The Independent Critic - Movie Review: Rebel Moon: Part One

STARRING
Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Michiel Huisman, Ed Skrein, Bae Doo-na, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Stuart Martin, Anthony Hopkins, Jena Malone
DIRECTED BY
Zack Snyder
SCREENPLAY
Shay Hatten, Kurt Johnstad, Zack Snyder
MPAA RATING
Rated PG-13
RUNNING TIME
133 Mins.
DISTRIBUTED BY
Netflix
OFFICIAL IMDB

Movie Review: Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire

If there were FYC screeners for the Razzie Awards, I'm quite confident I'd have received one for Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire along with the usual hardbound picture book, a t-shirt that doesn't fit, a moon-shaped stress ball, and a coupon for 10% off admission to Rebel Moon: Part Two - The Scargiver.

Alas, Snyder's only hope for not taking home a multitude of Razzies this year lies in this film's late release and the distinct possibility that those always unpredictable Razzie voters have already made up their minds.

So, let's just state the obvious upfront. Rebel Moon is not a good film. Rebel Moon is a bad film that makes other bad films look better. It made me briefly contemplate the idea that M. Night's The Last Airbender wasn't really all that bad. Fortunately, I changed my mind. Rebel Moon made me briefly think that Tom Cruise's The Mummy wasn't actually godawful. Again, I changed my mind.

But seriously, Rebel Moon is not a good film.

In Rebel Moon, a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by a tyrannical ruling force. Kora (Sofia Boutella) is a mysterious stranger who lives among them and becomes their best hope for survival. Assembling a small band of warriors - outsiders, insurgents, and orphans of war - she leads battle over the fate of a galaxy. A new army of heroes is formed.

Sigh.

It's important to note that Rebel Moon: Part One is, in fact, the first of a two-parter and one can only hope that we're in for a heck of a lot more story with the second go-round (I doubt it, but one can hope).

When the bad guys arrive, they subsequently demanded the village's entire harvest. They immediately eliminate the village's leader, an act returned by our dear Kora who takes out some soldiers. She is joined by Gunnar (Michiel Huisman) and essentially the film takes off to recruit the warriors who will defend the villagers. These recruits will include:

Charlie Hunnam's Kai, whose performance here is the film's highlight as he at least infuses the proceedings with genuine energy and heart.

Djimon Hounsou's Titus, a rebel general who's skills are undeniable yet who is also seen as a disgraced man.

Ray Fisher's Bloodaxe, a rebel leader with a gift for the oratory.

Staz Nair's Tarak, a man with a gift for taming wild creatures.

Doona Bae's Nemesis, a meditative warrior with more spiritually-tinged gifts.

Part one doesn't take us deeply into this journey or this conflict. Instead, it's like a 2+ hour recruitment video with journeys to different planets, the obligatory battles, and weakly assembled origin stories for each character. The script, co-penned by Snyder with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten, never quite lives into its even basic description and exists with limp dialogue, almost zero meaningful character development, and a narrative that is about as murky as the worlds being created here.

This is not to mean, however, that Part One never works. There are moments that hint at Snyder's intentions here and moments when the film's visual palette clears and becomes rather impressive. There are moments that make you think "Now, we're going to get going." Unfortunately, Rebel Moon never gets going.

There will, of course, be those who appreciate Rebel Moon for what it is and that's fine. They're wrong. Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire is, in fact, simply a cinematic misfire of epic proportions.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic