Netflix’s Rebel Moon Part 1 – A Child Of Fire Review: Zack Snyder’s Sci-Fi Vision Is As Incomplete As It Is Formulaic

Zack Snyder is a talent who more often than not has the word “visionary” attached to his name, and that’s not without merit. He’s made a career of crafting fantastical adaptations of comics like Watchmen as well as forging ahead with creative ambitions of his own invention like the Army of the Dead franchise, and the man always reaches for the stars.

Fittingly, Snyder’s latest endeavor as the co-writer/director of Netflix’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire sends his gaze into that realm. Born from a Star Wars pitch, the space opera borrows from Seven Samurai as well as that galaxy far, far away, in an attempt to create something new. But what that something is cannot truly be seen at this time, as the theatrical cut of the film is as incomplete as it is formulaic.

It pains me to say this, but I also put this perspective into the world with caveats. While the story of Kora (Sofia Boutella) and her quest to recruit warriors to wage a battle against the tyrannical Motherworld seems very familiar, it does unfold in a sweeping and gorgeous universe. Also, Zack Snyder theatrical cuts tend to be outdone by their later, more extended successors. As it stands, much like Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, the promise of more to come has tempered my opinion of what’s already sitting in front of me.

Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon acts more like a visual guide book than a complete story meant to start a franchise.

It’s quite the feat to have a universe that borrows from so many places but still feels incomplete. Zack Snyder, along with co-writers Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten, seem to have not only borrowed from Akira Kurasawa and George Lucas, but they’ve also looped in some elements from Lord of the Rings. You try looking at the farming planet of Veldt and tell me that its mountainous waterfalls and Viking-esque farming commune don’t remind you of J.R.R. Tolkien’s heroic epic. 

That’s ok to a point though, as Rebel Moon: Part One is a stunning movie to observe visually. Zack Snyder will always know his way around speed-ramped action, as well as splash panel worthy visuals. Ambition and scale have never been an area where Snyder has lacked in ability, so at the very least those of you who seek out Rebel Moon’s limited theatrical release should be assured that this definitely feels cinematic in places. 

Gorgeous visuals and interesting creatures don’t make up for the fact that this movie is most obviously a “Part One.” Currently, Zack Snyder has Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver in the can, as well as various tie-in media to build out the canon. You can feel the attention to detail in the planning throughout Rebel Moon – Part One, as each time we’re introduced to a new character, the obvious prequel/spinoff potential is staring you right in the face. 

On the plus side, that leads to characters like Charlie Hunnam’s Kai, Doona Bae’s Nemesis, and Ed Skrein’s Atticus Noble shining brighter than the worlds they inhabit. You want to know more about these people after seeing them in action, and that’s one of the glimmers of promise we get out of this latest Zack Snyder experiment. 

Alas, that also brings us back to the big problem with Rebel Moon – Part One. With each of those cool introductions comes a bunch of questions that aren’t answered or suitably addressed enough to let this installment stand on its own two feet. When we see Nemesis spring into action for the first time, it’s badass, but it feels like we’re seeing a whole different story in progress, which only confuses this attempt to start a new franchise. By the time this adventure gets going, it already feels like it’s in second gear, and we missed something along the way. 

The theatrical cut of Rebel Moon feels like a TV edit, especially in light of an extended R-rated version in the works.

As a movie fan who loves to compare multiple cuts of the same film, I have to admit I’m starting to get tired of being promised “more to come.” With Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, this is not only the first installment in a new franchise, but there’s an extended, R-rated version in the works. It’s all part of Zack Snyder’s hype machine for the Rebel Moon saga, undoubtedly assuring fans that this wouldn’t be another Justice League scenario.

That promise does more harm than good with the “theatrical cut” of Rebel Moon – Part One, however. You can practically call out the moments that will be more intense with an R-rating and the scenes that might be allowed to play out in more detail with extension. 

Certain scenes of violence and harrowing situations feel weird as you can imagine where Zack Snyder’s trademark slo-mo blood splatter would be present. Not to mention, there are awkward camera angles and blurred elements of violence that make it feel like you’re watching the TV edit of Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire and not the grown up version. It feels like the cinematic equivalent of gating off DLC in a video game, in hopes that some extra money can be made down the line.

I get that even a studio like Netflix might be shy about releasing a film of mammoth length into theaters. But between the limited scope and length of the theatrical run for Rebel Moon’s PG-13 iteration, I don’t see why the powers that be wouldn’t have just released the full experience the first time out. Especially when in that version, a flashback between Cary Elwes and Sofia Boutella might actually be allowed to play more organically. (Which would be a great substitute for the theatrical cut including a voice-over that has Boutella reciting Elwes’ dialogue, while we can still hear him speaking it in the scene.)

Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part One majorly depends on its upcoming second half – to the point where this feels like more of a trailer than a movie.

It’s cool to see the writer/director cashing in the huge blank check he’s gotten in the aftermath of seeing Zack Snyder’s Justice League finally released to the public. I’m even continually hyped for the possibilities that have been developing in the Army of the Dead franchise, which represented the beginnings of the Snyder/Netflix machine that has giving us Rebel Moon. 

At the same time, this version of A Child of Fire feels like it’s more of a trailer for both The Scargiver as well as its own expanded edition than a standalone experience. And like it or not, every major franchise that became a blockbuster powerhouse understood that it needed cornerstones in place before the rest of the house is built. Star Wars was made not knowing that The Empire Strikes Back was on the way. Iron Man came from a Marvel Studios that operated above a Mercedes Benz dealership, and not the Disney lot. Even with the rest of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in play, Peter Jackson gave the world a satisfying self-contained story in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Zack Snyder makes an attempt to leave us with an adventure that feels stand-alone in  Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, but the film ultimately undercuts itself with an exceedingly vague shot that’s supposed to tease something. In addition to being vague for spoiler reasons, I couldn’t tell you what exactly that something is, as it isn’t set up properly within the film. That moment is then followed by a scene that would have felt more at home as an end credits stinger, or a potential introduction to Rebel Moon: Part Two. 

Rebel Moon – Part One’s theatrical cut is ultimately so compromised, I’m surprised it was allowed to be released. Will I continue on with Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver? I absolutely will, if not only to see where all of this setup is heading. Am I still going to watch the extended R-rated version of A Child of Fire? I feel like I have to, if only to see why it wasn’t released to launch the franchise.

As much as I admire Zack Snyder’s ambition in films like Army of the Dead or Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Rebel Moon seems to be a reach too far… though I say this with those caveats mentioned earlier in mind. If you’d have asked me what I thought of Watchmen after its theatrical incarnation, I’d have shared feelings of being underwhelmed. Those feelings were dashed once the superior director’s cut finally came on the market. 

I really hope that the next iteration of A Child of Fire pulls off that feat once again, simply because it feels like there’s good in this series, and I can sense it. I just hope that glimmer of promise I spot isn’t the sun reflecting off of Ed Skrein’s Motherland-issued whupping stick, ready to crush my dreams in the next round.