Ivan Radford | On 22, Dec 2023

Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Sofia Boutella, Michiel Huisman, Ed Skrein, Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam, Staz Nair, Bae Doona
Certificate: 12

Angry Star Wars. If that phrase appeals, then Rebel Moon is for you. Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic is visually stunning, angry, world-destroying, angry, ambitiously big, angry achievement. The film takes place in a galaxy that might conceivably described as “far, far away”, if it were still a Lucasfilm project (it began life as a Star Wars pitch 10 years ago) – but it emerges here as worlds apart in tone, even if the content often feels very familiar.

The film introduces us to the farming planet of Veldt, where a tribe plough fields by hand. But when the galaxy-ruling Imperium rock up while hunting a band of rebels – stop us if this sounds familiar – their sadistic leader, Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), sparks a mini-rebellion by demanding the village provides grain. Cue muscly farmer Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), who teams up with the fierce Kora (Sofia Boutella) to assemble a bunch of warriors to take on Atticus. There’s the muscly former Imperium commander Titus (Djimon Hounsou), the muscle roguish smuggler Kai (Charlie Hunnam), the muscly, creature-wrangly Tarak (Staz Nair), cyborg swordswoman Nemesis (Bae Doona) and the muscly rebellion leader Darrian (Ray Fisher), of Clan Bloodaxe.

Every one of them is a physically impressive specimen capable of holding their own in a fight – preferably in slow-motion. And so Angry Star Wars with muscles gradually morphs into Seven Samurai in space, which, of course, isn’t a million miles from what Star Wars was in the first place. That’s Rebel Moon’s main problem: that it so closely homages its influences that it forgets to do its own thing with them, beside make them angry and muscular. The riffs on significant parentage and revenge that’s personal are all present and correct, with the main differences being that the neon swords are more vivid and the guns are bigger.

There’s something to be said for scale, and Snyder effortlessly mounts huge spectacle with some lavish set pieces and landscapes. But there’s not enough depth to go with the stylish surface, with each planet and moon lacking the immersive immediacy of, say, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. The script, co-written with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten, also doesn’t give its excellent cast much to play with, with Boutella most notably short-changed with a violent encounter early on and then some shouting speeches later.

Fortunately, there’s one character who gets to be suitably larger than life: Ed Skrein is clearly having a ball as the enjoyably despicable Atticus, a villain who, in a high-tech age, chooses to whack people with a wooden club for a weapon. But as Star Wars has shown us, a sci-fi saga needs more than a memorable villain to be, well, memorable – and while Snyder is well-versed in the heroic myths and legends that inspired the films that influence him, Rebel Moon doesn’t do enough to avoid being eclipsed by them. Part 2 (released in spring 2024) may or may not be the saving grace of the saga, but you wonder whether the whole thing could have been contained in a single outing.

Add to Watchlist