Rebel Moon: Part One- A Child of Fire

Starring: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher, Anthony Hopkins (voice), Staz Nair, Fra Fee, Cary Elwes, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Tony Amendola
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Drama
2023

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After a farming village is threatened by a dangerous general (Ed Skrein), a mysterious woman (Sofia Boutella) is forced into action.

Review:

Tim: I felt some genuine excitement going into this film. Zack Snyder's always been hit-or-miss, but I've generally liked his films. I was intrigued to see this original science fiction film that started as a Star Wars script. Rebel Moon is a cool title, too. Oh, wait. Actually, the title is Rebel Moon: Part One- A Child of Fire, which is extremely not cool. Unfortunately, it was a portent of what was to come. I really did try to like this movie, I wanted to like it. Unfortunately, Snyder ultimately delivers a halfbaked film that was far too forgettable. I joked about the title, but there's real seriousness there. Instead of delivering a really good film, Snyder set his sights bigger and stumbled over the first film. They should have dropped the stupid "Part One" and the rest. This movie feels like that- the first part of the story Snyder really wanted to tell, not a standalone film that works on its own.

That is really what hurt the film for me. Sure, the entire movie is basically a "get the gang together" plot. There's action strewn throughout, but it's basically just the protagonist assembling her team. There's a climax, but it's almost completely wiped out by the events at the end of the film. I watched, as the film telegraphed what was coming and I silently pleaded with Snyder- "Please don't tell me you made the events of the film, primarily the climax, meaningless. You wouldn't do that, right?" No, he would and he did. The ending was awful and it made everything that happened previously feel somewhat pointless. Again, this is the prologue of the story Snyder was really interested in and the whole film suffers as a result.

I did try to give Sofia Boutella a chance. I've seen her in six other films and Climax might be the only one she was good in. I still had a bad taste in my mouth about her work in The Mummy. My fears were realized, as she again gives a lackluster performance. She's simply not a talented actress. I don't believe her characters, I struggle to connect with them. Her ability to share genuine-seeming emotions is absent, so her characters always feel flat and lifeless. The same thing happened here and the movie suffers as a result. Charlie Hunnam was solid, but it definitely felt like we'd seen his rogue, swashbuckling space renegade before. He at least brought energy to the film. Djimon Hounsou is always good and he was again here- he's just relegated to the sidelines too much. I hated Michiel Huisman's character. It was so odd, the script treats him like he's this great character and I felt nothing towards him. He's the kind of character that should have died early and be forgotten, yet he endures throughout the film. It was a very odd choice, he adds so little to the film. Bae Doona was fine. Ray Fisher was unremarkable. I loved hearing Anthony Hopkins voice a robot, but that character seems like he was just being set up for the next film? His contributions here were disappointing. Corey Stoll works well in a nice supporting role and I enjoyed seeing Cary Elwes, although he's not given much to do. This part of the cast was underwhelming. Staz Nair was far better than I expected. His character felt unique and interesting and he gives a memorable performance. He and Hounsou are really the exceptions.

I did want to separately call out Ed Skrein's performance. It's such an unlikable villainous character and Skrein was perfect in the role. He has more range than just bad guys, but he has this ability to tap into something that makes him so hated in these roles. I didn't even want to see his face, so Skrein deserves great praise for playing such a believable villain. The character itself feels too one-dimensional and Skrein has played this kind of character before, so the whole thing did seem obvious. However, even Skrein acting firmly in his wheelhouse emerged as one of the film's best strengths.

As you might expect, the human side of the film suffered greatly. It throws up too many characters and even with a 2 hour, 15 minute run time, very few of them get enough screen time. The answer wasn't adding 30 minutes to the run time, so the script needed to cut characters. There's no way around that. We don't really get to connect with the right characters enough and when we do, their stories feel underwhelming. This movie accomplishes far too little, besides making a series of introductions that don't work nearly as well as they should. I couldn't tell you the name of a single character in this film. They don't make any kind of lasting impression. The actors are far better than the characters. The movie has massive script issues.

I will admit that the visuals here are impressive. Snyder seems to have spent Netflix's money well, as the visual effects are incredible and the scope of the story is entertaining. I thought the film looked wonderful and the money invested in visuals did not go to waste. The action scenes are surprisingly flat- the slow motion, sideways jumping scenes may be a Snyder trademark, but it felt like we'd seen it all before.

In the end, Rebel Moon: Part One- A Child of Fire (ugh, cue eyerolls) isn't a bad movie. It's decent, sure. However, for the investment involved, for the promise of multiple films, this one can only be viewed as a disappointment. There was so much promise here and Snyder didn't deliver a quarter of it. This is a decent film that really bums me out.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Star Wars, Serenity