3.5/5 stars
Rebel Moon opens in an agrarian colony on Veldt, a moon orbiting a ringed planet much like Saturn. When the colony is invaded by soldiers from the Imperium, it’s up to the orphaned Kora (Sofia Boutella) to recruit fighters to help the villagers. The problem is the rebels are scattered all over the galaxy.
Before Kora departs, she takes out a dozen or so enemies armed only with a hatchet – the first of many well-executed battles spread throughout the movie.
On a desert planet, Kora finds Tarak (Staz Nair), a warrior who can communicate with the animal world. Next, on a dying world polluted by mining, Nemesis (Bae Doona) displays expert sword skills. Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a disgraced Regent general, joins the team from a gladiator planet.
Meanwhile, the rebels are pursued by Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), a ruthless killer who commands the King’s Gaze spaceship. No one is safe from his men, not even the mercenaries trying to betray the rebels.
If it seems like you’ve seen this before, you probably have. The director has cited The Dirty Dozen and The Lord of the Rings among his inspirations; it’s easy to pick out nods to other big-budget blockbusters as well.
What Snyder brings to the project is a sensational world-building vision and a muscular filmmaking style that can pummel viewers into submission.
Rebel Moon is as easy to read as a billboard and about as deep. Once it gets going, the movie sprints at a furious pace, stopping only to indulge in too many slow-motion leaps, kicks and punches.
Because not everything in Rebel Moon makes sense. Bae’s Nemesis is fascinating, and her battle scene deep in the bowels of a cobalt mine is a highlight of the movie, but her powers are confusing, and like the other rebels, she doesn’t get much chance to explain herself.
Snyder, who also shot Rebel Moon and co-wrote its script, has huge ambitions for the project. The second part arrives in April, and an animated series and RPG computer game have been announced. That’s to say nothing of extended, R-rated cuts of parts one and two. Will fatigue set in first?
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire will start streaming on Netflix on December 22.