There was a lot of hype leading up to the release ofRebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire.The movie wasZack Snyder’s passion project, something he’d been working towards for decades. It was proposed to be made as aStar Wars film, aTV show, and even a video game.Rebel Moonfound its home on Netflix as a two-part space opera. The second part of the movie is yet to be released, butits first part is up on Netflix and, unfortunately,it’s nowhere near as good as anticipated. It has haphazard pacing, repetitive exposition-to-fight scene patterns, and stilted character development. But that’s not why we are so exasperated byRebel Moon.The real problem lies in the fact that a better version of the movie exists, and it’s being kept veiled as a marketing gimmick.
Rebel Moon
When a peaceful settlement on the edge of a distant moon finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, a mysterious stranger living among its villagers becomes their best hope for survival.
‘Rebel Moon’ Is a Flawed Movie With Potent Concepts
Rebel Moon’s universedefinitely has a certain intrigue to it. It’s absolutely brimming with promises of exciting lore, but since the movie is pressed for time, it never really attempts to delve into the intricacies of the world. While watchingRebel Moon,you get a sense that it’s adapted from a copious source, perhaps a rich sci-fi novel spanning volumes, with the threadbare plot and characters being added as an afterthought. But that’s not the case.Rebel Moonin its entirety, with all its flaws and strengths, is an original IP. And while the attempt to bring it to a screen is a worthy effort, you’re able to’t help but wonder why it wasn’t handled better.
Rebel Moonhas its pacing issues and uninspired fight scenes, but themovie receives the biggest grievance from its characters, all of whom are utterly joyless to followaround. None of them seem to have any bit of nuance in them. Consider the bland journey of its protagonist, Kora (Sofia Boutella), to enlist the help of like-minded rebels from around the galaxy to fight against the evil ever-expanding empire. Kora herself comes from a dark past, the glimpses of which are time and again shown to us in stylistic but substanceless flashback shots. Conveniently for Kora, it doesn’t take much convincing for the eccentric warriors to join her rank; just a few corny lines will do.
Upon introduction, each new rebel gets an obligatory kick-ass sequence where they tame a soaring beast or slay a spider-like alien with a dual sword. It’s briefly hinted that all of these characters have a fascinating backstory — one of them is a prince turned slave — butas soon as their five minutes of fame ends, so does their contribution to the overall story. At no point do we see them interact with each other in any meaningful way. Their personalities, as distinct as they might be, neither clash nor rhyme, but simply trudge behind where the plot carries them. There is one character that feels a little fleshed out and actually like a human, but ironically enough, it’s a robot named Jimmy (Anthony Hopkins).
A Longer, R-Rated Director’s Cut of ‘Rebel Moon’ Exists
Rebel Moonis perhaps the most unapologetic andeasily recognizable Zack Snyder movie, which, for a polarizing filmmaker like him, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, all the epic elements associated with Snyder are on proud display here. But at the same time, his weaknesses also stand bare and exposed. So, it comes as a little surprise to learn thatRebel Moonhas turned out to be one of the more divisive movies of 2023, scoring 24% with the critics and 61% with the audienceon Rotten Tomatoesat the time of writing. This isn’t too atypical for a Snyder film; he has an extremely loyal fan base who have passionately defended Snyder movies that have been panned by the critics. But even his ardent fans can’t seem to get over the fact thatNetflix is hiding a longer, better version of the movie in an obvious marketing stunt.
In an interview with AP, Zack Snyder revealed that theRebel Moonreleased in December is a condensed, PG-13 version of the movie intended to reach a wider audience.Snyder’s true vision of the film is actually a longer, R-rated story with more fleshed out characters and a more detailed world. And what’s more, this yet unreleased version of the film isn’t only meant to be an extended cut, but an alternative version of the movie that feels like it’s in a different universe. And while it’s good to know that a better version of the movie exists since it definitely has potential, it begs the awkward question of why Netflix even bothered with a PG-13 release that’s so noticeably inferior in quality?
Ed Skrein Is a Sick Bastard in ‘Rebel Moon’ But the Director’s Cut Is About to Make Him Even Worse
“I can’t believe we’re getting away with this. I can’t believe that Zack is asking me to do this."
Netflix’s ‘Rebel Moon’ Snyder Cut Stunt Feels Too Contrived
Oftentimes,director’s cuts are dismissedas a marketing tactic to sell slightly tweaked versions of a film. And while there are movies that use director’s cuts only as a means to sell DVD box sets,Snyder has been more or less consistent in delivering director’s cuts that are better than the theatrical releases. We’ve seen the pattern repeat inWatchmen,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,and most notablyZack Snyder’sJustice League.He’s the sort of director whose best work comes out when it’s not restrained for corporate interest. This is a well-known fact among moviegoers, and now withRebel Moon’salternate version, there’s a sense that Netflix is trying to use the Snyder Cuts’ legacy as a marketing gimmick.
Netflix can spin it any way they want, but the truth is that no one really wanted this version ofRebel Moonwhen it’s so painfully lacking in depth. Keeping the better version of the movie hidden until the release ofRebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiverscreams greed and marketing gimmick. For one, it’s a shameless attempt to double the view count through a single intellectual property. And secondly, it feels like a half-hearted attempt to re-create the Snyder Cut buzz that received unprecedented, organic promotion before the release ofZack Snyder’s Justice League.But it just doesn’t work here because the context is very different.
The reason why the Snyder Cut worked for Justice League was becausethere was a genuine, regretful reason behind Snyder not being able to complete his film, and it had to be completed by a different director. It was obvious that theJustice Leaguewe received was far from Snyder’s vision. Since the fans had high hopes forJustice Leagueand faith in Snyder, there was a genuine reason to demand a director’s cut. Netflix’s approach withRebel Moon, however, feels too disingenuous and artificial, like it’s trying to bring in twice the view from the same IP. But fans can easily see through this trickery, and Netflix, Zack Snyder, andRebel Moon’sbrandssuffer on account of inconveniencing fans with a first draft-like version of the movie. The streaming giant would have fared better releasing a movie that feels fleshed out and complete. And maybe the eventual director’s cut will be much better than the one we’ve just seen, but by then these marketing gimmicks might just tire and repulse even the most fervent fans.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fireis available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
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