0
0
I’m going to chime in once again before I start my review of the second chapter of Rebel Moon by saying that I am team Zack Snyder. Have I liked everything he has done? I’ll just Say Sucker Punch and leave it at that although Snyder says that he wasn’t allowed to fully deliver his vision of that film. But other than that, Snyder is Michael Bey an hyperdrive and you even love him or hate them. It’s true that Snyder draws way more hate than Bay but I feel it is wasted energy as he is one of the most visually striking filmmakers today. Worts and all, you know that you’re not going to get cheated with one of his offerings. Basically, SUE ME because I’m a fan and I consider his vision of Justice League as one of the top three of my most favorite comic book adaptations.
I was unable to review Part I- A Child of Fire back in December because I was dealing with some heavy shit in my personal life but let me form a fast and brief opinion of the movie. I enjoyed it and thought that it was an epic and immersive fantasy spectacle that showcased Snyder’s love for this type of material. The cast led by Sofia Boutella, who is on my list as new action heroine, all put their heart and souls into their performances and even though it was but a part 1, it was a juggernaut of grand adventure infused with ferocious set pieces and Snyder’s trademark ultra slo-mo grandeur. Ed Skrein absolutely chews up his scenes as the vile Noble who runs his Dreadnaught ship the King’s Gaze with an iron fist.
I won’t go over the plot of the first one as it is essentially the plot of the second but here, we have the continuation which sees Boutella’s Kora returning victorious to the farming planet of Veldt with her hired guns. At this point, she thinks she has killed Noble and thus saved the planet from the tyrannical clutches of the Motherworld but how wrong she is as he has survived, and he is on a fever dream mission of vengeance to find Kora and obliterate her and her allies from existence.
Once Kora and crew discover that Noble is not only alive but is heading back to Veldt to finish what he started, this sets up one hell of an epic battle between the forces of good and evil. Essentially this is Snyder’s high noon at the end of the universe and WOW is this an assaulting blend of fierce CGI and rapid-fire practical effects that will draw on every ounce of visual splendor that Snyder can muster.
Boutella’s Kora is truly a haunting and sympathetic character wrapped in a layer of absolute bad assery. We know her history as the adoptive daughter of the Motherworld’s Belisarius (Fra Free) and the fact that she played a major role in assassinating the royal family, but her arc is a satisfying one as she goes full on protector to make up for past transgressions. Dijmon Hounsou’s General Titus was virtually non-existent in the first one but here his character is more fleshed out and he gets a lot more to do in the action department. It’s also a plus that he can give one hell of a battle speech too. The rest of the warriors including Staz Nair’s Tarak, Doona Bae’s Nemesis and Michiel Huisman’s Gunnar all get their heroic moments to shine and some of them go down in a pulse rifle blaze of glory in the best cinematic way. Snyder also delves deeper into each character’s backstory as well giving us more to root for when the action hits. Yes, I know Nemesis’ swords are variations of light sabers, but they are still the coolest thing about the movie.
A lot has been made about how Rebel Moon rips off other iconic films like Star Wars, The Magnificent Seven and The Seven Samurai and yes this is most certainly the case. Some reviewers have condemned this movie because of that but I’m here to say that even though I could pick out what was stolen, I didn’t care as Snyder roles it all into one big ball of ambitious viewing. By the way, can I just say that those other movies, especially Star Wars, also ripped off other films from the past? Yeah, every film has borrowed from some other film and it’s a rarity when a movie comes along that is completely fresh and its own creation. This argument is invalid. Moving on.
The finale in The Scargiver covers about two/thirds of the movie and it is Snyder’s finest hour as viewers are treated to a spectacle of combat on the planet of Veldt while Kora assaults The King’s Gaze. There are ample shots of heroic bloodshed in slow motion and self-sacrifice to fill two movies and the choreography is harrowing especially when the rebels make their last stand against a vast army that is better equipped and manned.
The battle robot Jimmy, voiced effortlessly by Hollywood icon Sir Anthony Hopkins, makes for the best f&ck yeah moment as when all seems lost, he finally becomes the righteous killing machine the heroes need. It’s by design that Jimmy is wearing a cape and during the ordeal strikes a bevy of Superman style poses. This is clearly Snyder jabbing at Warner Bros. for letting Henry Cavill go after reinstating him. I smiled when it happened. I would have liked to have seen more of him and his character arc, but he does have a gentle and quiet moment with Kora before the lasers fly that offers a little something about what he is dealing with. You know what you’re getting into when you watch a Zack Snyder joint so if you’re still watching his movies at this point, then you’re a fan like me.
Even with a conclusion that serves up a little cliffhanger, I couldn’t help but think that this experience was incomplete. Maybe it’s because we all know that Snyder’s director’s cut is on the way with over an hour added to each part and because of this, I felt like I was watching an epic that had a lot more to it. That’s because there is. Plus, during the action sequences, I was imagining the graphic violence that will be shown in the R rated version, so it was a little distracting. Why they just didn’t release the full version right away is a mystery, but I believe the longer cut will serve up a more satisfying experience for genre fans.
One thing I Iove about Snyder’s approach to movie making is that even though he must use CGI, he also assaults the screen with practical effects and explosions during the war sequences. It’s a bombastic blending of old and new and it crafts a unique look to his set pieces with a little bit of the old and new. Any chance he gets, Snyder’s going to blow shit up the good old-fashioned way and couple with vibrant blaster fire, the action jumps off the screen like a sci-fi comic book come to life.
Overall, Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver along with A Child of Fire is vintage Zack Snyder. You can really tell that he has a love for this sort of thing and he’s not going to make any excuses as to how he gets things done. Like I said, you know what type of filmmaker he is so don’t go bitching when you don’t enjoy his movies because he’s not going to change people. Fans just love to hate Snyder and I truly feel he relishes it all. Sofia Boutella and the rest of the cast deliver performances that are just enough cheesy and heavy handed and Boutella lights up the screen with her presence and ass kicking.
The Battle sequences are a pure mastery of visual effects combined with a banging score that mixes orchestra aesthetics with retro guitar riffs for a bombastic viewing experience. There’s no shortage of heroic bloodshed and pulsating fight choreography and I enjoyed it all even with the faults. Snyder is clearly going to keep going with Rebel Moon and I, for one, cannot wait to see how this all ends. The Rebel Moon films are pure Zack Snyder guilty pleasure viewing on a grand scale and if you like these sort of fantasy epics then I don’t see why you shouldn’t gravitate towards this one. It borrows from other iconic films but then again so does every other movie and Snyder knows how to use what he wants while making something different at the same time.
VERDICT: 3.5 Out of 5
Even though this version of Rebel Moon seems Incomplete, Zack Snyder still delivers an Immersive Fantasy Epic on a Grand Scale and showcases His Love for the Material.
