Customer Reviews

Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

MTV wanted to branch out in the 1990s and get away from music programming. In particular, they wanted to produce late night programming for a young adult audience. The result was a collection of animated shows collectively known as Liquid Television. Aeon Flux originally got its start as a series of animated short films on Liquid T.V. in 1992. It was a clever mix of dialogue-less wall-to-wall action and an intriguing science fiction premise that was popular enough to spawn a ten-episode series in 1995.

Chung has digitally remastered all of the episodes and they have never looked or sounded better. The colours are much more vibrant and the animation style more clearly defined with shadows fleshed out creating an even more cinematic vibe. What is so striking about Aeon Flux is that it refuses to appeal to the lowest common denominator. It features very intricately plotted and complex stories and sneaks in all sorts of fantastical creations (including spider-like robots and deadly genetically engineered assassins with four arms), suggestive sexual references and the level of violence that you wouldn't find on regular television. Along with The Maxx and The Head, Aeon Flux was adventurous programming for the alternative nation. It was produced at a time when alternative culture was making serious inroads into the mainstream and it is doubtful that we will see its likes again from MTV.

The first two discs feature several audio commentaries with creator Peter Chung and key creative crew members (including the voice of Aeon Flux herself, Denise Poirier). However, most of them are tedious as Chung is not the most eloquent or interesting speaker. He dominates most of the tracks so that everyone else has to fight to get a word in edge-wise. While it is clear that he is trying to articulate his intentions on these tracks they are punctuated with so many "Ums" and "Ahs" that it becomes very annoying to listen past the halfway mark.

The real extras come into play on the third disc which features the brilliant pilot episode with optional commentary by Chung and music and sound designer Drew Neumann. We are presented with a world that is plagued with a deadly virus as Aeon fights her way to an antidote.

"Aeon Flux Shorts" (again with optional commentary by Chung and Neumann) features Aeon on various missions all of which she dies. In some episodes she lasts to the end in others, she is killed off at the beginning and this keeps the viewer constantly on edge anticipating how she is going to be killed.

"Investigation: The History of Aeon Flux" takes a look at how this innovative series originated. Chung had been working on Rugrats and was approached by Liquid T.V. to do a Spy vs. Spy type animated show. He had already been working on the pilot in a rough form.

"The Deviant Devices of Aeon Flux" examines the various weapons and gadgets that she uses in the show with narration provided by her.

"Production Art" is a collection of sketches, model sheets, storyboards and pencil tests of character designs, props, backgrounds and so on.

"Other Works by Peter Chung" features a promo he did for MTV Loaded, an ad for an Aeon Flux CD ROM and a cool commercial for the Honda Coupe Mission.

Finally, there is a collection of "Liquid Television Shorts" that appeared on this show in the `90s.

There's been some confusion over if this dvd collection will contain all of the Aeon FLux episodes. I'm happy to say that the three dvds do in fact have the whole series. Here's a quick breakdown-

Aeon Flux ran 16 episodes in total:

-1 twelve minute pilot

-5 five minute shorts (Gravity, Night, Leisure, Tide, and War)

-10 thirty minute episodes (Utopia or Deutoronopia, Isthmus Crypticus, Thanatophobia, A Last Time For Everything, The Demiurge, Reraizure, Chronophasia, Ether Drift Theory, The Purge, End Sinister)

The first two discs in the collection contain all 10 thirty minute episodes. The third disc contains the pilot and the remaining 5 five minute episodes.

*NOTE- For some reason the short NIGHT was renamed MIRROR, but it is the exact same short as the original release.*

I hope this clears up all the confusion and makes Aeon fans very happy!

For those upset about the re-recorded dialogue, here's an explanation from Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung:

'There are places where we recorded new dialogue; I brought back the writers who worked on the original show and we wnet over the scripts and tweaked the dialogue again, and in some cases brought it back to what it originally was supposed to be because MTV had asked us to change it and the version that was on the air was actually something that did not reflect our original intentions anyway. So I know that people who consider themselves purists will say "why did you tamper with it? We want the original version." Well, the version that was on the show was not the original version, you know - that's the version that MTV tampered with. So what you're getting on the DVD is something that's closer to what [we originally intended].'

Aeon Flux is a science-fiction and animation masterpiece born of the same vein as A Brave New World, Wizards, 1984 and Dune in its emphasis on political commentary over pulp space opera action sequences. The political and social commentary is actually more apt today than it was when it was first written, almost to the point where it seems to be an eerie foreshadowing of events that were play out in the real world. This is not to say that the world Peter Chung created in Aeon Flux is not a fascinating and unique fantasy world, as it is filled with classic and innovative science fiction elements.

