Rebel Moon: Part 1 – A Child of Fire is the first half of Zack Snyder’s two-part sci-fi epic. With Star Wars dominating sci-fi, it’s often hard not to draw parallels. In this case, the comparisons make sense. As reported by The Atlantic, Snyder originally envisioned the project as an R-rated Star Wars movie. Lucasfilm shot down the pitch. However, the Star Wars DNA remains, which both harms and helps the film.
With Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child of Fire now on Netflix, here is a spoiler-free review.
Rebel Moon Starts Strong
The movie’s opening is arguably its strongest part. Audiences meet Kora (Sofia Boutella), a tight-lipped newcomer to a humble farming community. The planet looks beautiful, and the other inhabitants are engaging. In a relatively short time, Rebel Moon introduces a likable paternal figure to Kora and teases a romantic tension between fellow farmer Gunnar (Michiel Huisman). When Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), an ominous Mother World battalion leader, shows up demanding crops, the community descends into chaos, thanks to messy politics and violence.
Skrein himself delivers a fine performance as the main antagonist. However, Noble’s actions are ripped straight from Bad Guy School 101. After all, Negan pulled a very similar—if not more ruthless and sinister—bit in The Walking Dead’s heyday. Still, Noble’s inciting action is shocking and dark and just the thing Snyder teased. Yet, Rebel Moon’s promise diminishes once Kora and Gunnar set off to recruit an army to fight the Mother World soldiers. From there, tedious worldbuilding and lackluster action take center stage.
Too Many Characters, Not Enough Emotions
Rebel Moon dedicates most of its second act to assembling a group of fighters, a la The Seven Samurai. Djimon Hounsou (Titus), Bae Doona (Nemesis), Ray Fisher (Bloodaxe), Cleopatra Coleman (Devra), Staz Nair (Tarak) and Charlie Hunnam (Kai) deliver strong performances, but their characters are one-note. Motives for joining the rebellion are weak, with the minimal “convincing” feeling more like a pesky side quest in a video game than anything of substance. Even Nemesis’ battle against a chilling spider monster seems unwarranted. How did we get here? Why is this happening? If it is supposed to tell us something about her character, it doesn’t.
Snyder’s flair for action does little to break up the worldbuilding. In fact, these scenes only add to the monotony by overusing slo-mo and weapons that feel like they are trying too hard to imitate Star Wars’ blasters and lightsabers while simultaneously trying to be unique. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Snyder film without cheaply using sexual violence against women to show that villains do villainous things. Yeah, we know.
The climactic battle might be the best bit of action, yet even that can’t escape the movie’s past sins. Kora might know how to handle herself in combat, but everything else about her is detached and lifeless. Her backstory serves more to explain her exceptional fighting skills than her motive for taking up arms. Without the heart and connection to the characters, you’re rooting for Kora and the good guys only because you’re supposed to. Sacrifices feel hollow, and the film’s sudden conclusion seems incomplete as a result.
Visuals Help an Otherwise Lacking Story
Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon is (mostly) pretty. It lacks the more whimsical vibe of Star Wars by favoring a cold and ruthless aesthetic. This works at points. Kora and Gunnar’s trip to a scummy bar provides a glimpse into darker areas of the universe. Creature designs also shine. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to carry the movie.
While the film embraces worldbuilding, it results in little payoff. What could be a powerful tale of good versus evil and the powerful versus the poor gets buried in convoluted writing and meaningless action. Rebel Moon: Part 2 – The Scargiver may fill in these holes come 2024 or maybe the R-rated director’s cut of Part 1, but a good movie should stand on its own. Although Rebel Moon’s world might be visually compelling, it means very little without the emotional stakes and narrative to push it along.
