Zack Snyder is, for me, a director whose work I have a hard time defining. It’s not something I usually consider good in many ways, but it’s still something I often find pretty to look at and even compelling in many ways. The characters are shallow, but often while watching the movies, I find myself not caring that much until the movie’s over and I am not sure what I really think the movie is all about. Now Netflix has the two part Rebel Moon, something that for Snyder’s many fans will probably be something they rave about for however long. But me? Well, I figured I could at least check out the first part on my own.
And, well, it is certainly a Zack Snyder movie.
On the agricultural planet of Veldt, a woman named Kora (Sofia Boutella) is essentially hiding from the militaristic empire known as the Motherworld. But then one of Motherworld’s most potent space cruisers shows up, looking to get some supplies. While the various farmers are unsure what to do, there is a thought from one Gunnar (Michael Huisman) that they can maybe sell some of their surplus to the Motherworld admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein–yes, this movie has both actors who played Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones), but Noble is a brutal man who murders the community’s leader before declaring his ship will be taking more food than the community can share and hope to survive once the harvest comes in, leaving a detachment behind to make sure the farmers do as he wants. But when some of his men try to assault a local girl, with only one young soldier trying to stop them, Kora reveals that she is a nearly unstoppable father, raised to fight by the Motherworld military before the king, queen, and their literally magical young daughter were killed. Now, she and Gunnar have to go find some fighters and maybe the rebellion to protect Veldt before Noble comes back.
What follows is Kora and Gunnar doing what they can to track down a missing General Titus (Djimon Hounsou) and the brother-and-sister Bloodaxe siblings (Ray Fisher and Cleopatra Coleman), rebels all that can perhaps defend Veldt or train the farmers how to fight or both. En route to finding these people, the pair recruit space Irishman Kai (Charlie Hunnam), friend-to-the-animals Tarak (Staz Nair), and the cybernetic swordswoman Nemesis (Doona Bae). With Noble following close behind and the clock ticking, can Kora find the help Veldt needs before it’s too late?
My understanding is Rebel Moon began life as a pitch for a Star Wars movie. Let’s just say it shows. This movie feels so much like a rehashed version of the original Star Wars, from the look to the general plot–a rebellion fighting against a powerful, evil empire–plays out like Star Wars. There’s even what looks like laser swords and a cantina scene. True, there are some creative aliens and the like, but when Kai’s ship first appeared, my first thought was how much it reminded me of the Millennium Falcon. I’ve seen movies that looked more like the original Star Wars then Rebel Moon does, but the only one that comes to mind right now is The Force Awakens. True, most of those knock-offs that weren’t made by Disney are awfully cheap, and Rebel Moon is obviously not cheap. I did think some of the shots looked blurry around the edges even on my 4K TV, but it still looked that way.
But really, this is a Zack Snyder movie, complete with slow motion fight scenes and the like. The characters are shallow, and the images are impressive. This is a pretty movie to look at, but there are so many things that don’t quite add up, starting with the fact I really couldn’t bring myself to care about any of these characters. The plot felt far too familiar to be overly shocking though there was one moment I didn’t quite see coming. There’s even a robot character, voiced by Anthony Hopkins, that looked like he was going to be important and then disappears for most of the movie (maybe the robot will be around more for Part Two). The special effects are great, and the movie looks good, but in the end, that’s about all it is.
Grade: C+
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