The second part of Rebel Moon, The Scargiver, is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Zach Snyder, the creator of Rebel Moon, had previously praised the first part, A Child of Fire, as a thrilling new beginning for the blockbuster sci-fi genre. He promised a two-part narrative that would initiate an extensive on-screen exploration of a vibrant galaxy, controlled by a military regime and challenged by a diverse group of warriors, misfits, and rebels. However, after spending over two hours in Snyder’s reimagined Star Wars universe, the first part ended up being an underwhelming action film, pieced together from more creative genre works. Predictably, the final chapter of Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver, which was released just four months later, offers only a minor improvement, despite its simpler plot and a more engaging final battle, it still presents the same superficial characters and storyline.
The plot of The Scargiver barely deviates from its source material, resembling a mix of Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven and Return of the Jedi. The warrior team returns to the moon of Veldt to defend the villagers from the persistent Imperium army, intent on stealing their space grain. With an impending dreadnought arrival, it’s particularly absurd that Snyder dedicates an excessive amount of screen time to the villagers and warriors farming the land. The frequent slow-motion scenes of reaping, threshing, winnowing, and lens flare are so prevalent that one might anticipate a voiceover from Anthony Hopkins’ mechanical knight, James, sharing a Lao Tzu-like quote: “Give a man a bag of grain and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to harvest and you feed him for a lifetime.” However, James’ transformation from robot to native adds little to the narrative, except for a last-minute appearance in the battle.
Despite the strong ensemble cast, Zack Snyder’s space opera falls flat due to a derivative script, average action scenes, and a shallow story that doesn’t deliver on its grand promises. – Hannna Ines Flint, December 15, 2023
Score: 4
You can read the full review of Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire.
The abundance of flashbacks in the early scenes feels like filler content, as they are a slow attempt to provide backstory and character development, which only slows down the pace and doesn’t deepen any relationships. An example of this is a post-coital exposition scene with Kora (Sofia Boutella). As she lies next to her lover Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a farmer, she discloses her involvement in the royal family’s assassination. It’s amusing to hear a string quartet playing intensely while a brutal murder is happening on screen, but it’s an otherwise predictable scene that relies on voiceover to inform us about a threat to the Imperium war machine, rather than using natural dialogue between the characters. There’s also a cringe-worthy line directed at Kora by her adoptive father, who labels her a “cancer of ethnic impurity” due to her darker skin tone. It’s 2024, and writers are still lazily projecting current racial biases onto sci-fi characters living in a diverse galaxy of species and aliens set thousands of years in the future, with no creativity whatsoever. Somewhere, Carl Sagan is rolling in his grave.
It’s somewhat hilarious to hear a string quartet furiously playing while a brutal murder takes place on screen.
A similarly cliché moment occurs in a contrived group therapy session led by ex-Imperium general Titus (Djimon Honsou). Like a Warriors Anonymous meeting, each fighter confirms that their lives and/or homeworlds have been devastated by the Motherworld’s brutal conquest in a series of monologues. To Honsou and Doona Bae’s credit, their ability to infuse depth and emotion into their performances does slightly elevate the awkward narration.
These flashback monologues also transport us to the steampunk-industrial planet of Tarak (Staz Nair), a nobleman reminiscent of Conan the Barbarian. This is a refreshing change from the usual ethnically inspired landscapes we’ve seen so far, but these scenes raise frustrating questions about why certain character details were not hinted at or incorporated into the present storyline. The fact that Bae’s swordmaster Nemesis has an ancestral bloodlust hard-wired into her cyborg hands seems like an interesting detail that could have made her character more complex and multidimensional than the clichéd journey of a grieving mother that revolves around children.
Ed Skrein’s Darth Vader-esque Admiral Atticus Noble is the most watchable element of The Scargiver.
As in Child of Fire, Ed Skrein’s Darth Vader-like Admiral Atticus Noble is the most engaging part of The Scargiver. He adds a campy menace to the proceedings, even if his Christ-like resurrection is rather laughable. The purpose of the Matrix-like tube lights attached to his body, supposedly restoring his body after his downfall, is anyone’s guess; it’s as nonsensical as Kora’s “Scargiver” nickname. Despite it being the title of this sequel, no explanation is provided for it.
At least this time, we get a conclusion with a more thrilling showdown between Skrein and Boutella on the dreadnought, easily surpassing the mediocre battle scenes on the ground. Most of the tense struggle happens with the characters in free fall against the fiery chromatic backdrop of gruesome machinery, with each action star making every hit count. There are a few appealing battle scenes – Titus leading rebels across a stone bridge with laser beams whizzing past in slow motion could be a poster – yet most of the Imperium droids, vehicles, and ships have a grainy, two-dimensional appearance. The aesthetic world-building would have benefitted from more dynamic and original ideas than just rehashing well-known visuals from the sci-fi canon.
FAQs:
Q: Where can I stream Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver?
A: It is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Q: Who is the creator of Rebel Moon?
A: The series was created by Zach Snyder.
Q: What is the plot of The Scargiver?
A: It follows a warrior team returning to the moon of Veldt to defend villagers from the persistent Imperium army.
Q: Who are the main characters in the series?
A: The main characters include Kora (Sofia Boutella), Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), Titus (Djimon Honsou), and Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein).
Q: What is the overall score of Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver?
A: The film received a score of 4.
Credit: pk.ign.com
