It’s a strange time in Hollywood fandom when someone like Zack Snyder is as derided as he is cheered. His fans think everything he does is genius and the rest act as if he’s the worst thing to happen to movies. It’s not even a matter of the truth lying in the middle as much as a fandom that’s overly protective and a self-important group that feels that they have to protect the sanctity of filmdom.
Good grief.
At worst, the guy’s an interesting director that takes big swings and has some big misses.
At best he’s a genius that refuses to fall in line with the Hollywood way of doing things.
You can guess what critics will say about his films before they are even released, as they roll their eyes at ‘another Zack Snyder film’. This while we’ve seen true hacks live their best lives in Hollywood making actual drek and getting ignored. That’s the thing though, when you swing as big as Snyder you’re going to bring a lot of eyes on what you’re doing and the full attention of the critics. For me, I dig all of the things he’s made, to one degree or another. ARMY OF THE DEAD was good until the really lame ending. For me it’s easily his least successful film. I dig his other stuff. I get bored of the hype, though I can’t put that as his doorstep so much as the obsessive love/hate that geekdom and critics have. I understand it, because there are not a lot of folks like him right now, making larger than life films with huge budgets, and he deserves the criticism he gets with some of the silliness tht comes with his movies. The talk of Snyder Cuts is just ridiculous. Especially with the REBEL MOON films. It hamstrings the movies and makes me wonder how many are just waiting to watch those cuts and won’t bother with the initial releases.
I was going to do that. I am just curious HOW different they will play.
It’s easy to see though, in watching REBEL MOON, that there’s stuff missing. That he was shooting more and cut it down for release. I have no idea if this was a demand from Netflix – which seems crazy since THE IRISHMAN is three days long – or if it was a matter of scheduling – he had to make certain dates for a release window with the understanding they could put other versions out later. It’s just so…cheesy. Netflix doesn’t care because you essentially get four movies for the price of two and he doesn’t care because his ‘ultimate vision’ is served in the end. It feels so corny though, and like a cheat to fans. I hate movies that are made with the understanding that there’s a longer version to come because…just release that version. Some movies, like films from different eras, never had that luxury yet the filmmaker still wants to put that version out and are finally able to do it. NIGHTBREED is a great example. But modern movies where they’re cut down understanding that it’s not the way the movie is intended to play is cynical at best and a cheat at the worst. It cheats potential fans of seeing the movie they went to go check out and screws the success of a film. In the day of home releases it could bolster that but with that market starting to twilight you then put the pressure on a digital release. It’s all gamesmanship, and I am happy to see the ‘whole’ version of a film, especially these films, but man, I hate it for the industry and fandom.
Going in you can start to see the influnences behind REBEL MOON. It’s clear it is a riff on STAR WARS, which, since it’s the biggest sci-fi franchise of all time – sorry Trek nerds – it’s not exactly a surprise here. There is also some SEVEN SAMURAI/MAGNIFICENT SEVEN here. But the question is – is there anything beneath the influences?
Let’s find out.
REBEL MOON is the first part of a two film story. The film begins on a moon where the inhabitants are farmers and people of the land who are dedicated to one another and to the ideal of community. When a war ship from the ‘Mother World’, the overarching planet that rules this region, arrives it marks the end of the idyllic life and the beginning of dark days ahead. When a newcomer to the world intervenes when a young woman is being assaulted there is only one clear path forward – war. They have to fight for their world and for themselves. To do this they need an army, and if not an army, a group that can help them fight. The newcomer sets out to gather a team together and in so doing enters a wider world of danger and intrigue that may spell their end and the end of the peaceful moon.
First of all, anyone that is upset that the films ‘ends on a cliffhanger’ can feel good in knowing that it’s not one where you’re left on a literal/figurative cliff. The film ends with the audience knowing that the worst is yet to come but it doesn’t do so in a way where it feels like the film didn’t have an ending.
It does.
So there’s that.
It’s a fun movie. It’s loud, it’s got a ton of action, it’s epic, and it’s fascinating. There is a heavy dose of STAR WARS, to be sure, and you can see where it’d fit in that universe. It’s a shame that this is more of a streaming affair because it deserves a big screen, a loud sound system, and the fanfare of the theater. I fear that it could be forgotten living its life solely on streaming since those platforms cannibalize themselves. We shall see.
It’s well acted. The writing is decent though corny at times, and some plot beats feel too obvious. If you like this sort of film though, big, loud, space operas (and I do, to be sure), you will find a lot to like. It’s hard to fully rate it since you need to know how they resolve it all to have a full picture, but it’s a good movie. The problem I have is that you can tell that there’s stuff cut out. It doesn’t necessarily harm the film but characters are short changed, some are forgotten, and you can just feel that there’s more here. The violence TOTALLY feels like it was dialed way back considering we kept hearing how this was ‘STAR WARS for adults’. It is worth a look, as you do get a full movie that makes sense, and tells the story, it just feels awkward knowing that there’s more we’re not seeing that must have meant SOMETHING since he shot it.
While not his best film, REBEL MOON has the hallmarks (and flaws) of a Snyder film and a clear vision and purpose. I am curious to see how this all comes together and how the ‘Snyder Cut’ versions expand the world he’s made. The film is definitely ‘high on its own supply’ but so what? It’s a sincere movie and was fun to watch. It’s a bold, gutsy thing to take on a project like this when most people just let STAR WARS take that part of the market. I hope the movies do well as the old guard needs some competition and fans deserve more fun sci-fi in the world.
Give it a look, it’s a hoot.
3.5 out ot 5
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