‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’ Review: Zack Snyder’s Space Opera Descends Further Into A Black Hole Of Nothingness

SPOILER ALERT: This review reveals details of both Rebel Moon movies.

Slow-motion scenes that sputter story pacing? Check.

Poorly developed characters? Check.

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Plot holes bigger than the Milky Way? Check.

… And we’re back with part two of Zack Snyder’s Netflix space opera Rebel Moon -Part Two: The Scargiver. You might not be a shock to hear this, but part two manages to be worse than part one. Its biggest offense? Nothing happening for way too long. The film stars Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Staz Nair, Elise Duffy and Anthony Hopkins as the voice of Jimmy the robot. While this is a capable cast of actors, they have nothing to work with. I wonder if the reason Snyder hasn’t delivered a comprehensible script in some time is because he wears too many hats as writer, producer, director and cinematographer on most of his films?

The headache-inducing journey of part two begins with exposition from Jimmy, who gives a rundown of past events and what lies ahead for Veldt. The bargain-basement guardians of the galaxy, who include Kora aka The Scargiver (Boutella), Gunnar (Huisman), General Titus (Hounsou), Nemesis (Bae), Prince Tarak (Nair) and Milius (Duffy), have returned to help stage an uprising they plan to execute in five days’ time when the Imperium Army comes back to the moon for grain. Kora reports to the village that Admiral Atticus Noble (Skrein) is dead, but little does she know, he’s been resurrected aboard the dreadnaught ship that hovers around Veldt’s orbit.

As everyone prepares to fight, Kora reveals the part she had to play in the assassination of the King and Princess Issa, which caused her to leave Balisarius (Fra Fee) behind and go on the run. What follows is 70-minutes of slog. Slow-motion scenes of characters farming, even more exposition, and loud explosions.

Rebel Moon – Part One deserves some credit in that it did have some scenes that looked cool, and were full of action (even if it was senseless). The Scargiver aims to add substance in an attempt to try and save the unstable narrative from ruin, but it ends up dragging the story down even further. As a whole, the film was more enjoyable when nothing was explained, and the audience didn’t know anything about anybody.

Also the makeup and hair are given little attention to detail, which is surprising because the actors and characters in Snyder’s films usually look stunning. Here, everything looks caked and glued on, almost as if the budget had run low. Actually, on every level it seems like more money was pumped into part one than into The Scargiver.

Snyder does deserve some credit for his diverse casting choices, but the failure to highlight this cast’s strongest attributes is apparent. Boutella should be leading Hollywood’s biggest action franchises because she understands the genre and knows how to execute fight choreography while making it look sleek. Hounsou is an actor’s actor, and a two-time Oscar nominee; he knows what he’s doing, but deserves to work with material worthy of his talents. Hopkins as Jimmy, who does less than nothing in the entirety of Rebel Moon, is still the best element the film has to offer. Look, attaching Oscar winners and nominees to your film does not make it prestigious. Good storytelling is what gives a film prestige!

The man has made great films: Dawn of the Dead is one, and while it may not have aged well, 300 still stands out as a decent comic book adaptation. The Snyder Cut of the Justice League isn’t perfect, but it’s beautiful to look at (and so are the actors). In the Rebel Moon saga, it’s just a whole lot of nothing. It’s 4 hours and 15 minutes I’ll never get back.

Title: Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver
Distributor: Netflix
Release date: April 19, 2024
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenwriters: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten 
Cast: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Stars Nair, Elise Duffy, Anthony Hopkins
Rating: R
Running time: 2 hr 2 min

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