An outsider on the run becomes her homeworld’s only hope when a brutal Admiral and his men threaten their peaceful lives. She assembles a team of rebels to fight against the tyranny of the Motherworld.

Once again, Zack Snyder fails to deliver despite having access to one of the biggest streaming platforms and maybe a blank check for this movie.

Based on what I saw in Army of the Dead, I deliberately lowered my expectations, ignoring those praising the sci-fi epic on social media. Alas! Even then, Rebel Moon bored me for the most part (this is coming from a die-hard Snyder fan!).

Sofia Boutella stars as Kora, a woman with a hidden past who has to take up arms when the cruel hands of the Motherworld reach her once peaceful settlement. She finds both allies and foes in her quest and must make a stand before she loses the life she has come to hold dear.

I will start with the story; it basically borrows from almost every sci-fi action movie we have seen before and brings nothing new. There is no character development and the dialogue borders between cringy and annoying. The so-called world-building was anything but, in my opinion. Almost all the worlds shown were grim, dark, and dusty.

As for the visuals, I’m so sick of Snyder draining the life out of whatever colour he uses. Bro, why not just make it a black-and-white film instead? The cinematography is a far cry from what I envisioned and I wonder again how this came to be despite the blank cheque.

Boutella lacks the charm or charisma to shoulder this film as the protagonist and she and her co-stars mostly seem wooden in their delivery, sometimes saying their lines like a poem recital.

The biggest issue I had was the action, which is lame; a major surprise since this is a Snyder movie. The fight choreography is awful, and the blows not landing were too obvious. After seeing the action sequences, I daresay the genre is dying.

The antagonist is a one-dimensional asshole who doesn’t even carry a real weapon despite being an Admiral. He has something akin to a walking stick, which he uses to pummel victims. The actor who played him looked bored for the entirety of his screen time.

The director had talented actors, including the great Djimon Hounsou and failed to properly utilize any of them. None of their characters made me care as they were all uninteresting.

One good thing about the movie is its score which is wasted on a film that should not in any way be compared to the Star Wars franchise.

For Snyder fans who loved Army of the Dead, this will please you. For others, this is a no-go area. It is in the end an average movie at best.

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire | Official Trailer

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