‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire’ Review
The folklore of the story builds steadily. It’s easy to follow and is embraced by strong character development.
Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire drops on Netflix on December 21 but also hits the big screen for a limited run on December 15. It should definitely be devoured in a theater if possible. The feel-it-in-your-bones sound and larger than life images were made for the big screen. The sci-fi adventure tale is worth a trip to the theater and a watch on Netflix.
Rebel Moon revolves around a small village near a distant moon that is threatened by the ruling class for the fertile crops. Amongst them is Kora, played by the quietly striking Sofia Boutella, someone who knows the Mother World intimately. She proves to be a necessary and deadly weapon for them. She starts a mission to assemble some of the baddest intergalactic fighters she can find to defeat the interlopers.
At times Rebel Moon has shades of The Mandalorian, Star Wars, The Matrix, 300, and Dune while staying true to its own unique storyline. While Kora isn’t a bounty hunter like Mando, she and her posse feel like gunslingers in the Old West preparing for a showdown. There’s a cantina scene that’s a nod to the one in Star Wars, except this one is much seedier.
When Kora is unleashed, she has some kinetic, eye-popping action scenes. Snyder’s use of slow-motion is often a thing of beauty in the film. As in 300, the slow-motion accentuates the devastation of the opponent and highlights impossible feats. Kora’s allies - Tarak (Staz Nair), Nemesis (Bae Doona), and General Titus (Djimon Hounsou) - all have idiosyncratic testing grounds to survive before joining her. Kora’s main foe, Admiral Atticus Noble, a poster child for WWII’s SS, is a ruthless, worthy adversary. Ed Skrein plays him with unflinching menace. Charlie Hunnam is also along for the ride as Kai, a drifter who connects Kora with the types of warriors she needs. Michael Huisman is Gunnar, a farmer who’s already in love with Kora before it’s revealed who she really is. He’s tasked with protecting her, which becomes increasingly difficult as the mission becomes more involved.
Anthony Hopkins voices Jimmy, one of the last remaining robots from the previous kingdom. He is a character that could be friend or foe and the door is open for more to be explored about him in Part Two.
Snyder is quite masterful in directing action. He has a hearty resume of sci-fi and action flicks to prove it and this will land high on that list. The juxtaposition of the pastoral and the high-tech reinforce the tensions of the post-king and queen world. It’s interesting that the empire is called Mother World, akin to Motherland, and its primary officer, Noble, looks like a Nazi.
Shay Hatten, Kurt Johnstad, and Snyder wrote the script. They avoid many common tropes by having poetic dialogue and moments and letting silence be a voice. The way Kora’s backstory unfolds is simple but touching. Jimmy’s words and his changing looks are enigmatic and a little scary. The folklore of the story builds steadily. It’s easy to follow and is embraced by strong character development.
Most of the visuals are stunning. The last fight scene is a little murky at times but the action more than makes up for that. Some of the instruments of death used throughout the tale are familiar, others are very creative. The scenes aren’t mindless action. Each new ally has his or her own troubled tale.
Tom Holkenborg’s score is feverish and intense. It connotes the isolation, danger, and discovery in each scene. Zack Snyder is also the DP on this and gives the environments their mercurial tones.
At 2 hours and 14 minutes, Rebel Moon rolls by quickly. There aren’t many, if any, slow parts. Strong storytelling and A+ visuals keep this clipping along at a decent pace. Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver is expected to be released in April of 2024, which means we thankfully won’t have to wait too long for the follow up to this grand sci-fi opera.
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Sonya Alexander started off her career training to be a talent agent. She eventually realized she was meant to be on the creative end and has been writing ever since. As a freelance writer she’s written screenplays, covered film, television, music and video games and done academic writing. She’s also been a script reader for over twenty years. She's a member of the African American Film Critics Association and currently resides in Los Angeles.
