Movie Review: ‘Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire’

Review by James Lindorf

After his departure from DC, Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, has turned his sights on crafting the next science-fantasy epic. Originally pitched as a proper Star Wars movie, Rebel Moon is set to be Netflix’s defining franchise. One that includes movies, books, comics, and video games, assuming people buy into Snyder’s mashup of Kurosawa and Lucas beginning with “Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire.” After a brief and limited theatrical run that started on December 15th, “Rebel Moon” will be released on the streaming platform at 10pm EST on December 21st. With a 2-hour and 15-minute runtime, it may be a little late for East Coasters, but it will be available when you’re ready to relax after spending time with friends and family this holiday season.

In “Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire,” we are introduced to a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy that finds itself threatened by the tyrannical ruling force of the Motherworld. Kora (Sofia Boutella), an outsider now living among the villagers, will become their best and only hope for survival. Given just nine weeks before the army returns to leave the villagers in a state of famine, or worse, Kora is tasked with finding trained fighters who will join her in making an impossible stand against Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein, Deadpool). She sets off to distant worlds and moons in search of smugglers (Charlie Hunnam), insurgents (Ray Fisher), orphans of war (Staz Nair), outsiders (Bae Doona), and disgraced generals (Djimon Hounsou) who share a common need for redemption and revenge. The fate of the galaxy will rest in the hands of her small band of warriors as the shadow of the Motherworld seeks to crush every sign of rebellion.

Perhaps the best and worst element of “Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire” is its pacing. The movie feels like a, getting the team together montage stretched out to two hours. Since that is the second-best type of montage after training montages, it isn’t the worst premise in the world. Most of the movie follows the same pattern of character introduction, sharing enough details to make them seem cool, and just when you think you’ll get to know more about them, nope it’s time for an action scene. Then, that is all followed quickly by them setting off to meet the next team member. It keeps the movie moving, so you don’t feel the time passing, but you also never develop a connection with any of the characters. During the buildup to the climactic scene, a character recaps who the rebels are, which was great because, at that point, I couldn’t name everyone.

The story is unquestionably thin with the emotional depth of a large puddle, leaving part one offering little more than world-building and some pretty visuals. Before Rebel Moon was split into two parts, it must have been nearing the 5-hour mark, if not longer. It is clear that Netflix and Snyder understand the shortcomings of this theatrical version, as they have already announced an extended Snyder cut of part one for early next year. It will come out sometime before “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver,” which is scheduled to be released on April 19th, 2024.

Making a film with the scale of “Rebel Moon” isn’t easy or cheap. Even as one film, the 166 million dollar budget would be tight. After splitting it into two, it is pretty easy to see where the money went and where they could have used more. It did go to mostly talented actors who cannot or do not demand the fees associated with the A-listers. Sure, it would be great to have one of those all-time great ensemble casts, but “Star Wars” didn’t, and it did okay for itself. It is more about finding the right actors, which can happen on any budget if time permits.

Visually, “Rebel Moon” is inconsistent. It is clear what effects they spent money on and those they did not. When Kora works the fields, you can almost see the junction of the green screen backdrop and the dirt-covered stage. The unevenness also extends to the practical and the creature designs. The ships, the robot Jimmy (Anthony Hopkins), the costumes, and the makeup all look pretty great for the most part. But when it comes to some props, you can tell they were purchased from a store and hung up because they look exactly like an item from Earth. Much like Willrow Hood and his ice cream machine in “Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.” The hair department definitely needed more time to develop possible styles for the actors. Ed Skrein has the worst hair since Shawnee Smith in “Saw X” earlier this year or anyone in a Tyler Perry project. Then there are the creatures that populate Snyder’s universe. Some are unique and well thought out, like this tentacled mind-control alien that looks very good and Harmada (Jena Malone), a spider creature that looks fantastic. Then there are the horse-like animals that are clearly horses with weird hats, and the deer and dog-like animals that are just regular dogs and deer. There are no CGI exaggerations or makeup, just an animal the wrangler happened to own.

“Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire” wants to be great, and I wanted it to be great. It has most of the required elements, but the story is like a skeleton trying to walk with no connective tissue; it just falls apart. When the credits roll, it isn’t even clear who the Child of Fire is, and that seems like a sizable mistake. In its current form, the film earns a 2.5 out of 5, and I believe the best way to watch it will be to wait for the extended cut. Better yet, wait for both extended cuts and spend a day in this universe. If you decide not to wait and you’re not the type to be angered by a film whose only goal is entertainment, then you will find it a passable way to spend two hours. If you need everything finely tuned and crafted to have a good time, then stay in a galaxy far away.

Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Director: Zack Snyder
Producer: Wesley Coller, Eric Newman, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder
Writer: Shay Hatten, Kurt Johnstad, Zack Snyder
Release Date (Theatrical): December 15th, 2023
Release Date (Streaming): December 22nd, 2023
Runtime: 2h 15m
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: The Stone Quarry, Grand Electric