Charlize quite 'Flux'able

"Aeon Flux" was never, by any stretch of the imagination, popular, but it did garner a sort of cult following of fans who enjoyed the show's overt sexuality, raging violence and baffling abundance of codpieces. That's why it is so surprising that this bizarre show, with its scantily clad heroine, would be turned into a major motion picture, almost 15 years after it first appeared and disappeared into relative obscurity on MTV's short lived animation showcase, "Liquid Television."\nThe original "Aeon Flux" was about a barely dressed assassin who would run around mowing down solders until she was, quite literally, wading through their blood. The plot was never quite clear, as there was never any dialogue. The only thing that was known was that at the end of the episode, without fail, Aeon was going to die. This new incarnation of "Aeon Flux" has a few subtle nods to the original series, like the eyelash fly trap that opened every show, and the disturbing use of tongues that seems to be a signature of the series' creator, Peter Chung. \nThis new Aeon Flux stars Charlize Theron ("Monster," "North Country") in the title role. It is 400 years in the future and most of the human race has been wiped out by disease. Those who have survived live in the last human city, Bregna, under the tyrannical rule of the Goodchild dynasty. Aeon Flux is a member of a rebel group called the Monicans, who have made it their mission to overthrow the Goodchilds. She is sent on a mission to assassinate the leader, Trevor Goodchild, played by Marton Csokas ("The Lord of the Rings," "The Bourne Supremacy"). As Aeon deftly avoids death at every turn, she begins to discover the truth behind what is happening to the citizens of Bregna, and she must decide whether or not she can follow through with her mission.\nStylistically, this movie is remarkably well done, and remains true to Peter Chung's original vision, (but with fewer codpieces). Unfortunately, to maintain a PG-13 rating it seems like they had to tone down the sex and violence (and codpieces). Aeon still gets to kick some ass in tight leather, but don't expect to see Charlize Theron ripping off limbs in boots, gloves and a bikini.\nThe dialogue too, is pretty good for an action movie, and the acting follows suit, although I doubt Theron will get her second Oscar for running around in boots while pumping bad guys full of lead. The only real problem with this movie is the plot, which tends to be a big problem. The dramatic twists that are revealed throughout the movie are stupid, and annoyingly predictable, to the point that the ten minutes they spend explaining each one is insulting to the audience's intelligence. Honestly, most people will be able to see where the story is going within the first 30 minutes. Still this movie is more enjoyable than most films of its kind, and at the very least it serves as 97 minutes of eye candy staring a beautiful woman in tight leather, even without the codpieces ... have I mentioned the codpieces?