Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

“Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” stars Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Staz Nair, Fra Fee, Elise Duffy, and Anthony Hopkins. Released on Netflix on April 19, 2024, the film has Kora and her crew defending their home from the Motherworld.

The film was directed by Zack Snyder, who also directed films such as “300”, “Watchmen”, “Man of Steel”, and “Army of the Dead”. It is the second part of Snyder’s “Rebel Moon” two-part saga. It wasn’t that long ago when visual maestro Zack Snyder introduced us to his own take on “Star Wars” on Netflix, hoping to establish a new IP franchise for the streaming service.  While it provided exactly what we expected from its presentation and visuals, the first part of the space opera saga didn’t land with critics and audiences regarding its familiar story beats and characters. It didn’t even come close to reaching the level of hype and quality as the iconic sci-fi franchise that inspired the film. However, that didn’t stop Snyder from continuing the story of Kora and her battle against the Motherworld. It doesn’t excuse the filmmaker for making us wait for his extended cuts to see how much good material was cut out, but again, there’s no winning in Snyder’s universe. With that said, let’s return to this galactic universe and see if the second part could steer this ship in the right direction.

The movie picks up where “A Child of Fire” left off. The former Imperium soldier turned rebel Kora (Boutella) and her surviving warriors returned home to Veldt after their victory over the Imperium admiral Atticus Noble (Skrein). However, their celebration is short-lived when they find that Atticus has been revived by the Imperium, who now seeks revenge against Kora. With the dreadnought ship arriving in Veldt in five days, Kora and her team must train the entire village to defend and fight for their home before the Motherworld bombs it out of orbit. As their latest fight approaches, more secrets slowly come to light, mainly Kora and her past as an Imperium soldier.

You know that feeling when even though your interest in a franchise waned after watching an installment, you still want to see what happens next based on its cliffhanger ending? That’s my feeling toward Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon”. For those who haven’t read my review of “A Child of Fire”, I thought the film was simply okay. From a visual perspective, it’s a remarkably stylish portrait of a corrupted galaxy packed with gorgeous set pieces and impressive CGI. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for its narrative, a derivative and incomplete galactic journey devoid of memorable characters and emotional depth. Because of this, I became one of the people who weren’t as excited about “The Scargiver” as we were for the upcoming summer blockbusters. Despite that, I watched it anyway because I was fascinated with the world Snyder introduced in “A Child of Fire” and the director’s stylistic vision. So, how does this epic battle compare to the first chapter of Snyder's space opera? Honestly, it's pretty inferior to what we were introduced months ago.

Like its predecessor, “The Scargiver” delivered what we expected from its concept: Zack Snyder’s version of “Star Wars”. Unfortunately, it also provided the same issues that plagued the galactic odyssey, including its cliche-filled plot and mundane characters. While it slightly improved some character moments via flashbacks, the movie struggled to inject genuine emotion into its stakes, action, and dynamics. It also didn’t help that the movie felt more contained with its world-building than “A Child of Fire”, with most of the plot and action taking place on Veldt. With “A Child of Fire” being a galactic road trip across the universe, “The Scargiver” is a fantasy war film set on one planet that’s akin to “The Return of the King”, but without the satisfaction and tension of its scope and grandeur artistry. I somehow enjoyed its predecessor a bit more because of the planets it introduced and their inhabitants, which were done exceptionally well through the movie’s visual effects and production designs. One example is the moon of Veldt, which is surrounded by the vastly gorgeous landscapes around its village. While this location still looked stunning in “The Scargiver”, its appeal sadly didn’t last very long due to this limitation. Sure, they showed some parts of the different planets in flashbacks, but neither captured the same interest as the ones from “A Child of Fire”.

As a result, “The Scargiver” is another unfortunate example of style over substance that attempted to copy the other cinematic epics like “Star Wars” without knowing why they worked in the first place.  However, I will give the movie this: it retains the visually pleasing atmosphere that Snyder has been known for. Similar to Snyder's other works, "The Scargiver" is a stunning visual feast that is surrounded by slow-motion sequences and artistic shots that are worthy of being displayed in a museum. Although it doesn't quite measure up to Snyder's previous films, its presentation still managed to captivate me more than the characters it portrays. I would also point out that the CGI still looked stellar for its seamless interactions with the environments, mainly for the props, action scenes, and Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins).  This, along with its final battle sequence, is enough to admire the cinematic craftsmanship that Snyder has delivered for years, for better or worse. It’s too bad that the immersion in this world is still overshadowed by its inferior narrative. 

Much of the cast reprised their roles from its predecessor, including Boutella as Kora and Skrein as Atticus Noble. As usual, their performances ranged from okay to “could’ve been better”. There were a few moments where the actors tried to inject a soul into their performances, but there were also some instances where their acting was almost as dull as the characters they were portraying. Djimon Hounsou and Anthony Hopkins were the only good actors in the film due to their performances as Titus and Jimmy, respectively. Doona Bae also provided another decent moment as Nemesis regarding her small bond with one of the village children. Also, her skills with the laser sword were enough to salvage the film’s mediocrity. It's a shame she wasn’t born in the Star Wars universe. 

Overall, “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” is another intergalactic slog whose stunning presentation struggled to heal most of its cinematic scars. Regarding the gritty visuals, action, and darkly-colored environments, Zack Snyder can do no wrong in providing galactic eye candy to his fans. However, it also further showcases the director’s frustrating attempts at matching them with an immersive story and exciting characters. Some of its character moments were slightly improved in “The Scargiver”, but the satisfaction of those scenes winds up being equivalent to space itself: vastly empty and dull. With its so-so cast, subpar direction and script, underwhelming characters, and weak emotion, the film is a disappointing continuation of Snyder’s space opera saga that’s more upsetting than promising. If Snyder and the crew are actually planning on making more “Rebel Moon” installments, then they should really start taking those criticisms to heart and consider releasing their original cuts instead of the heavily edited ones. Man, the R-rated cuts of “Rebel Moon” couldn’t come fast enough…

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