Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire!
With the movie having nearly set a career low for the director, Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon has become the target of the latest episode of Screen Rant‘s own Pitch Meeting series. Intended to launch a multimedia franchise for Snyder and Netflix, the 2023 sci-fi movie revolved around a former warrior traveling through the galaxy to recruit help to put a stop to the tyrannical Motherworld regime from claiming power on the peaceful moon of Veldt. Featuring an ensemble cast led by Sofia Boutella, the first Rebel Moon garnered largely negative reviews from critics, but has been a modest viewership success, laying the ground for Part Two: The Scargiver‘s April 2024 release, as well as R-rated extended cuts of both.
Just a few weeks after its streaming premiere, Screen Rant‘s Pitch Meeting series has set its sights on Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire. The episode, as seen at the top of this article, reflects on many of the problems behind the sci-fi movie, namely its blatant borrowing of iconic scenes from popular movies, namely Star Wars and Harry Potter. The video also pokes fun at the movie’s lack of any deeper story, instead expanding its rebel recruitment arc to a full-length movie.
Can Rebel Moon 2 Save Snyder’s New Franchise?
Though not the first time Snyder has struggled to connect with critics at the start of a franchise, as evidenced by his DC Extended Universe tenure, the troubled launch of Rebel Moon did come as somewhat of a surprise to some. The filmmaker’s prior new original property, Army of the Dead, became a surprise hit for Snyder, garnering his best reviews since his directorial debut, 2004’s Dawn of the Dead remake. With Zack Snyder’s Justice League also garnering some of the best reception of his career, it seemed likely that the creative freedom Netflix was allotting him for their collaborations would bode well for Rebel Moon.
Despite this, however, a number of reasons ultimately led to the Netflix movie’s poor reviews. In addition to the clear pulls from classic movies, it was also excruciatingly clear that much of the story had been trimmed or cut completely in order to market the releases of director’s cuts for both movies, wanting to capitalize off the viral success of his Justice League expansion. Though said extended cuts may actually help both Rebel Moon movies feel more unique and well-rounded.
One of the biggest course corrections Snyder and Netflix should make for Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver would be to revisit the material cut from the sequel before its release and determine what are more crucial story elements to keep rather than those that simply exist for worldbuilding. Given the streamer and filmmaker have large plans for the franchise, including a potential third movie, animated prequel show, comics and narrative podcast, the sequel will need to course correct if it hopes to better connect with those outside of Snyder’s passionate fanbase and instill confidence in the streamer to fund such plans.
Rebel Moon
From director Zack Snyder comes Rebel Moon, a sci-fi action movie set in the depths of space and following a colony that is facing the threat of Regent Balisarius. Sofia Boutella plays a warrior charged with recruiting others in the fight against the tyrant, and his unstoppable forces that are dead set on conquest.
- Release Date
- December 22, 2023
- Director
- Zack Snyder
- Cast
- Djimon Hounsou , Sofia Boutella , Charlotte Maggi , Ray Fisher , Jena Malone , E. Duffy , Staz Nair , Doona Bae , Sky Yang , Charlie Hunnam , Cleopatra Coleman
- Rating
- PG-13
- Genres
- Action , Adventure , Fantasy , Sci-Fi
- Writers
- Shay Hatten , Kurt Johnstad , Zack Snyder
- Studio(s)
- The Stone Quarry , Grand Electric
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
- prequel(s)
- Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver
- Franchise(s)
- Rebel Moon
Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver
Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver is the second part of Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic and will continue the story where the prior movie leaves off. Little details exist on the project besides its release in April 2024.
- Release Date
- April 19, 2024
- Director
- Zack Snyder
- Cast
- Sofia Boutella , Ed Skrein , Anthony Hopkins , Djimon Hounsou , Michiel Huisman
- Rating
- Not Yet Rated
- Genres
- Action , Adventure , Sci-Fi
- Writers
- Zack Snyder
- Studio(s)
- The Stone Quarry , Grand Electric
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
- prequel(s)
- Rebel Moon
- Franchise(s)
- Rebel Moon
