Given that Netflix is in the buzz and attention game, it makes sense that the service would give filmmaker Zack Snyder of “Justice League” what looks to be a sizable check to develop a two-part science fiction epic that would premiere next year.
The “release the Snyder cut” preliminaries may have been omitted from “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire,” but only his most devoted followers will find much to warm them up in this gloomy exercise.
The film is best described as an attempt by the visually ambitious director to make a “Star Wars” movie, but that isn’t really accurate given the core plot, which is more closely related to “The Magnificent Seven” (or “The Seven Samurai,” depending on your perspective), which Roger Corman adapted into the space-set “Battle Beyond the Stars” in 1980.
The latitude of the two-part structure merely allows Snyder (who wrote the story, collaborated on the script, and served as director of photography) to plump up the introductions in less-than-flattering ways. Unfortunately, even that latter low-budget effort produced better characters than “Rebel Moon” can muster.
“Rebel Moon,” which constructs not only a globe but a whole galaxy, depicts a cosmos in which the planets are ruled by an imposing regent after the murder of the royal family. Cut to a rural village on a tiny, remote outpost where Kora, a former soldier played by Sofia Boutella of “The Mummy” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” has taken up residence in peace.
The peasants must decide between fighting back and giving up when the fascist warriors of the empire, led by Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein, possibly the most arresting presence, channeling Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”), come. Knowing that they have a slim chance of success, Kora sets out to find mercenaries with the farmer Gunnar (Michel Huisman), knowing that they only have a few weeks before they have to take action.
The plot allows for the development of Kora’s past as she assembles her squad, which stars Ray Stevens from “Justice League,” Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Staz Nair, and Doona Bae.
Still, there isn’t enough justification to care about the greater plot or even more specific details of it, even with Snyder’s artistic talents—he has been perfecting the superhero stance since “Watchmen.” Even though the film has a large budget and scope, its strong reliance on slow-motion scenes (which performed far better in “300”) detracts from rather than adds to the action’s thrill.
Given the ardent nature of Snyder’s fan following, Netflix may determine that providing customers with an incentive to attend what seems like an event justifies the expense (and if not, the service will probably find a way to manipulate the data to say otherwise).
But it doesn’t mean that it will live up to the expectations of that collaboration; simply expanding into Zack Snyder’s company following his very different genre film, the horror-heist mashup “Army of the Dead,” isn’t enough. Even on a TV screen, “Rebel Moon” may appear large and ostentatious, but it functions more as a subdued rebel grunt than a shout of rebellion in terms of drama.
“Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire” premieres December 21 at 10 p.m. ET on Netflix.
