Hollywood for a while and just gotten their big break, or have had a long time between projects.

THIS MONTH'S DIRECTOR: Karyn Kusama

MOVIE: Æon Flux (2005)

Starring:

Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux

Marton Csokas as Trevor Goodchild

Jonny Lee Miller as Oren Goodchild

Sophie Okonedo as Sithandra

Frances McDormand as Handler

Pete Postlethwaite as Keeper

Amelia Warner as Una Flux

Budget: $62 Million

Box Office:

Opened: $12.6M

Final: $25.8M

Plot:

Set in 2415, 400 years after a mysterious virus wiped out the majority of humanity, the survivors now live in the utopia of Bregna, governed by Oren and Trevor Goodchild. After her sister is murdered, a mysterious assassin named Aeon Flux believes the Goodchilds are responsible and finds herself on the trail for revenge. When she comes face to face with Trevor, she is unable to pull the trigger, feeling an unexplained and deep connection to him. She soon discovers the truth about Bregna, uncovering a vast and unsettling conspiracy, and together with Trevor seeks to bring down the government once and for all.

My Review:

It's not unheard of for a promising indie director to be handed a big budget action film, especially in today's Hollywood. And it's easy to see what drew Kusama to the material; a strong, ass-kicking heroine and a chance to tackle some outlandish action set pieces. Unfortunately, this movie fails in many aspects, including many that helped make Girlfight successful. First off, that was a simple and straightforward narrative where as this movie is just nuts. There is a lot happening, especially world building wise, that the movie just breezes through. On top of the hastily explained world, the plot is riddled with betrayals and reveals that lose any semblance of meaning because they are rushed through and weren't organically developed within the plot. I am not familiar with the source material, but creator of the TV series, Peter Chung, was very outspoken at the time that the film makers didn't understand his creation. That is entirely possible, given the end result. Kusama has claimed the studio took the movie away from her in post, cutting 30 minutes away and editing it from what she had intended. This is also possible, but I can only judge the movie on what it is and not what it theoretically was supposed to be.

Secondly, it fails in the action department. With the much larger budget, Kusama was allowed to attempt a unique take on an action film. It didn't turn out well, and unlike Girlfight, there is no command over the action, with the scenes being chopped to near incoherency. While Kusama is able to capture some distinctive and unique shots, the film isn't well written and the dialogue feels like first draft material. I know the movie came out in 2005, but for a film with a 62 million dollar budget, the effects work is shoddy at best, with many instances where the green screen work is noticeable.

You don't watch movies like this for the acting, but given what Kusama was able to do with an unknown in her first film, she very clearly knows how to direct actors (a fact that is even more evident with her more recent output). There are many capable actors in the film but they never are able to rise above the material. It's understandable yet disappointing for such a capable female lead like Charlize Theron.

This is really the only film of hers that I wasn't able to enjoy, even on a so bad its good level. Regardless of what happened between Kusama and the studio, you can't help but be disappointed with Æon Flux.

Critical reception:

9% on Rotten Tomatoes

Trivia:

Kusama has claimed that the studio took away control from her in post production, re-cutting the film and changing storylines after feeling that her version was "too arty"

Filming was stopped for nearly a month after Charlize Theron hurt her neck doing a stunt on the 10th day of shooting. She was hospitalized for 5 days and needed 6 weeks of physiotherapy to recover.

Up Next: Jennifer's Body (2009)