Rebel Moon (the Director's Cuts)

 

Directed and shot by Zack Snyder and screenplay by Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, and Shay Hatten from a story by Snyder, Rebel Moon is a two-part film series that explores a conflict between an imperialist galaxy who decides to threaten a farming colony on a moon outside of its galaxy leading to a rebellion by a young woman who would seek out various misfits to help her rebel against these imperial forces. The film, in its expanded director’s cuts with a total running time of 377-minutes, is an epic sci-fi adventure film that displays a group of people who refuse to bow down to the whims of an imperialistic force even though the imperialists have an army that will not stop in taking over. Starring Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Jena Malone, Fra Fee, Corey Stoll, Staz Nair, Elise Duffy, Cary Elwes, Sky Yang, Charlotte Maggi, Stella Grace Fitzgerald, and the voice of Anthony Hopkins as JC-1435 aka Jimmy. Rebel Moon is an audacious, bold, and viscerally evocative two-part film by Zack Snyder.

Set in a futuristic galaxy led by an entity known as the Motherland, the two-part film is about a young farmer who decides to leave her farming village with another farmer to gather some warriors to help train the farmers for an upcoming battle against these imperial forces. It is a story with a simple plot, yet it plays into this planet where a village of farmers deal with a large spaceship whose fleet is led by the sadistic Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) who learns about what the planet does and wants all their harvest though his intentions prove to be far more sinister. Especially as it plays into a dark history of planetary domination and acts of genocide in the hands of the Motherland ever since the assassination of their king (Cary Elwes) and his royal family with a former military leader in Balisarius (Fra Fee) being the new leader. The screenplays by Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, and Shay Hatten, in their extended versions, split the story into two parts with the first chapter entitled The Chalice of Blood and the second chapter entitled Curse of Forgiveness.

The Chalice of Blood establishes this sense of dread that the Motherland has impacted on various planets with a moon called Veldt being the center of this conflict within both stories as a farming village where a young woman in Kora (Sofia Boutella) lives in even though she is seen as an outsider in the village. When Admiral Noble arrives on his ship to see the village and what they had to offer, he demands that the farm give them all their grain while leaving his soldiers to watch over everything. Yet, Kora would kill all but one soldier from raping a young farmer, she would leave the village with another farmer in Gunner (Michiel Huisman) to find people who would help them deal with imperialist forces since Gunner had made secret grain trades to rebels. Meanwhile, a rogue imperial robot in JC-1435 aka (Dustin Ceithamer) would watch over the village and secretly help them out where recalls a story of the Motherland when it ruled peacefully for a time with its king and his young daughter Princess Issa (Stella Grace Fitzgerald) as the latter was believed to be this spiritual being that would bring peace. With the help of a mercenary/starship pilot in Kai (Charlie Hunnam), Kora and Gunner would gain the services of a former imperial general in Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a sword master with cyborg hands in Nemesis (Bae Doona), a former nobleman turned blacksmith in Tarak (Staz Nair), and a rebel soldier in Milius (Elise Duffy) who is part of a rebel faction lead by the siblings in Darrian and Devra Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher and Cleopatra Coleman, respectively).

In Curse of Forgiveness, the script plays more into the back stories of the rebels that Kora and Gunner had brought in as well as the past of the former whose family was killed by the Motherland where she met Balisarius who would adopt her. Kora’s last encounter with Admiral Noble would prove to be fatal for Noble as he realizes Kora’s identity hoping to capture her to gain favor from Balisarius as well as a seat in the Motherland’s senate. On Veldt, Titus, Nemesis, Milius, and Tarak not only help the farmers in preparing for battle with the rogue soldier Aris (Sky Yang) who would function as a double agent for the farmers in his reports to Motherland. They also rediscover a life they had lost due to their past encounters with the Motherland, adding more weight to what is at stake with Jimmy making a discovery that would get everyone to prepare for Noble and his forces.

Snyder’s direction is truly grand in terms of not just the massive scale he presents as if it plays into events that are inspired by the realities of war and tyranny but also a reality that those disconnected from modern-day society must deal with. With the scenes on Veldt and other exterior locations shot on location in areas in California, much of Snyder’s work is shot on studio soundstages yet he does create something that does play into a world that is in absolute and total chaos. The Chalice of Blood opens with a sequence of a family trying to defend themselves against a force of imperial soldiers where Admiral Noble coerces Aris to join the Motherland through a horrifying act. Also serving as the film’s cinematographer, Snyder does create some unique visuals some of the planets as they are drenched with unique lighting and color schemes with elements of the Motherland being heightened in their lighting to play into this false utopia they claim to portray. Shot in a 2:76:1 aspect ratio, Snyder uses that format to create images as if they are a wide canvas as the diligence in his wide and medium shots add a lot to the world that these characters live in.