About the show: Aeon Flux started out as a series of shorts on the show Liquid TV at a time when MTV actually possessed a good measure of creativity and innovative talent, something which today seems utterly implausible. The shorts have no dialogue, and instead the genius musical score and sound effects flesh out the plots of these often brutally violent stories. Yet in the series, the majority of the conflict is emotional and intellectual rather than physical, as it arises between Aeon Flux and Trevor Goodchild (the only reoccurring characters) due to their severely complex love-hate relationship and their polarized world views. The brilliance behind Aeon Flux, aside from the unique and sublime animation (Chung is my favorite animator), is its ability to prevent either of the two main characters (and hence the two view-points represented) from being more sympathetic than the other. This is true in the shorts as well, showing Aeon as the hero at first glance, then as a cruel butcher from the eyes of other characters. In its presentation no one in Aeon Flux is definitively right or wrong, their actions simply are, and the implications are determined by the audience. Is Aeon a freedom fighter or a terrorist? Is Trevor a cruel dictator or a benevolent leader? There are no set or distinct heroes or villains in Aeon Flux, the characters are presented as they are, complicated and powerful personalities struggling to do what they think is the right thing.

About the Collection: This collection includes all 10 episodes of the series, all of the shorts that inspired the series (which alone make this worth your money), a few featurettes, and a bonus episode of the ground-breaking MTV animation showcase Liquid TV, where the Aeon Flux shorts first aired. The commentaries mostly provide details of production and inspiration, but Peter Chung expressly avoids interpretation of any of the plots.

About the Changes: A few things have been altered from the original MTV airings, but none of these re-edits alter the stories or the overall message presented therein. Some of the effects have been upgraded with digital technology to clean up the animation's quality, but it is a far cry from what some critics claim to be a George Lucas-like tampering (no new characters were slipped in and the stories remain exactly as they were). The change in dialogue has been criticized quite a bit, but anyone who actually bothered to watch the DVD collection would realize that these changes are few and far between and are NOT done for political correctness. The "new" dialogue is hardly politically correct; it is the uncensored scripting that wasn't allowed on TV. The change here is no different than DVD releases of other shows that remove the bleeps of profanities, except the altered dialogue is not profane but more serious and biting than what MTV allowed out of fear of offending the audience. So the change is actually a removal of political correctness and censorship, not the other way around.

Overall I highly recommend this item to fans of animation, political and social commentary, and those who enjoyed Aeon Flux when it aired ages ago on MTV. However, from what I have seen of the movie it looks quite different from the series, with more physical rather than intellectual action. So any who are looking to buy this purely based on the movie and subsequent video game might be disappointed, but I still have nothing but the highest praises for Aeon Flux as both a pinnacle of animation and deep story telling. Also, for those of you who are fans of Peter Chung or even Alexander the Great or Greek history, I recommend that you check out Reign the Conqueror, a beautiful and intricate take on the story of Alexander the Great by Peter Chung.

Here's what you want to know...

Aeon Flux TV Series on MTV

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Season 1 (1991):

Serial/Pilot: six parts of two to three minutes each shown on Liquid Television

Season 2 (1992):

01. Gravity

02. Night (a.k.a. Mirror)

03. Leisure

04. Tide

05. War

Season 3 (1995):

01. Utopia or Deuteronopia?

02. Isthmus Crypticus

03. Thanatophobia

04. A Last Time For Everything

05. The Demiurge

06. Reraizure

07. Chronophasia

08. Ether Drift Theory

09. The Purge

10. End Sinister

Aeon Flux Complete Box Set VHS

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Tape 1:

01. Thanatophobia

02. A Last Time for Everything

03. The Purge

04. Isthmus Crypticus

05. Gravity, Leisure, Tide, War

06. The combined Liquid Television shorts (Pilot)

Tape 2:

01. Reraizure

02. Chronophasia

03. End Sinister

Tape 3:

01. Utopia or Deuteronopia?

02. The Demiurge

03. Ether Drift Theory

04. Night (a.k.a. Mirror)

Aeon Flux DVD (1996)

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01. Trailers

02. Aeon Flux Open

03. Gravity

04. Thanatophobia

05. Leisure

06. A Last Time For Everything

07. Tide

08. The Purge

09. War

10. Isthmus Crypticus

11. Aeon Flux

Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection DVD (2005)

------------------------------------------------------

Disk 1:

