This had all the makings of a disaster. A bizarre and obscure cartoon turned over-hyped live-action flick. How could anything live up to the cult status created by Peter Chung’s striking and sexy animated anti-heroine and her outrageous universe? Early photos of Charlize Theron as Aeon seemed like a bad omen: where was the strappy dominatrix gear, the weird hair, the lethal bustline? I fully expected to endure this year’s Catwoman. Prepared for the worst, I found myself enjoying this chic and surreal action film. The producers were smart to keep things relatively simple. Critics are trashing the understated acting and dialog as lifeless, but they seem an appropriate translation of the original show’s mysterious and slightly alien characters. The futuristic city of Bregna resembles a parking garage at times, but its minimal sterility helps build the proper mood for the story. The plot repurposes lots of elements from the animated episodes; things that were once utterly cryptic and random now tie together and make sense (sort of). The movie’s biggest flaws are probably inescapable. Anyone unfamiliar with the decade-old cartoon this movie is based on probably won’t know what to make of its absurd and fluid nature, while die-hard fans will find this version to be too much of a watered-down departure. Personally I thought it was a pretty cool trifle with a better-than-average sci-fi premise. In any case, watching Charlize tumble in slinky catsuits for 90 minutes wasn’t a bad way to pass the time.

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