The relationships between the characters feel forced, stilted, and false. We are supposed to accept that we care what happens between Aeon and Trevor and between Aeon and her sister, because the script says we do. But we are never given any background for why we care.
Similarly, the film asks us to feel invested in which side wins—the Goodchilds or the Monicans—without providing any of the history between the two.
When a major character defects from the totalitarian regime, there’s no moment of surprise. We don’t know enough about either side to feel shocked by it. This is probably because the film is so focused on showcasing Charlize Theron in a series of skintight unitards, twisting the heads of her adversaries between her thighs, that it doesn’t have time to explain pesky details like how the Monican rebellion formed, how Aeon developed her superhuman powers, and where on earth that strange resistance leader is located that Aeon and her troops can only speak to her in their minds.
It’s really too bad, because another element of good sci-fi stories is that they ask questions relevant to issues society faces today. And Aeon Flux broaches some fairly significant themes it never bothers to develop.
In the Flux future the far left wing gets everything it wants today—human cloning for everyone and extreme population control in the form of no new babies. If nothing else can be said for this film, it proves what a scary world that would be.