Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire

 It's time to get the last few reviews out for the year. 

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, Zack Snyder's reworking of his Star Wars movie pitch, is the first up at bat. It's essentially a sci-fi Seven Samurai as much as Star Wars was essentially a sci-fi The Hidden Fortress. Of course, some may recall that 1980's Battle Beyond the Stars was also a sci-fi Seven Samurai. But I'd imagine the older film is better than this.

As Jimmy the Droid (Anthony Hopkins) narrates, the galaxy is ruled by the evil regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) of the militaristic Motherworld. The Motherworld's been at a civil war with rebels ever since their former king (only referred to as "The Slain King" and cameoed by Cary Elwes) and his family were assassinated. Balisarius dispatches the evil Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein) to the farming moon of Veldt to get some grain. The Veldtians balk at Noble's high quotas, so he makes an example out of their elder, Father Sindri (Corey Stall). He promises to come back for his grain, though he doesn't promise to leave them in peace.

One of the Veldtians is actually Kora (Sofia Boutella), a former Motherworld soldier, who, along with her friend Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), decide to round up the magnificent space samurai. There's the Han Solo-type, Kai (Charlie Hunnam), beastmaster Tarak (Staz Nair), gladiator Titus (Djimon Hounsou), cyborg swordswoman Nemesis (Doona Bae) and the rebel leaders Darrian & Devra Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher & Cleopatra Coleman). They naturally have to stay one step ahead of Admiral Noble and his forces. But can all the magnificent space samurai be trusted?

The film's biggest problem is its storytelling. It takes about forty minutes before Kora and Gunnar set off to find the magnificent space samurai. We soon see them gather the warriors, after which they have final battle with Noble and that's it. It's rather easy to zone out during its tedious exposition dumps. I was reminded during them how George Lucas's original lengthy title crawl for Star Wars had to be edited greatly; imagine if there was no oversight and you have this film. It draws out scenes like Kora rescuing her friend, Sam (Charlotte Maggi), from Motherworld goons, to an annoying crawl. It's a somewhat short epic film at 134-minutes, though it certainly felt longer and incomplete. 

This is actually an incomplete movie. It has a director's cut coming in a few months right when Part Two, The Scargiver, comes out. This is a Netflix movie, which is rarely bothered by showtime restrictions, so why not make a full version the first time? This arrangement leaves it with a few oddities. Kora saving Sam is obviously edited for violence until she whips out a blaster. Nemesis's debut has her rushed into a contextless battle with the spider-woman Harmada (Jena Malone). That sequence looks good, and it heavily justifies it being shortlisted for the Visual Effects Oscar, but a bit more development could have helped. Jimmy and Aris (Sky Yang), the latter being a sympathetic Motherworld soldier, are not only likable, but are glorified extras. I can go on, but I won't.

But I will go on about what worked. Noble's dialogue with the Veldtians is affable, but tense, considering that this is a man who could have a planet flash-fried if he's angry. His murder of Sindri is a tense outburst of violence. We barely see Balisarius in this instalment, but when he first appears in a flashback, he welcomes the possibility of young Kora shooting him. It's as chilling as it sounds. Tarak's debut has him tame a space griffin, Bennu, to win his freedom from Hickman (Ray Porter), the farmer holding him in debt. Tarak's brutal surprise for Hickman makes him the most memorable of the magnificent space samurai.

 Let's not forget the visuals, as everything from the production design to its creatures are as wonderfully eclectic as Star Wars's. Jimmy, played on set by motion capture actor Dustin Ceithamer, looks like a real animatronic at times. Its creepiest crawlie is a parasite that talks by possessing an unlucky corpse (James William O'Halloran). It's also pretty cool how Nemesis's lightsabers look like molten magma. Its CGI is great, overall, but its makeup team deserves major credit for its practical aliens. Its grand tone is accentuated by another memorable score by Tom "Junkie XL" Holkenborg. 

What do I think of Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire? It's an OK movie; it could have been told a lot better but it's not really awful. It still looks great, and I wouldn't mind it being placed on the final ballot at the Oscars. Let's hope The Scargiver sets this new sci-fi universe's momentum to lightspeed. I don't think I'll put the director's cut on my docket, even if Snyder says it's going to be a different movie, but that's just me. I'm sure others will put it on their playlists in no time. That's it for now.