Search - Aeon Flux on DVD

"That which does not kill us, makes us stranger."

Brent A. Anthonisen | Alpharetta, GA, USA | 11/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ah, the weirdness found in snips and snaps from the old "MTV Liquid Television" days..."Aeon Flux" was easily the most inspired efforts from those brilliantly twisted pseudo-underground types back in the day...and thanks to Peter Chung's latter day successes with the "Matriculated" episode from "The Animatrix" and the "Reign: The Conqueror" series, maybe those who weren't on board during the era when grunge was king will give these earlier made-for-basic-cable exercises in sex (such as it was) and violence (as it always is) another look.This was my informal introduction to anime, and although it lacks most of the essential elements of the genre, I still feel "Aeon Flux" better captures its finest qualities, so much so that more often than not I find myself drawn away from the round-faced, big watery-eyed (and dog-whistley high-pitched female voices) of most anime artists even now.Most anime purists for some reason don't rate this at all (for what anyone else's opinions are worth), but I've never understood WHY...it's got the elements of every decent adult-oriented anime I've ever seen...scantily-clad women, gratuitous violence, and a detached sense of things which seemingly happen for no clearly defined reason (this is especially the case in the shorts taken from the "Liquid Television" series as opposed to the half-hour episodes selected from the "Aeon Flux" series...though even those don't seem to have begun from a specific point). This is a good collection of episodic animation that you won't need to buy an additional 5-10 DVD's to complete; the artwork does look a bit dated and possibly could have used better production values...but keep in mind that this was never supposed to be more than a warm-up act for "120 Minutes" on Sunday nights. I think all things considered, it holds up well and does serve notice that Peter Chung was definitely and up-and-comer in the animation world. Well-recommended (if you can find it, of course)...good luck!"

Peter Chung's creation warps your mind while expanding it.

Brent A. Anthonisen | 07/06/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Aeon Flux, the animation, breaks down the boundaries not only of animation, but of cinematic experience as well. Non-linear, often dialogue-free, storytelling makes the viewer work very hard to derive meaning, but for the hard-working viewer the payoff is a big one. The hardcore science fiction sensibility of Aeon Flux takes sado-masochistic imagery, Cronenbergian 'New Flesh' concepts and a Japanese-style adult approach and combines all these elements into a dreamlike narrative that at once enthralls and alienates you. There is something simultaneously appealing and repugnant about the world and its characters, just as the viewer alternately identifies with, and then despises, the character of Aeon Flux - and similarly cannot bring themselves to hate her nemesis (and lover) Trevor Goodchild completely.If light, escapist entertainment is what you're after, look elsewhere, but Aeon Flux will grab you by the seat of your cerebrum and keep you guessing and marveling right to the end."

A full-blooded, American Anime

SystemStructure | town, WA United States | 09/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Aeon Flux. It exists within its own genre and nearly is its own genre. It is what I like to term "American Anime." That is, that there is an obvious inspiration taken from Japanese style animation. However, this is not Japanese. This interesting hybrid is the brainchild of one Peter Chung.

Being American, this animation is more realistic looking, the characters looking less like anime and more like animated real people. The style strikes me as American too, all clean lines and sleek though utilitarian functionality.

Aeon Flux is a complex, quirky, and very weird animation that tells the tale of two nations, Bregnia and Monica. At some point, these nations became estranged from one another and a border wall armed with automatic guns now clearly seperates them. It is vaguely like East and West Germany during the cold war. Matters were made worse when Bregnia is forced under the control of a new and strange leader, Trevor Goodchild. The motives and desires of Trevor are unusual in the extreme.

Aeon herself, being the title character, is an agent in the service of the Monican government. She is a self-styled anarchist who fights for the ideals of her country and herself, while, at the same time, being the lover of Trevor Goodchild.

This show was something rare and something very different. It still amazes me that this even got onto TV. It is a show that is at once very philosophical while being also very surreal. Each episode explores some new twisted dimension of thought.

I would hesitate to show this to small children as there is some violence and mild sexual innuendo. The deeper story of each episode would also elude a small child."

Worth Watching

madnessmark | Maple Grove, MN | 08/27/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 2 hour disc contains 4 original episodes from the TV series, 4 shorts seen on Liquid Television and 1 lengthy never-before-seen short. The episodes seem to be centered around Trevor Goodchild's controlled city. Episodes: The first episode deals with two sides of the city seperated. When a girl doesn't make it over with her husband, she ends up damaging her spine. This leads to an affair with Trevor and Aeon getting a little two involved with her husband. In the end, the girl ends up losing more than she had. In the second episode, Trevor begins a plan for mass clones. Aeon's close girlfriend gets caught by Trevor for these purposes and Aeon eventually gets a clone as well. However, Aeon ends up losing two people to Trevor. Her friend and herself leaving Trevor to cry. The third episode is a little tricky. In order to make mankind better, Trevor injects people with "custodians" that give them a kinder mind. Not the best episode on the disc. The last episode is the best. Aeon's close student trys to help Aeon capture a dying species that is somehow connected to Aeon's friend. Shorts: All of these shorts can be seen on the Best of Liquid Television video except for two. One called Leisure where Aeon try to experiment with a species and a lengthy short at the end of the disc dealing with a virus that kills most of Trevor's men. Overall, some of the episodes may not be the best, but this is definetly worth picking up and watching. You won't regret it."