Rebel Moon is an upcoming sci-fi epic from 300 and Justice League director Zack Snyder. We can rest assured that it will be full of action, slow motion, sinewy bodies, washed out color, and grittiness to spare.
But there’s a caveat: Rebel Moon is actually coming out in two parts. Part 1: A Child of Fire drops on Netflix on December 21 (Dec 22 in the UK), while the sequel, The Scargiver, arrives next year.
Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire recently had a premiere event in the UK, and we’re getting some first impressions. So what do folks think of Snyder’s latest opus? Overall, the impressions are solid, but with caveats. Check out a sampling gathered by Games Radar:
Okay #RebelMoon is quite simply epic! Massive scale, beautiful visuals (of course), awesome action, and some really fascinating mythology. There’s lots of exciting set-up for what’s to come, but it’s still very satisfying as its own movie. Jimmy has also stolen my heart ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pYfIfnAQ3q
— Molly Edwards (@mollycaroline7) December 7, 2023
Oh, are we allowed to talk about #RebelMoon now? Visually very handsome and flows well but suffers from Part One Syndrome. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t keen on The Scargiver now though!
— MariaLattila🎈 (@marialattila) December 7, 2023
#RebelMoon took a while to find its groove, there's so much to explore and world-build. It excels in action as Snyder knows best and by the end I was on-board. I'm excited for a part 2 and without all the baggage and expectation of the Star Wars series.
— Sunny (@SunnyRamgolam) December 7, 2023
I've seen #RebelMoon and it is a visually awesome and epically ambitious ride. While not perfect, this first part will definitely leave you wanting more. Bring on PART TWO! pic.twitter.com/v57Ejcr5QX
— James Lister (@jameslister97) December 7, 2023
So there’s general agreement that Rebel Moon Part 1 is exciting and visually beautiful, but that it’s a bit too concerned with setting up the rest of the story. And multiple people online made comparisons to Star Wars. Rebel Moon is about a group of people defending their homes against an incursion by a totalitarian space empire, so I can see the parallels.
@MandyOfSteel left a lengthy, multi-part review where she goes over some of the highs and lows of the movie:
My review of Rebel Moon:
— Amanda (@MandyOfSteel) December 2, 2023
Good: Action reminds me of Batman in the Snyder Cut. The movie is beautifully shot, it feels like a fusion of Gladiator, Star Wars and Justice League in tone.
The villain to me is the best actor in the movie, every line said with absolute conviction.
Most of my issues are likely fixed in a longer cut where we can sit down and rest with the characters while they hopefully show themselves more than they talk about it.
— Amanda (@MandyOfSteel) December 2, 2023
But I am more of a character drama type of audience member, to me the action is always secondary.
At the end she theorizes that her issues will be fixed by “a longer cut.” Given that this is Zack Snyder we’re talking about, the man behind the four-hour cut of Justice League, it should come as no surprise that Netflix has already planned to release a directors cut of each Rebel Moon movie. According to Entertainment Weekly, the R-rated directors cuts will add around 45 minutes to each installment of Rebel Moon.
Of course, splitting the movie in two in the first place already kind of feels like Netflix is giving it an extended cut. I know that Snyder likes to paint on a big canvas, and I can’t be sure of anything until I actually see the movie, but I can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a away to crunch this down into one film. Shouldn’t you see if anybody likes what you made before you consider a sequel?
But clearly I’m behind the times. Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire comes out next week. Part 2, The Scargiver, will follow on April 19, 2024.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
Add us as a preferred source on Google