The first big-screen adaptation of Aeon Flux is best remembered as one of the most disastrous adaptations in the history of cinema. Not only did the movie tarnish the legacy of much-loved original animated series, but it also effectively crippled the franchise for nearly two decades. Although a newly rebooted live-action series is rumored to be on the cards, it's difficult to escape the long shadow cast by one of the worst Charlize Theron movies ever made.

Released in 2005, Aeon Flux is a loose adaptation of the original MTV cartoon series that ran for three seasons between 1991 and 1995. The plot concerns the titular Aeon, a highly trained assassin played by Charlize Theron who sets about bringing the downfall of a dystopian future earth society, ruled by a cabal of mysterious scientists. Although Aeon's home, the city of Bregna, seems on the surface to be an idyllic place, citizens frequently go missing as the population are tormented by nightmares. Aeon, alongside her fellow freedom-fighting Monicans, attempt to bring down the government.

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Despite the intriguing sci-fi premise, the movie made a paltry $52 million at the box office against a $62 million budget and holds a dismal 9% on Rotten Tomatoes. Given the film's strong cast – including the likes of Academy Award winner and star of the original Fargo movie, Frances McDormand, Jonny Lee Miller, Pete Postlethwaite, and, of course, Theron herself – and tried and tested source material, this failure might seem all the more baffling. However, it's clear from the project's troubled history and ultimately flawed approach that this particular adaptation was almost inevitably destined for disaster. Here's why the original Aeon Flux flopped so spectacularly.

Studio interference negatively affected Aeon Flux

Aeon Flux movie poster

Although Aeon Flux boasted some impressive talent both in front of and behind the camera, the whole production was adversely affected by the studio. Initially, for instance, director Karyn Kusama had wanted to shoot in the South American city of Brasilia, as the area boasts unique 20th-century architecture that fit her vision of Bregna. However, the producers intervened as it was believed that Brasilia lacked the infrastructure to handle a film of this scale. As a result, key scenes were instead shot in Berlin, which ultimately compromised the original vision for the movie proposed by Kusama – who would later find critical success as the director of the cult horror hit Jennifer's Body.

Conflict with the studio continued even after shooting finally wrapped. According to a 2016 interview with Buzzfeed, executives were disappointed in the final product, claiming that it was too highbrow and likely to put audiences off. As co-scriptwriter Phil Hay put it, "We heard it come down: 'This is a $50 million art movie.' And we were like, 'That's sounds great to me!' But that's not what the current regime had signed up for." As a result, the studio ordered drastic changes in post-production, changing character arcs, storylines and heavily re-editing the final product. Although there's no way of knowing whether Kusama's original vision would have been more thoughtfully executed, there's no doubt that the compromised version that made it to screens was a serious failure.

The Aeon Flux script was poorly received

Aeon Flux bodies

Although the forced changes clearly did not help the movie's cohesiveness, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the problems ran deeper than the studio. For instance, the original Aeon Flux series' creator Peter Chung later claimed that there were major problems with the script and that the end result was an insult to fans of the original. As he explained in a scalding statement to Live Journal: "With apologies to both Phil and Matt...the movie is a travesty. I was unhappy when I read the script four years ago; seeing it projected larger than life in a crowded theatre made me feel helpless, humiliated and sad." In the same interview, Chung went on to add that, though studio interference undoubtedly played a part in the shoddy end result, he had fundamental problems with the characterization of Aeon herself, explaining: "Since my main problems are with the portrayal of Aeon and Trevor, I doubt that I'd have liked the longer version much better."

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Perhaps the main issue with the script is the way in which it diverges so dramatically from the source material. For instance, Chung's original series is set over 5000 years after the events of the movie in the year 7698 AD. This begs the question of just how closely connected the two stories really are. Consequently, this clear decision to go in a different direction may go some way towards explaining why the movie ended up being a failure.

Aeon Flux was ultimately derivative

Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux

For all the problems behind the scenes, there are elements of the final Aeon Flux film that are unquestionably derivative. The movie itself is actually symptomatic of one of the major problems with sci-fi in the early 2000s – namely, that it tried and failed to feed off the success of The Matrix. Like many other films of that era, Aeon Flux attempted to capitalize on the appetite for dystopian, high concept sci-fi, supplemented by plenty of martial arts. However, despite having an interesting premise to work from, the final result ultimately failed to add anything new to the genre.

Key plot points, such as an authoritarian police state and an underground rebellion are tropes that have been repeated across numerous science fiction movies, including several that coincided with Aeon Flux's release. Notable examples include 2002's Equilibrium – starring Golden Globe-winner Christian Bale – and 2006's Milla Jovovich-led vehicle Ultraviolet, which much like Aeon Flux proved to be both a critical and commercial disappointment. The fact that the market was oversaturated during this period ultimately made it harder for specific movies to stand out from the crowd. While Aeon Flux may have been considered more unique in a different cinematic era, there's no doubt that, by 2005, it offered little to distinguish itself.

Although Aeon Flux's dystopian concept has certainly been seen elsewhere, it was by no means the only issue with the movie. Given the presence of lauded Girlfight director Karyn Kusama and Mad Max star Charlize Theron, the film could still have been a success. However, when all the factors that affected production are considered together, it's perhaps unsurprising that Aeon Flux ended up being a bomb.

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