Rebel Moon – Part 2 leaves a lot to be desired. Photo: Netflix.
Zack Snyder is one of the most polarising directors in Hollywood today.
His hyper-stylised sense of direction has helped him construct some of the most thematically beautiful-looking films ever made, just look at 300, Watchmen and even Batman v Superman.
The problem many viewers have with Mr Snyder, however, isn’t how his movies look, it’s how little substance they actually have and unfortunately his newest film Rebel Moon – Part 2: Scargiver suffers the same fate.
Rebel Moon – Part 2 continues the story of Kora, a woman with a mysterious and suppressed past who joins a growing rebellion to defeat an evil galactic totalitarian empire known as the Realm. Sound’s a bit familiar, doesn’t it?
Rebel Moon was advertised as Snyder’s version of Star Wars with three movies released from 2023-25.
After watching part one in December, the biggest issue I had was just how derivative it was of Star Wars, a franchise I love deeply. With the second part, my biggest complaint is just how boring it is and how chopped together it all feels.
Before the movie was even released, Snyder announced that the first version of Rebel Moon released on Netflix wouldn’t be the final cut but instead a chopped-down version of what he intends to release in the future.
I absolutely hate this!
This is not Snyder’s first time making a director’s cut. He has released one for Watchmen in 2009, Batman v Superman in 2016 and Justice League in 2020. The difference between those films and Rebel Moon is the original versions were heavily altered due to studio interference or delayed due to matters beyond his control. With Rebel Moon, it’s being used as a marketing ploy and an excuse for why his newest movie trilogy isn’t being well received.
Another big difference is, unlike the three previously mentioned film director’s cuts, which came due to high demand from fans following studio interference [google #releasethesnydercut for a fun little rabbit hole], Netflix gave Snyder an open chequebook to make his vision and he still chose to release a cut-down version. This is unacceptable.
The biggest problem with Part 2 is that it feels unfinished – because it is. Plot points aren’t explained, reveals aren’t hard-hitting because there is no context and characters are underdone because they are missing screen time.
It would be like watching the original Star Wars trilogy and after finishing A New Hope, skipping to Return of the Jedi and being confused because Darth Vader is now Luke’s father, Luke has the force and Han Solo is an artwork for a weird space slug.
Netflix has burnt fans and subscribers by promising this big, high-budget sci-fi release and instead giving them what is essentially a two-hour trailer.
I’ve now reviewed Part 1 and Part 2 and, although I was slightly disappointed after Part 1, I could see the vision. After Part 2, I was left furious. I won’t be reviewing Part 3, purely because I know it won’t be the complete package and I probably won’t review the director’s cut because I feel burnt for wasting my time with two movies that ultimately mean nothing.
My honest recommendation to viewers interested in this trilogy is not to watch it yet. Not because it’s bad, it is, but because it is incomplete and essentially an ad for a version that will come out sometime later.
I hope that these movies, in their current versions, don’t get huge viewership so that Director’s Cuts don’t become a marketing tool instead of the chance to improve movies that have been given a tough run through their production.
Rebel Moon – Part 2: Scargiver is showing in select cinemas across the country and is available for streaming on Netflix.
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