Cory Stillman
For the better part of a decade, director Zack Snyder enmeshed himself in the massive DC Extended Universe, kickstarting the superhero franchise with 2013’s Man of Steel and bringing his own personal vision to a close with Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021. In the eight years between those two films, Snyder grew into one of the most divisive filmmakers in Hollywood, garnering both loyal devotees and staunch critics in equal measure.
Say what you will about Snyder’s treatment of his source material, but there was a certain ambition in his work for the DC Universe that made films like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) admirable, if not entirely successful. Snyder’s unique brand of brutality may have been an imperfect fit for superheroes with as strict a moral code as Batman and Superman’s, but his imaginative rendering of the franchise’s narrative landscape led these characters to some exciting and unexpected places.
It therefore comes as a relative surprise that Snyder’s latest project is so darn uninspired. As its title suggests, Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire is only the first chapter in this sweeping space opera — its sequel was filmed concurrently, and is expected to release in April of 2024 — but Snyder’s script does little to establish much intrigue around this brand new sci-fi setting.
Rebel Moon began as a pitch for a new Star Wars film, and that tidbit alone informs the entire experience of visiting this not-so-fresh take on a galaxy far, far away. Equipped with one of the biggest budgets in Netflix history, and finally unshackled from the constraints of preexisting IP, Snyder can only conceive of his universe in the context of its influences. Each planet and creature that appears in Rebel Moon is such an obvious ripoff of a well-known counterpart, and the fact that Snyder pitched this idea as both a film and a video game becomes increasingly evident as the movie goes on, its characters speedrunning through each locale before we can even sink our teeth into its richly realized world.
Indeed, Rebel Moon’s narrative inertia is a shame, as the film is undoubtedly one of the best-looking projects of 2023. Random encounters with humanoid spiders and bird-headed-dragons(?) may feel like superfluous side quests, but they are visually stunning nonetheless. At times, one wishes that Snyder would have held back on his signature shallow focus, allowing his audience even greater clarity in observing Rebel Moon’s spectacle, but the film’s uncanny combination of practical and digital effects makes it a worthwhile contender for Best Visual Effects at this year’s Oscars, and is a testament to Snyder’s status as the rare contemporary filmmaker with a thorough understanding of the VFX process.
And if this version of the film looks this good, viewers are in for a treat when an R-rated extended cut releases in early 2024.
It is a bit bizarre that Netflix would commission a space opera from Zack Snyder and demand that he tones down the violence. The lack of blood and guts is a genuine issue for Rebel Moon, further equating this new franchise with the family-friendly pulp that has made Star Wars so iconic (Rebel Moon’s sexual overtones feel innocent and sophomoric rather than edgy and mature). Perhaps Netflix is betting that a PG-13 Rebel Moon will attract a larger following, but if the franchise has any hope of sticking around in our shared cultural memory, it will need to spill some blood along the way.
To his credit, Snyder cleverly cuts around Rebel Moon’s sanitized action sequences, ensuring they do not lose the full weight of their ferocity. Snyder’s reliance upon slow-motion comes in handy during the movie’s larger battle sequences, methodically shifting our perspective from one fight to another so as to avoid the inevitable bloodshed that comes from slicing an enemy’s head off or putting a bullet through their chest. Still, it will come as no surprise if the extended cut — reportedly a full hour longer than this 134-minute-cut — emerges as the definitive edition of Rebel Moon — Part One.
But even if the film inevitably benefits from some gory modifications, its problems are likely to persist. One of the most concerning aspects of Rebel Moon is its lackluster cast. For a film riffing so heavily on Seven Samurai, its assembled crew of rebels are alarmingly uninteresting. Sofia Boutella plays Kora, a mysterious interloper whose stay in the quiet village of Veidt is cut short when she must travel the galaxy and recruit mercenaries to fight against the all-powerful Motherworld. Boutella holds her own as an action star, but her line delivery leaves much to be desired. Of course, Snyder’s script (co-penned with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten) does her no favors, tasking her with providing long expository monologues, none of which arrive organically. Even the great Anthony Hopkins sounds disinterested and confused as he narrates the film’s jargony opening (perhaps Snyder and his team should have written this exposition out in yellow text, allowing it to crawl upward and away from the viewer?)
Other notable cast members include Charlie Hunnam as starship pilot Kai and Djimon Hounsou as General Titus, but even their talents feel wasted in a film that breezes through the introduction of its own key characters. Snyder’s support of the outspoken Ray Fisher continues to pay dividends, as Fisher’s Darrian Bloodaxe is a clear standout. Ed Skrein steals the show, however, as antagonist Atticus Noble, chewing up the scenery with the most charismatic and physical performance in the film.
Ultimately, the spectacle of Rebel Moon alone is worth the price of admission, although you are most likely to boot up Netflix on Christmas Eve and watch the film from the comfort of your own home.
And that may be part of the problem.
Even as Netflix continues to empower expansive visions from some of our most talented filmmakers, movies like Rebel Moon feel desperately disconnected from that at-home experience. This visually stunning epic deserves to be seen on the biggest screen you can find. Limited to laptops and television sets, the meandering malaise of Rebel Moon threatens to devour its impressive imagery whole.
SCORE: ★★
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