Posted on 12/08/2005 4:17:07 PM PST by Brett66
Feminism in FLUX Thursday December 8 10:17 AM ET
What do Gloria Steinhem, Ruth Ginsberg and Betty Friedan have in common with Barbarella, Ripley and Aeon Flux? Not nearly enough, suggests columnist Todd Gilchrist.
By Todd Gilchrist, FilmStew.com
Arriving at the box office last weekend with what was described as the 'high end of low expectations,' Aeon Flux and its $12 million take instantly join the ranks of an emerging but still dubious tradition of female-driven action films.
The adventure, which stars Charlize Theron (Monster), follows in the inestimable footsteps of such recent jaunts as Tomb Raider and Catwoman, in that its pleasures - mostly embodied in the title character, a sexpot-cum-action heroine liberated both on the battlefield and the bedroom - seem derived more from the fantasies of sex-crazed adolescent males than empowered adult females. Unfortunately, as a viable entry in the ongoing battle of the sexes, this film remains painfully out of touch, and as a forward-thinking thrill ride, it is hopelessly outdated gender commentary.
All of which begs the perhaps equally depressingly necessary question: 'Where have all of our heroines gone?'
Almost forty years ago, Jane Fonda set the stage for decades of hopeful but ultimately outmoded depictions of 'strong' women with Barbarella, in which she plays a futuristic sex goddess sent to dispatch a malevolent scientist from upsetting centuries of galactic peace. Looking at Theron's Aeon, it would appear that little has changed, at least when comparing the favored source material of both projects: Fonda's comely female was born of a French comic book, while Aeon was originally the stuff of anime fantasies, imagined by Peter Chung as one of the flagship serials of MTV's now-dissolved series Liquid Television.
The difference, of course, is that Barbarella was somewhat hapless to the charms of her male counterparts, who attempted to seduce her in ways both familiar and foreign to the intergalactic dignitary, while Aeon was always in control of her physical encounters, whether she was defeating a phalanx of soldiers, disrobing for her designated victim slash sex slave, or documenting the atrocities of her post-apocalyptic reality.
But curiously, the newer film feels considerably tamer than its predecessor, as if modern audiences would be less comfortable with a sexually-empowered female than during the early days of feminism. That an argument can and-or would be made that she needn't be aggressive in order to be powerful defeats if nothing else the necessity to adapt the character for the big screen, for all reasons other than commercial familiarity with an established character.
That said, the project's studio, Paramount, made a commendable decision hiring Girlfight director Karyn Kusama to helm the big-budget actioner, both because of her proven feminist approach and her heretofore indie sensibility. And certainly Kusama could have elevated this wish-fulfillment vixen to something resembling a real woman, much less a bona fide action heroine, had Paramount similarly possessed the cojones to allow a faithful - and perhaps ultimately more well-rounded - interpretation of Aeon Flux.
But their reductionism, exemplary not so much of individual studio politics but the calcified fears of moneyed men and women, who fret over just how much to show to satisfy all by offending none, produced a movie that eventually encouraged so little faith by its investors that Paramount declined to screen it for critics. Does the film merit Catwoman-style martyrdom? Should it lead to the permanent excommunication of any and all gross net participants? Not hardly.
But by refusing to screen the film, and showing so little faith in the film's core audience - net-savvy teens as familiar with the ins and outs of the moviemaking industry as the studio heads themselves - Paramount, and by extension, the filmmakers, encouraged the critical majority to scrutinize every flaw, pore over every shortcoming, and tee off with a ferocity that would put even the original, animated Aeon Flux to shame.
So when finally the film met with modest success, as mentioned above, its investors and industry pundits could observe that Aeon Flux did as well as could be expected. But what does that mean for more movies like this one, that purport to eradicate gender barriers and level the playing field for protagonists of all races, creeds and cup sizes?
Should women rush out and support female-themed movies of any genre not lumped easily into 'chick-flick' categorization, in the hopes that one day they too will be able to enjoy a movie that reflects their own experiences? That's like saying the reason there aren't more 'black' movies made nowadays is because 'urban audiences' didn't support Soul Plane.
Women obviously need to see - and Hollywood needs to make - more movies that examine their lives without elevating their troubles to archetypal conflicts, or reducing them to the sum total of a pneumatic starlet's irresistibly cute pratfalls. In that capacity, a likelier candidate for canonization is Sigourney Weaver's consistently transcendent turns in the films of the Alien franchise, where Ellen Ripley was neither 'a man with boobs' nor a simpering mass of post-period hormones.
Alternately maternal and authoritative, rugged and vulnerable, distant and alluring, Weaver set the standard by which all action heroines should be judged. Theron seems to know the words, but not the music, so she plays tough, acts tender, and tries to balance both of them with enough futuristic affectation that no one will notice that neither are convincing.
Aeon Flux is no masterpiece, but it's also by no means a disaster. Ultimately, it's a placeholder for bigger and better movies whose existence can be credited in some small part to its success: it opened strong against Harry Potter , they'll argue; people want to see women is strong, empowered roles. Both of these statements are true, but as much as Hollywood likes to peer out of its birdcage from behind a single, gilded bar (expect the phrase, 'The number one action movie in America,' to adorn advertisements this coming weekend), they are but the tip of a mighty, self-affirming iceberg that must be melted not only by the moviemaking industry but contemporary culture as a whole.
So if you get the urge to check it out pre-Kong, you might be surprised at how perfectly mediocre it manages to be. But there are many worse things than to discover that Aeon Flux might eventually prove to be a gateway to a time, place, and picture where the prospect of a fully realized, three-dimensional, compelling and classic female protagonist no longer feels quite so alien as it once did.
I loved "The Long Kiss Goodnight".
someone should make a movie of "atlas shrugged" by Ayn Rand though it wouldnt really be an action movie, but empowering to women, and men alike.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.