The first instalment of writer/director Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic could be easily dismissed as being derivative – but the movie immerses viewers into a fascinating new fictional universe, includes the visual flair and eye for action that Zack Snyder is known for, and sets up an intriguing ongoing storyline while also providing a satisfying narrative in its own right.

Premise: In a far flung galaxy, the peaceful life of a farming colony on the moon of Veldt is threatened when the military forces of the distant Motherworld come looking for a hidden band of rebels. The first instinct of Kora (Sofia Boutella), an outsider taken in by the villagers, is to flee – but she soon realises that the colony will only survive if she can find the rebels herself and recruit them to protect the village from the forces of the Imperium, led by the ruthless Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein).

Review:

There are a lot of easy criticisms that can be made about this movie, so let’s get them out of the way to begin with. Yes, this film started life as Zack Snyder’s pitch for a standalone Star Wars movie – but in fairness, this film has clearly evolved beyond the original concept, and to say that this feels like a Star Wars rip-off is a cheap shot, especially when Star Wars itself borrows so heavily from established storytelling tropes, such as Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey structure in A New Hope. It's also no secret that this film is inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai – but again, this isn’t the first film to be so inspired (with previous examples including everything from The Magnificent Seven to A Bug’s Life), and of course the first Star Wars film itself was heavily influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress.

Nevertheless, it is fair to say that the basic plot outline of Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire (which is the first part of the two-movie opening instalment of what is hoped to be an ongoing movie series) is very familiar, and arguably quite derivative. A peaceful village finds itself under threat from overwhelming forces, and seeks to recruit outside fighters who will be able to protect it – it’s a storyline we’ve seen before in everything from Battle Beyond the Stars to ¡Three Amigos!.

“…the world building in ‘Rebel Moon’ is really interesting…”

But what makes A Child of Fire so enjoyably is the way in which Zack Snyder (who directed the film, wrote the story, and co-wrote the screenplay) takes the establish plot structure and builds a whole new fictional universe around it. The world building in Rebel Moon is really interesting, and despite what some have said, it’s a lot more nuanced than simply being a Star Wars clone. In Rebel Moon, the catalyst for events is the power vacuum left following the assassination of the ruler of an interstellar empire, and the upheaval that followed when some worlds tried to secede from the rule of Motherworld, while others in the former royal court sought to solidify their own grip on power. Motherworld’s miliary, the Imperium, feels more grounded and brutal than the faceless stormtroopers of Star Wars ever did, displaying more of the rawness and aggression that might be expected from a disgruntled platoon of soldiers.

On this point, it’s worth mentioning that this is not a film that’s really suitable for kids. This version is rated 15 in the UK (PG-13 in the US) and contains references to sexual violence, as well as the action that you might be expecting – and an extended “R-rated” version is due to be released shortly too. Weirdly, the current version does feel like it’s neither one thing or the other – it's too hard edged to be suitably for kids, but it also feels like its wings have been clipped a little in terms of its violence – but hopefully this is something that will be remedied in the forthcoming extended cut.

“…everything has a lived-in yet hyper-stylised feel…”

As it stands, the action is as beautifully shot (and yes, with plenty of slow-motion!) as you would expect from the director of films like 300 and Watchmen, albeit (currently) without nearly as much blood as those films had. The VFX are top notch – and even if there is a slight feeling of over-reliance on greenscreen in a couple of places, it adds to the pulpy, comic-book feel of the movie (in the same way that 300 was filmed entirely on greenscreen). The costumes and set design also feel like they’ve stepped out of the pages of a pulp novel or grungy comic, with everything having a lived-in yet hyper-stylised feel, and the characters being given instantly recognisable silhouettes and appearances by their costumes – fascist undertones for the Imperium’s military uniforms, while the independent characters very much feel like sci-fi versions of, for example, gunslinger, ronin and beast-master architypes.

The cast all seem to be throwing themselves into their roles – and front and centre is unquestionably Sofia Boutella as Kora, the outsider who galvanises the farming colony into action. I’ve long been a fan of Sofia Boutella since her breakthrough role in the first Kingsman film, and she was excellent in her supporting roles in the likes of Atomic Blonde, Star Trek Beyond and Hotel Artemis – so it’s great to see her finally given the chance to take centre stage. Michiel Huisman is also given probably his biggest film role since his breakthrough in Game of Thrones, and adds some interesting shades to his character. The biggest name in the cast is arguably Djimon Hounsou as a former general of the Imperium, but he has very little actual screentime (presumably his character is being set up for the next instalment instead).

“…adds lots of colour & interest to the new fictional universe…”

The rest of the assorted cast of rebels and misfits are played by a mix of familiar faces – like Charlie Hunnam as a mercenary pilot and Ray Fisher (reuniting with his Justice League director) as a rebel leader – and less well-known actors, like Doona Bae as a cybernetic swordswoman and Staz Nair as a blacksmith with an affinity for nature … and let’s not forget a robot voiced by Sir Anthony Hopkins, a giant spider-monster played by Jena Malone, and Ed Skrein chewing up the scenery as the sadistic officer hunting for the hidden rebels. You could certainly call it an eclectic cast list.

And as much as I said that you could call the plot derivative if you were feeling ungenerous, it did throw in a handful of twists and developments that I didn’t immediately see coming, and it also added lots of colour and interest to the new fictional universe, throwing in everything from mysterious prophesies to disgraced knights, all of which added to the excellent world-building that this film does as it lays the ground for what’s to follow.

“…did enough to make me excited to see where Part Two goes later this year…”

Of course, what’s to follow is not yet set in stone – we do know that the second part of the opening instalment will be released this April, and it’s recently been confirmed that an extended “R-rated" version of Part One will be released at some point before Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver. Zack Snyder has said he’s working on the script for the next instalment, and there has been talk of a trilogy of sequels … but no doubt much will depend on how happy Netflix are with this first two-part introduction.

Overall, this does feel more like a taster for what’s to come, rather than a full-blown movie event in its own right – but I had a blast, and it did enough to make me excited for both the extended version of Part One (given how much of an improvement Zack Snyder’s extended cuts have been in the past compared to his theatrical releases), and to see where this goes in Part Two later this year.