Notably in the scenes on Veldt in its village setting as it has this naturalistic feel that is also heightened in its lighting reminiscent of 1970s cinema. Snyder would also maintain a sense of intimacy in his approach to medium shots and close-ups as he also plays into the way characters interact with each other or the environment they are in. Notably in some of the scenes during the harvest in Curse of Forgiveness where there is this sense of community where these outsiders take part in and deal with a world that feels idyllic and inclusive. Especially towards characters like Milius and Nemesis who both came from farming villages that they lost due to the actions of the Motherland where they reconnect with a side of themselves that they had lost long ago. Snyder also maintains some unique compositions in the way he presents the different planets the characters go to in The Chalice of Blood as well as some disparate imagery in the way Veldt is shown and the Motherland ship that Admiral Noble lives in.

In these expanded versions of the films that Snyder had intended to make, it allows him to present the violence in a more gruesome manner in some of the battles and attacks to display how extreme war is. Even in moments of conflict such as the first fight between Kora and Noble in the climax of The Chalice of Blood, while the big battle scene in Curse of Forgiveness is far more intense. Especially as there are these chilling elements where Noble has more concern for himself and making the Motherland look good as the original mission to get the grain from the farmers becomes unnecessary. It has elements of anti-war sentiment where some begin to question Noble’s views as it relates to Kora and her identity believing that capturing her would gain him favor of Balisarius. The ending does not just play into what was lost but also the beginning of something bigger in what a rebellion must do. Overall, Snyder has crafted a rapturous and enthralling film about a young woman who gathers some rebels to fight against a tyrannical force led by a madman.

Editor Dody Dorn does brilliant work with the editing where it is filled with lots of style in slow-motion cuts, fast-cuts, and jump-cuts to play into the action and drama while also knowing when to slow things down to let shots linger to establish what is happening in a scene. Production designers Stefan Dechant and Stephen Swain, along with supervising art directors Julien Pougnier and Brett McKenzie plus set decorator Claudia Bonfe, do amazing work with the look of the farm houses and the interior of some of the spaceships. Costume designer Stephanie Portnoy Porter does fantastic work with the costumes from the regal uniforms that the imperialists wear to the more ragged and simpler look of the people on Veldt as well as the different clothes that Titus, Nemesis, and Tarak wear.

Makeup artist Laura Calvo, hair stylist Miki Caporusso, and special makeup effects/puppet designer Justin Raleigh do excellent work with the look of the characters as well as some of the details in the scars that some characters sport as well as the different hairstyles of Kora. Special effects supervisor Michael Gaspar and senior visual effects supervisor Marcus Taormina, along with animation supervisors Nikki Braine, Yvon Jardel, and Nick Starcevic, do tremendous work with the visual effects with its mixture of practical effects and puppetry for some of the small creatures in the film as well as the design of the different planets and their exterior settings as it is a highlight of the film. Sound designers Scott Hecker, Bryan Jerden, and Chuck Michael do superb work with the sound in the way gunfire sounds as well as other sparse and small sounds with elements of bombastic sound effects that play into the terror of these weapons. The film’s music by Tom Holkenburg is incredible for its mixture of bombastic orchestral arrangements, electronic swirls, and folk-based music as it plays into the different worlds that the film presents with a lot of folk-based music having this sense of traditional tone to play into something that Veldt is trying to hold on to.

The casting by Kristy Carlson is marvelous as it features various small roles and appearances from Brandon Auret and Greg Kriek as a couple of imperial soldiers tasked in watching over the village, Derek Mears as a monstrous alien who is part of a group asked to spy for the Motherland, Tony Amendola as a king who shelters the rebellion, Rhian Rees as the queen of the Motherland in the flashbacks, Elizabeth Martinez as the young Kora, Ray Porter as a farmer from another planet that is Tarek’s master, Stuart Martin as a farmer named Den whom Kora would have sex with early in the film, Dominic Buress as a man Kora and Gunner fight with at a bar where they would meet Kai, Ingvar Sigurdsson as an elder farmer in Hagen who was the one that took Kora into the community as well as being a father figure to her, Stella Grace Fitzgerald as the princess Kora was a bodyguard for as she is the spiritual being who is believed to be the key to peace, and Cary Elwes as the king of the Motherland who would change his ways from being a tyrant into wanting to become a more peaceful leader.

