Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire

Unfortunately, my expectations were not even halfway met. I can confirm that this is one of the biggest disappointments of the past year. Zack Snyder really missed the mark this time, and by a wide margin. Don’t get me wrong, it's not a complete disaster (I don't understand some of the reviewers here who think so). The visual effects occasionally surprise positively, and there are a few interesting sequences (like the fight with the arachnoid). But the story? What was that supposed to be? I didn’t understand the motivations of the characters at all, and why they joined the protagonist to defend the tiny village. The antagonist is more of a caricature. The acting doesn’t offer much either (considering the script, I suppose I couldn’t expect more), although Sofia Boutella performs decently. And the ending? I’m really not looking forward to the sequel. It had such potential. What a shame. I give it 5/10 (mainly because of the soundtrack... Junkie XL didn’t disappoint). P.S. The slow-motion scenes were more often laughable than anything. (01/11/2024)

There’s one rather unexpected twist, other than that, it's a compilation of situations seen elsewhere, nonsensical statements and hacked scenes. I'll admit I considered looking up the Snyder cut, since Snyder didn't bother to edit this film and I probably would have done better. There's a lot of stuff I don't understand why it's even there... like the unnecessary flight on Klofan. WTF? Maybe the ridiculous persuasion of that disparate bunch with the ear-splitting dialogue and odd behavior of most of the characters goes away in the edits. Maybe. I'm sorry about the weaker ship and weapon design and the sloppiness of the visual effects, an edit won't fix that. Sofia Boutella tries her best, Ed Skrein enjoys his sturmbannführer and nobody has much to show for it apart from the traditionally fine Charlie Hunnam. Hopefully the second part will be all about the slow motion action. Zack Snyder should leave the screenwriting to someone more capable. P.S: The best character is actually Anthony Hopkins's Jimmy, but they don't really take him on a road trip. (12/24/2023)

I like Zack Snyder, I consider his comic book movies to be the best ever made in the genre (yes, I'm talking about the recent ones), and I like him as a person for his passion for the cause. However, what the hell was this supposed to be? I don't mind that the film rips off/draws from wherever it can, the trailer had already prepared me for that, but why on earth is it so... Empty? Stupid? Bloated? Boring? If the opening shot makes you giggle like a teenager and the following monologue, which is supposed to explain what kind of world we're in, doesn't explain anything, let me tell you that it doesn't get any better in the next minutes, tens of minutes, two hours. Perhaps only the desire to mock will pass you by, because Rebel Moon isn't worth that either. In This is the kind of film that would have ended up on videotape at best in the 1980s or 1990s, even though its creators were convinced they had made a masterpiece. It didn't work this time, Zack, and I don't think the second part will fix it. (12/25/2023)

Zack Snyder used to be a director whose films I alternately rated very high or very low until about 2013, but in the last decade or so my acceptance of his films has settled more on the lower star numbers, with Rebel Moon clearly being the culmination of that trend. It basically can't go any lower than that, everything here is wrong except that it roughly keeps the technical parameters of a Hollywood blockbuster. Good luck trying to build a new cinematic universe around this shit, because I can't imagine who will realistically care about these characters and their world. (12/23/2023)

Zack Snyder really needs to stop directing his own scripts. It's not doing him any favors, and it's certainly not doing any favors for those of us who, fifteen years ago, thought he was an up-and-coming filmmaker whose work we’d always want to see. Now, I know I don't want to see any more. Rebel Moon should never have been made. The producers of Star Wars, who Snyder originally pitched this to, knew exactly why they didn't want to turn this idea into another story episode. And others also sensed that this was going to be a mess. But then Netflix stepped in, knowing they could draw in viewers based on the names attached to the project, regardless of the film’s actual quality. People might watch it once, but many will struggle to finish it. This film is an absolute disaster. It has all the hallmarks of a decent sci-fi flick, but all the good elements are things we've seen before — and enjoyed more elsewhere. Here, it’s just an embarrassment. If only Zack could accept that screenwriting isn't his forte and instead adapt a well-regarded sci-fi novel. That, I believe, he could pull off — provided he doesn’t meddle with the story. As it stands, this film is a complete mess. How am I supposed to get excited about this universe after such a poor start? Maybe Zack will clear things up in the second part, but I’m not holding my breath. (12/27/2023)