01. Utopia or Deuteranopia?

02. Thanatophobia

03. A Last Time For Everything

04. Ether Drift Theory

05. The Purge

Disk 2:

06. The Demiurge

07. Isthmus Crypticus

08. Reraizure

09. Chronophasia

10. End Sinister

Disk 3:

Aeon Flux Pilot

Aeon Flux Shorts (War, Gravity, Leisure, Mirror [a.k.a. Night], and Tide)

Investigation: The History of Aeon Flux (Featurette)

The Deviant Devices of Aeon Flux (Featurette)

Bonus CD Track Listing:

01. Intro

02. Ultimate AF

03. Monican Jam

04. Breen Lounge Lizard

05. Heroes of the Night

06. Heroes (Excerpt)

07. Gravity

08. Alien Leisure

09. Phobia Suite

10. DemiGods

11. Memory Lapse

Eye Spy CD - Drew Neumann (1997)

--------------------------------

CD 1:

01. Intro

02. Ultimate AF

03. Train Station

04. Monican Jam

05. The Torturer

06. Train Cars

07. Breen Lounge Lizard

08. Computera

09. Heroes (Excerpt)

10. Marche

11. Errors Of The Night

12. Gravity

13. Alien Leisure

14. The Dark Prison

15. Phobia Suite

16. The Dictator's Office

17. Demigods

18. Wind Tunnel

19. Memory Lapse

CD 2:

01. Choice

02. Clones

03. Paradise

04. The Tragedy Of Flight

05. Underwater Suite

06. Time Pretzel Paradox

07. Closure

Aeon Flux Books:

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The Herodotus File

Aeon Flux #1-4 (Dark Horse Comics)

This is the definitive Aeon Flux collection I've literally been waiting years for. Back in '97, I had plenty of opportunities to get the now notorious out-of-print version from Tower Records for FAR less than sellers are asking now. Every weekend I'd see it, pick it up, think about how it only had some but not all of both full-length eps and Liquid TV shorts, then I'd put it back down. Eventually, I just stopped thinking about it altogether with the attitude that "I'll get it later--it'll be there".

Fast forward a couple of years, the DVD went out-of-print and sellers were exploiting the fact by juicing buyers with exorbitant prices for the disc. Only a couple of months ago, when news of the Aeon Flux feature film and this tie-in complete collection DVD surfaced, did sellers begin lowering the prices of the out-of-print version.

After heavily weighing the pros & cons of both versions, [with this set having next to none in cons, I might add] I ordered my Aeon Flux Complete Animated Collection from Amazon the day it was released (after comparing prices, of course),then received it very quickly a few days later. Thanks, Amazon. I'm still smiling over having this long-awaited collection.

Because of the concern over replaced dialogue (still written by original writers and voiced by original cast) which was the original intended material but censored by MTV, there may still be a need for the out-of-print version depending on your personal preference. But if you only have to have one Aeon Flux collection, this beautifully remastered set, with a wealth of content personally overseen by creator Peter Chung, is definitely the best buy!

Highly Recommended!

This DVD would have gotten a much better rating if it were not for the silly politically correct dialogue changes made to End Sinister. The new dialogue and voiceovers weaken that episode by making Trevor seem less insane and cruel. After making a direct comparison with my old VHS tape the "improved" version is just a misguided attempt to make Trevor more likeable. All it does is make the episode less interesting and the new ray explanation is now confusing, trite and convoluted. So now I am stuck keeping my old VHS tapes which I will soon convert to a new DVD. These revisionist directors need to keep the original versions available for the fans. I haven't compared the other three modified episodes but my guess is the dialogue changes on those are probably detrimental as well.

There have been some responses to my review claiming the alterations were made because the original episodes were censored. In the one episode I have compared none of the edits (yes there is a portion of one scene that is removed) or the altered dialogue contain content that would have violated MTV broadcast standards at the time. If anything the new dialogue is more broadcast friendly than the old.

In the directors letter which comes with the collection he states the changes were made to improve character continuity. There is nothing in the letter describing any previous censorship issues with MTV. He does say that one characters voice (that of Clavius) had to be re-recorded by a new actor. So the explanation by one reviewer claiming that all the new dialogue was recorded by only the original actors is not true.

This animated Sci-fi epic show has became one of MTV's most popular shows besides "Beavis and Butt-Head" back in the 90's, it originally began as a short animated film made by Peter Chung and it became the most popular short on MTV's "Liquid Television", after that Mr. Chung has made more shorts until in 1995 he decided to make his creation into a short lived animated series that has gained a cult following among anime fans and animation fans alike. The show is basically set in the future in another place where two countries known as Bregna and Monica are aside each other, a dictator/scientist named Trevor Goodchild wants control of both and perhaps even the world as a sexy female agent named Aeon Flux goes on many missions to defeat her enemy and lover.

