Zack Snyder's redemption arc: Why Netflix's 'Rebel Moon: Part Two' outshines 'Rebel Moon: Part One'
Warning: Spoilers ahead for 'Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After a 5-month wait, viewers finally got to see the conclusion to Zack Synder's 'Rebel Moon' as Netflix released 'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' on Friday, April 19. The first part of the film 'Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire' came out in December 2023 and set up the premise of the space opera.
'Rebel Moon' is based in a fictional galaxy where Imperium, the military of the rulers, Motherworld, is out to threaten a farming moon called Veldt. Kora (Sofia Boutella), a former Imperium soldier fights the Motherworld with the help of a few warriors, to save the land they now call home.
'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' is not the archetypal sequel to the first part as both parts were made together to be one film before being split into two. But it is evident that the makers of the film heard the negative reviews of part one and did their best to make amends in the second part as the second part is significantly better than the first part.
Here's why we think 'Rebel Moon: Part 2' is better than 'Rebel Moon: Part 1'.
'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' has a better first act
The first act of any film is the setup of the film's premise and characters, setting up the world of the film. The first act of 'Rebel Moon: Part 1' is a really slow and monotonous drag. It takes extremely long to set up and the writing is full of narration and exposition trying desperately to explain the world of the film to the audience, in the process making it boring and uneventful.
'Rebel Moon: Part 2' has some of its best sequences in its first act. From the dramatic resurrection of Atticus Noble (Eri Skrein) to the death of the King and his family in a Julius Caesar-like sequence, a lot happens while the film's plot is being set up.
While we understand that 'Rebel Moon: Part 2' benefits from the extensive setup of Part 1, there is really no substitute for a well-written and executed first half that grabs the viewer's attention immediately.
'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' has better visual storytelling
The Zack Snyder that we know and love came back in the second part and proved why he is such a master of visual storytelling. 'Rebel Moon: Part 1' was criticized heavily for its poor CGI and a visual experience that isn't befitting of a Zack Snyder film.
'Rebel Moon: Part 2' though had some brilliant visual moments. The entire third act where the two sides go to war, is shot beautifully and complimented by amazing sound design.
However, our favorite sequence comes from Tarak's (Staz Nair) backstory where his entire world crumbles right in front of him. The whole sequence is cinema at its finest with great metaphors in every single frame of the sequence.
'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' has better character payoffs
While 'Rebel Moon: Part 1' was all about characters being set, you feel that the character backstories were done better in 'Rebel Moon: Part 2'.
The whole sequence where the good guys in the film sit and discuss their pasts, gives every character an added motivation to fight for the greater good and connects them emotionally with the audience.
By the end of the film, when the war concludes, you feel every character got its payoff too. This was missing in 'Rebel Moon: Part 1'.
There were more moments for the actors to come into their own as well. The scene where Kora cries and screams is such a beautiful moment in the film giving her character the perfect payoff.
'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' trailer
'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' is streaming on Netflix from April 19