Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Staz Nair, and Elise Duffy

Director: Zack Snyder

What’s Good: The entirety of the last sequence aboard the Dreadnaught is genuinely unique in its spectacle.

What’s Bad: Many characters and concepts feel unfulfilled as if the movie is holding the good stuff & waiting for a third installment.

Loo Break: The first 45 minutes of the movie can be skipped until reaching the anticipated final battle.

Watch or Not?: Watch only if you liked the first part, as very little here is different from the first.

Language: English (with subtitles).

Available On: Netflix

Runtime: 122 Minutes

User Rating:

Rebel Moon was definitely born out of the concept of creating a version of Seven Samurai in “space,” and with the first installment of this two-part film, Zack Snyder scratched that itch by gathering several diverse warriors in expectation of fighting what seemed like an insurmountable force. However, once the warriors are gathered, Part Two fails to develop the characters in exciting ways, making us wonder why so many of them were included in the first place.

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver Movie Review: Script Analysis

The first part of Rebel Moon created a fascinating universe for stories to be set in, as it was a mixture of Star Wars mixed with Warhammer 40k, and then even some parts of the now legendary Heavy Metal magazine when it came to visuals and tone. It seemed like Snyder was only getting us ready for a second part, where all the promises of the first could be finally realized on screen. However, Part Two: The Scargiver only brings us one step further into a story planned for more installments.

Part Two: The Scargiver feels more like an epilogue to Child of Fire than anything else because the film acts as if the characters and the plot have already reached their climactic conclusion without any build-up. Seven Samurai should have served as a template for Rebel Moon in all aspects, not only in concept but also in structure, character development, and execution, but it isn’t, which is why the movie ends up feeling quite hollow, as all the work done if the first part feels like a waste of time.

As Part Two: The Scargiver opens, we are met with what is the second act of Seven Samurai, where all the character growth in the movie takes place, but here in Rebel Moon, that second act only comprises a couple montages where we see the villagers getting ready for the battle against the Motherworld, and then we jump straight into battle. The script tries to create some context for the characters by telling them about their past, but this attempt at character development feels clunky and could be more efficient.

As the final battle ensues, the movie dedicates its entire running time to creating action sequences and not much else. Only the character of Kora receives enough meat to make us care once again, with all the other characters trying desperately to feel relevant or even unique in their own right, but the movie has no time to give them proper scenes where we can see them for who they are instead of what they tell us they are. The first 45 minutes should have had fewer songs, montages, and more meaningful conversations between our main party.

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver Movie Review: Star Performance

Sofia Boutella proved in Part One that she was capable of being more than just an action star, and here in Part Two, she proves it once more, making her the best performer of the film and Kora the best character. However, while this is great for Boutella and her character, it isn’t precisely the best thing for the film, as all the other characters and actors feel left behind in the dust, not because they are not capable of giving good performances but because the material doesn’t give them anything to do.

Djimon Hounsou is always a welcome presence in every movie he is in, but his General Titus feels empty because we don’t know him at all, and even when Hounsou carries his scenes by sheer personality alone, his character should have had a lot more weight. The same goes for Nair and Duffy characters, who are there only to act as action figures, battling enemies but doing little else. Ed Skrein continues to chew the scenery, but his characters have been left without any gas in the engine, and his return feels completely unnecessary as nothing different is done with him in any way; he should have stayed dead for sure.