THE FILM
TITLE: Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child Of Fire
RELEASE DATE: 07 Dec 2023
WATCH DATE: 02 Feb 2024
TYPE: live-action feature film
ACCESS: streaming on Netflix
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THE PEOPLE
DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder
PRODUCER: Zack Snyder, Eric Newman, Wesley Coller, Deborah Snyder, Misha Bukowski
ACTORS: Sofia Boutella, Michiel Huisman, Ed Skrein, Djimon Hounsou, Bae Doona, Staz Nair Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman, E. Duffy, Anthony Hopkins
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THE STORY
RUNTIME: 2h 13m
STORYLINE: when war is inevitable on her planet, Kora sets out across the galaxy to find warriors to defend her village
GENRE/THEMES: sci-fi, action, fantasy, space odyssey, rebellion
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THE CRITIQUE
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Stunning visual effects and wild action scenes are met with only a mediocre storyline. Rebel Moon attempts to rise to meet the likes of Star Wars and feels like Zack Snyder’s response to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune chronicles. I’ll cut to the chase - it falls short of those epics. The script introduces way too many characters, so each one feels diluted and undeveloped. From a character design perspective, there are some pretty cool characters that feel original but still lack depth. They come across more like collectible playing cards with various abilities, than refined characters. They look cool on screen but aren’t relatable or iconic.
Your eyes go wide at the visuals throughout the film. An AI robot stands in a stream, washing his hands in the light of a sunset. Massive celestial bodies cast a red-orange glow on the planet. And a slave tames and rides a griffin as they fly through an otherworldly canyon. Rebel Moon shows some fine work done by the SFX team.
The story takes too much time on the ‘gathering characters’ part of the story, trying to give us background on each one. As a two-part story, this would have been better edited as a single film. The plot drags on through the middle while relying on the original visuals to wow the audience. Not Snyder’s best work. The character that does seem somewhat developed is the villain and you both hate and fear him, which shows good writing and acting to bring that to life.
A visually striking film that doesn’t go quite deep enough, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire is a fun watch once, maybe twice. Just don’t go into it with high expectations.
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THE RECEPTION
NOMINATIONS
I SWEAR I saw this film on the Academy Awards nominee list for Visual Effects… but when I went back to look for it… IT WAS GONE. This film deserves a nomination for Visual Effects.
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THE IMPRESSION
IN A SINGLE WORD: entertaining
MOST STRIKING ELEMENT: SFX / VISUAL EFFECTS!!!
REWATCH: mmmmm… it wouldn’t be a first-choice…
RATING: 3 // 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
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