Film Review: Rebel Moon (2023)
In the last fifty years, and particularly over the last decade or so, cinephiles and casual viewers alike have frequently posed a provocative question: what might the galaxy far, far away look like if it were envisioned not by George Lucas, nor Disney, but by a contemporary auteur? The closest answer to this specific inquiry was effectively provided by Zack Snyder. His recent epic, the two-part space opera Rebel Moon, is often regarded as his distinct interpretation of characters, archetypes, and narrative structures drawn directly from Lucas’s original Star Wars saga. Originally, the first instalment carried the subtitle A Child of Fire, a title that was ultimately replaced by A Chalice of Blood for the Director’s Cut, signalling Snyder’s desire to infuse the material with a greater sense of gravitas and mythic weight.
The film unfolds within an unnamed galaxy ostensibly ruled by the Imperium. The political landscape has been destabilised by the assassination of the former royal family on Motherworld, a tragedy that has provided Senator and former General Belisarius (Fra Free) with a convenient pretext to declare himself regent. Belisarius immediately utilises this opportunity to initiate a campaign of brutal conquests, a process overseen by his right-hand man, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein). He has cultivated a particularly notorious reputation for genocidal violence and wanton destruction across the sectors.
The plot follows Kora (Sophia Boutella), a woman who sought refuge on a quiet, remote planet known as Veldt. There, she has been assimilated by a humble population of simple, hard-working farmers who have accepted her as one of their own. However, peace is shattered when Noble arrives on Veldt. He executes the village elder, Sidri (Corey Stoll), and demands the community surrender their harvest to the Imperium forces. In his wake, he leaves a small detachment of troops and a robot named “Jimmy” (voiced by Anthony Hopkins) to serve as a garrison. It is during a moment of brutal occupation when soldiers attempt to rape the young villager Sam (Charlotte Goggi) that Kora intervenes. She is aided significantly by the enigmatic Jimmy and Aris (Sky Yang), a soldier who is visibly disgusted by the depraved conduct of his comrades.
With the soldiers dispatched, the retribution of the Imperium becomes inevitable. Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), the newly appointed village elder, agrees with Kora that they must defend themselves. However, lacking both weaponry and military training, they are compelled to seek assistance. Consequently, Kora and Gunnar embark on a journey to recruit allies. Their first encounter is with Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a smuggler and pilot. They subsequently recruit Tarak (Staz Nair), a former prince, alongside the sword-wielding cyborg assassin Nemesis (Bae Doona), and the formidable former general Titus (Djimon Honsou), now reduced to alcoholic wreck. Their ultimate objective is to locate Darrian Blodaxe (Ray Fisher) and his sister Devra (Cleopatra Coleman), leaders of an insurgent group whom Veldt previously supplied with food. Upon reaching their rendezvous point, a shocking twist reveals that Kai is a traitor; he delivers Kora and her companions to the Imperium forces. However, in a moment of unexpected heroism, Gunnar kills Kai, creating just enough window of opportunity for the ragtag group to mount a defence. A bloody battle ensues, culminating in the defeat of Noble. Following the victory, Kora and her group return to Veldt. Unbeknowst to them Noble, presumed dead, has been resurrected. He is now under the direct orders of Belisarius to retrieve Kora, the very woman who defected from the Imperium’s ranks.
Rebel Moon has faced a significant amount of criticism, much of it directed at the accusation that it is a shameless and uninspired rip-off of Star Wars. Snyder began conceptualising the script as far back as the 1990s, originally envisioning it as a spin-off of the franchise with a darker, more adult tone. Indeed, he once discussed the project with George Lucas prior to Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012. Following that era, Snyder shifted his focus, developing the film as a standalone project to ensure he possessed greater creative freedom. The project subsequently languished in years of development hell until Netflix executives agreed to finance the production as a two-part event. The most glaring parallels between Rebel Moon and Star Wars can be observed in the plot, which borrows numerous elements from the 1977 classic, most notably character archetypes akin to Han Solo or C-3PO. However, the narrative pattern is even more explicitly indebted to Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 masterpiece The Seven Samurai. This structure was previously adapted into a science-fiction context in the 1980 film Battle Beyond the Stars.
What Snyder manages to differentiate his film from its inspirations is his signature directorial style. His aesthetic is characterised by a dark, desaturated cinematography—something he handled personally. There is a consistent emphasis on heavily stylised violence, punctuated by frequent slow-motion sequences that heighten the dramatic impact. Yet, the most significant divergence from the source material is found in the Director’s Cut. In line with Snyder’s well-documented megalomania, this version extends the runtime to nearly twice that of the theatrical release. In this expanded form, audiences are treated to imagery that one might have only imagined in Star Wars—not merely extremely graphic violence involving decapitations, mutilations, and copious gore, but also significant amounts of nudity and a rather explicit sex scene. Snyder even indulges in a scene that could be described as tentacle porn, wherein the main villain employs a presumably bioengineered creature for sexual gratification.
Despite these excesses and the prolonged duration, Rebel Moon generally functions as a coherent whole, particularly within the Director’s Cut version. It is reasonable to conjecture that the initial hostility from critics stemmed from various characters and subplots being left unexplained due to the lack of exposition in the theatrical version. Nevertheless, even in the Director’s Cut, certain elements do not fit perfectly and might leave less attentive viewers baffled. This issue is especially present in the case of the character “Jimmie”; his true nature, political allegiance, and somewhat bizarre appearance remain ambiguous and are likely to be explored further in the second part.
The acting is generally competent. Sophia Boutella, a former dancer, brings a remarkable amount of physical talent to the impressive action sequences, grounding the film’s fantastical elements with a visceral athleticism. However, it is Ed Skrein who truly dominates the screen. He appears to take great pleasure in portraying a depraved villain who is arguably more human and terrifying than Darth Vader, recalling the character of Amon Goeth from Schindler's List.
A few months after the release of the first part, the second instalment, subtitled The Scargiver, was released. This sequel received predominantly negative reviews. In 2024, both films were released with their Director’s Cuts, bringing the total runtime to a staggering seven and a half hours. There were ambitious plans for a third film and the launch of a genuine franchise; however, these were halted in 2025.
Ultimately, the first part of Rebel Moon represents a highly ambitious, partially flawed, yet simultaneously interesting and unusual take on the space opera genre. It may not satisfy those seeking a revolutionary narrative, but it does offer a satisfying alternative for fans of the genre who are looking for something distinct from the repetitive landscape of Star Wars.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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