Image: Netflix
For those of us who have watched Zack Snyder's 6+ hour film Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts, I believe we have seen the end of Zack Snyder’s “empowerment era.”
Editor's Note: This review is late because Netflix did not release screeners to anyone except a few outlets and YouTubers. What were the qualifications of those who were released screeners? I'll leave that to your own conclusions…
Much like the NBA version, which had players use their influence to force a better situation, the director used his influence as a filmmaker with a reputation for “his vision” to be released shortly after the initial version – and a passionate and devoted fan base that would demand that cut come to fruition – to make a deal with Netflix to make two versions of the same film with a budget that was tied to the director's cut before the wave of fan support had even begun.
This bold move for Zack and his producing partner and wife, Deborah Snyder, to make a shorter PG-13 version of his script (as well as writers Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad) could have been a dream compromise. Yet, when the critical response to early versions of the second film fell short of the first film's numbers, Director's Cuts took on the added pressure of saving Snyder's faltering reputation with its Urakis aboard and inspired him to not only rework his cut in such a way, but perhaps even give him the green light to pursue his vision.
Even though I wasn't impressed with the original PG-13 films (5 stars out of 10 overall), it was hard for me to doubt Snyder after he changed his mind on his version of Justice League. As a simple metric, the original film – completed by Joss Whedon (Marvel's The Avengers) after Snyder left following a family tragedy – had received poor scores. Rotten Tomatoes Both critics and audiences gave ratings of 40% and 67% respectively. When Snyder was allowed to create a 4-hour cut for MAX, both critics and audiences responded much more positively this time with rates of 71% and 93%.
However, it's far more logical that fans and critics could be spending more time with their favorite superheroes during the pandemic period of 2021 than with a universe that's heavily inspired by Star Wars and Seven Samurai and lacks charm, fun, and world-building. Will Snyder be able to turn his skeptics around once again?
Yes, not really.
From the opening sequence of the newly-released Rebel Moon – Chapter 1: Chalice of Blood, one can clearly see Snyder's R-rated mission statement: backstory, boobs, blood, and blowing things up. The all-new 20-minute scene takes a deeper look at Sky Yang's origins on Aeris, another soldier-turned-Rebel warrior named Korra, as their planet is devastated by Admiral Noble in the name of Balisarius as they attempt to locate the Rebel siblings Devra and Blood Axe. The sequence is far more violent and bloody than the PG-13 cut and features the Imperium stripping and stigmatizing native women, a boy being forced to kill his own father with a skeletal weapon, and a small alien creature blowing itself up to save its human family.
Image: Netflix
That opening scene sets the tone for a massive escalation of everything on Snyder's R-rated bingo card. The standard tough guy language gives way to profanity and uncomfortably vulgar dialogue that feels too uncool for a space epic. “I'm gonna fuck that pretty little hole in her face” is actually said in a movie about an agricultural village trying to fight off a galactic army. Yep. Add multiple sex scenes for Korra that go on way too long, Taraka waking up next to an elderly villager whose breasts are on display, and a Dreadnought ship whose engine is – wait for it – a giant naked woman.
While the over the top violence and gratuitous sexuality may not turn off fans of Snyder's previous work, what should annoy them is the lack of improvement over the previously thin and nonsensical plot, or the extremely inconsistent CGI work that borderlines on the lowest moments of early 2000s video game interstitials. If that doesn't turn them off, then maybe the multiple 10+ minute exposition dumping speeches we're forced to endure from Korra and her group of mismatched toy soldiers; and don't even get me started on the slow motion grain harvesting!
While the film doesn't really justify its approximately 90 minutes of additional runtime, the best aspect of the new cuts is the much improved editing and pacing, which doesn't feel nearly as rushed or chopped-up as the PG-13 version. We also get some additional hero moment action sequences for Korra that help solidify her hero status that gets lost at times in the previous incarnation.
Overall, the Snyder Cuts Rebel Moon 1 and 2 are only a minor upgrade over the original PG-13 versions, which faced criticism just a few months ago. The increased runtime for each new R-rated production may give some extra breathing room for swallowed up characters and worlds. Still, it wastes an incredible amount of time with unnecessary exposition, inappropriate sexual content, and swearing for the sake of swearing. For good measure, Snyder didn't even use the extra time to give Part 2 a more proper ending, while Part 3 is highly likely to happen soon.
6+ hours is hard to digest for any double feature other than The Godfather or Lord of the Rings, so don’t expect the Rebel Moon series to rise to the occasion, even with its “Snyder Cut” director in control. It’s unlikely he’ll get another shot at another Rebel Moon or director’s cut of his film in the near future.
Only for Snyder's most loyal fans. Only sci-fi action fans can wait to see something else worth the long runtime.