Other notable small roles and appearances include Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher in terrific performances as the sibling rebel leaders in Devra and Darrian Bloodaxe who agree to help Kora and her team only from afar with the latter being involved early on with the former coming in late in the film. Corey Stoll is superb as the village leader Sindri who is troubled by the appearance of the Motherland unsure of what to do while also being unaware of their extremities. Jena Malone is fantastic in her brief role as the humanoid-spider Harmada who kidnaps children and causes trouble where she gets into a fight with Nemesis in The Chalice of Blood. Alfonso Herrera is excellent as Noble’s second-in-command Cassius who runs the ground forces and everything else while finds himself questioning Noble’s intentions. Charlotte Maggi is brilliant as Sam as a water girl who nearly gets raped by some imperial soldiers only to fall for the rogue soldier Aris and become a fighter herself. Sky Yang is amazing as Aris who reluctantly serves for the imperialists after his own encounter with Noble only to go rogue and help the farmers to defy the Motherland. Fra Fee is incredible as Balisarius as the leader of the Motherland who rules the galaxy as a tyrant as he is intent on ruling the galaxy while is hoping to find Kora who is his long-lost adopted daughter.

Charlie Hunnam is great in his role as the mercenary Kai who helps Kora and Gunner travel to the galaxy to gather some people to fight with them as he is an ambiguous individual that is also a pessimist while does see the sense of hope in what Kora is fighting for. The performances of Elise Duffy, Staz Nair, and the duo of Dustin Ceithamer and the voice of Anthony Hopkins are phenomenal in their respective roles as the rebel fighter Milius, the former nobleman-turned-slave in Tarak, and the imperialist robot who has gone rogue in JC-1435/Jimmy as they all express a need to return to a life they once had with Milius as a fighter who once had a life in a farmland that was taken from her with Tarak as a prince who went into exile after his planet was taken and Jimmy as this robot who had been programmed to protect the royal family only to rebel after dealing with the abuse of the imperialists soldiers where he would help the farmers in secrecy.

Bae Doona is remarkable as Nemesis as a sword master with android hands who came from a fishing village that used to be a land of violence where she joins Kora in the rebellion where she regains a sense of what was lost in her encounters with the people of the village. Djimon Hounsou is tremendous as General Titus as a former imperialist general who had become an alcoholic as he reluctantly joins Kora where he would regain a sense of purpose while teaching the farmers how to fight with what they have while also knowing Kora’s identity. Michiel Huisman is sensational as Gunner as a farmer who joins Kora in trying to gather people for the rebellion as he secretly sold grain to the Bloodaxe where he gains a sense of bravery and purpose where he hopes to have a future with Kora.

Ed Skrein is magnificent as Admiral Atticus Noble as this monstrous military figure who is willing to do everything for Balisarius where he has this devilish charm to him that also has elements of camp where Skrein goes all out in this role as it is his greatest performance to date. Finally, there’s Sofia Boutella in a spectacular performance as Kora as a woman who had been Balisarius’s adopted daughter only to flee because of an incident where she exiled herself to become a farmer until the Motherland returns prompting her to gather people for a rebellion. Even as Boutella displays the complexities of her emotions in the guilt that she holds in her past actions while also dealing with the fact that she lost a lot in her life only to gain a new purpose and a community that has embraced her.

Rebel Moon, in their extended director’s cuts, is an outstanding film by Zack Snyder. Featuring a great ensemble cast, enthralling visuals, its exploration of war and guilt, a balance of action, suspense, and drama, and an exhilarating music score and soundtrack by Tom Holkenburg. It is a two-part film series that does not just allow Snyder to highlight his full vision of a space conflict but also shows so much more in its exploration of a community that just wants to live a peaceful life despite the threat they must deal with. In the end, Rebel Moon is a magnificent two-part film series by Zack Snyder.

Zack Snyder Films: (Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)) – 300 - Watchmen - (Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole) – Sucker Punch Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Justice League - Zack Snyder's Justice League - (Army of the Dead)

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