The Show combines "Heavy Metal" with James Bond and "Blade Runner" with some creative yet complicated storylines and some neat and weird futuristic ideas. The episodes in this 3 disc set are " Uptopia or Dueterantopia" about Trevor having control of Bregna as he has kinapped the president and is hiding him in a secret chamber under his bed for virtual experiments, " Thanatophobia" has Aeon with Trevor who both compete with each other with two different lovers from both borders then with " A Last Time for Everything" Trevor is experimenting on cloning techniques especially on Aeon. " Ether Drift Thoery" has Trevor who experiments in a special ecosystem called the Habitat which is in a ocean surrounded by paralytic fluid and Aeon wants to know what his newest experiment is, next " The Purge" ( my fave episode) has Aeon after a cruel fat criminal named Bambara who just has been implanted with a special robotic device that changes behavoirs of people as Aeon is assigned by a secret club to purge Bambara of his coastodian. " The Demiurge" has Aeon with his Monican friends on a mission to take away a box that contains a special god called the Demiurge and must send it to outer space, " Isthmus Crypticus" has Aeon with a friend on a mission to rescue two bird-like mutant humanoids which Trevor keeps in chambers, " Reaziure" deals with Aeon who must get rid of the effects of a successful mission by trying to hurt a innocent person and getting rid of a special pest. " Chronophasia" has Aeon who battles against Trevor in a infected underground area which includes a large mutant baby much like "It's Alive" ( 1974) and finally " End Sinister" which is the final episode has Aeon who goes after Trevor to the future and discovers that she may finally be alone with him.

This 3-Disc DVD set has great picture and remastered sound with the first episode being a director's cut with a brand new voice over by John Raft Lee ( voice of Trevor Goodchild) and a new voice for President Clavius by a British sounding Bruce Willis, and there's plenty of extras for the fanboys such as a audio commentary by the creator Peter Chung with the cast and crew, the original Pilot, the original shorts, two featurettes, still galleries of art and more, other works by Peter Chung and some Liquid Television shorts.

A must have for anime and adult animation fans!

Now that it has been announced that a complete set of the series that has defined the anime alpha female, the lovely/deadly Aeon Flux, all that needs to be done is to wait for the light at the end of the tunnel to get bigger!. Since its debut on MTV's Liquid Television it has been difficult to get hold of Aeon in collected form and I have only found it on VHS, the complete works must include Aeon Flux (about 2.5 Hrs) Mission Infinite (about 90 mins) and Operative Terminus (about 90 mins). I wonder what extras are in store?...

Violent, surreal, and sultry kind if sums it up. But that kind of sums it up for the "Matrix" trilogy (+) also.

The entire series in a pair of DVDs is excellent, as I could finally see it in the space of two evenings in sequence, without interruptions. And it is disjointed and surreal enough that it deserves to be seen like this to allow the viewer get a handle on what's going on, but this is a good thing.

The dark vision of Peter Chung is powerful, almost Dadaesque, but at the same time has a tempo that makes it hypnotic. Numerous vivid vignettes in each episode stress the visual nature of the animation, but the dialog provides a unifying theme to each one and sets the rhythm that makes each story strangely compelling.

The most compelling theme throughout the series is the relationship between Aeon Flux and the villain, Trevor Goodchild. Or is he a villain? Is he in fact a benevolent dictator trying to do the greatest good for the greatest number, and in fact Aeon Flux is a nihilistic anarchist bent on violence and destruction as an art form, or merely for its own sake? Different episodes spin the story both ways, but regardless, it is clear that Aeon and Trevor have the consumate love/hate relationship, or possibly a lust/hate relationship.

This is an absolute must for fans of Peter Chung's work, as seen in "Animatrix" and and "Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury". Several of the voice actors were featured in this and "Dark Fury" and their gifts had an essential element of the flavor and power of "Aeon Flux".

What makes this hard to rate is that it has elements of adolescent male fantasy mixed with patterns of plot that are so complicated as to seem random. On the other hand, given that this was made for MTV, the randomness and adolesence should not be surprising. It is sophisticated enough to inspire a serious cult following, but chaotic enough to put off many viewers that can't grasp the gestalt.

Not for everyone, and definately not for children. Sexual themes, domination and sadism, themes about totalitarian authority, violence, some drug themes; Actually, this might not be for most adults.