<Read in Jimmy’s (Anthony Hopkins) voice > 

“On the far edges of the Motherworld’s reach, circling the gas giant Mara, was the small moon of Veldt… In an ambush on the floating docks of Gondoval, Kora triumphed over Admiral Noble, leaving his shattered body on the rocky coastline.” 

If you watched Rebel Moon: Child Of Fire, the first part of Zack Snyder’s latest saga, you already get the gist. If not, Jimmy (Anthony Hopkins) gives a quick but detailed recap of the events. In my review, I described Child Of Fire as a long-winded exposition for part 2, as it looked like the bulk of the plot and action was being saved for later. Containing only sporadic bits of action, it was an audition tape for the second instalment. Although The Scargiver delivers the promised action, it still faces some of the problems faced in the first part: poor character development, uninspiring dialogue and a generic slow-moving plot. These problems persist most likely because The Scargiver really isn’t a different film in the first place. 

After defeating Admiral Noble at Gondoval, Kora (Sofía Boutella) and the rest of her avengers, sorry, band of misfits, General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), Tarak (Staz Nair), Nemesis (Doona Bae) and Gunnar (Michael Huisman), return victorious to the Veldt convinced that the threat of the imperium had been repelled. But they soon learn that the battle is far from over when Aris (Sky Yang) receives a message from the Dreadnought that they will be arriving at the Veldt in five days. Knowing what this means for the village, the group has less than a week to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the might of the imperial force. Also, unknown to them, Admiral Noble has been successfully revived on the Dreadnought and is bent on capturing Kora, originally Arthelais. 

The biggest problem plaguing The Scargiver just like in Child of Fire is that for most of the film, nothing is happening. Despite a battle sequence that lasts for over forty minutes, the rest of the film is a laboured buildup filled with montage after montage and many speeches from General Titus to a final battle that ends up being the silver lining. Although we wait too long for the long-promised action, thankfully the payoff is worth the sunk cost. Zack Snyder orchestrates a

thrilling battle with lots of explosions and pleasing choreography. This time his signature slow motion technique doesn’t even look bad. 

As an otherworldly film, in part one we met quite the creatures, such as a brain-like insect creature that communicates by animating corpses, a human spider and several others. Such otherworldliness that adds a convincing touch to such elaborate worlds is missing in part 2. Incorporating variety in the characters creates a sense of novelty and helps to set the premise for an intergalactic story. This could have been easily shown with the imperial force that should naturally contain a mix of soldiers from conquered planets. The dialogue also does not evoke any unearthly sense, likewise other visual elements like the weapons used (apart from the light sabres, sorry fire swords). In essence, it is hard to perceive this as an interstellar lore. 

Just like the first part, the visual aesthetics continue to excel. The cinematography sets the tone of the film, delivering uplifting shots, especially with the montages. Not so many people can make a grain harvest look so inspiring. Also, the action of the battle is captured in a dynamic manner that effectively accentuates it. 

However, the plot development doesn’t see much improvement. The tropey nature of the events inhibits the plot from finding any depth. Most of the characters do not go through any significant arcs, they lack sufficient motivation for their actions, and subsequently, their actions don’t make a significant impact. Thus, it makes sense that the most remarkable performance comes from Anthony Hopkins, featuring as the voice of Jimmy, a robot that undergoes the most profound arc. The quality of the cast is not in question, consisting of talents like 2-time Oscar winner Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, and Sofía Boutella among others. But they have little to work with as their characters have little substance. 

Rebel Moon: The Scargiver is by no means a bad film, but the brilliance is in scattered sputters and the quality of the separate parts is bereft of the congruence that would have made it an excellent whole. Zack Snyder falls short of his standards and the film continues to snuff itself with its ambition. Anyway, the story is not finished and we might yet be treated to a further great spectacle.

Rebel Moon: The Scargiver premiered on Netflix on April 19.

Share your thoughts in the comments section or on our social media accounts.

Keep track of upcoming films and TV shows on your Google calendar.

Side Musings 

• Rebel Moon ends up too generic, too many parallels can be drawn to other films in this genre– characters and narrative. There’s nothing that makes it stand out as its own story.
• Why is Gunnar so quickly forgiven? 
• Djimoh Honsou has a good voice, but what was the point of the singing? 
• How is Aris a soldier?