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Daniel Eagan

3.5/5 stars
Superheroes gather in a distant galaxy to battle an evil empire in Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire. It’s Star Wars meets Seven Samurai by way of director Zack Snyder, the dethroned architect of the DC Universe.
Rebel Moon opens in an agrarian colony on Veldt, a moon orbiting a ringed planet much like Saturn. When the colony is invaded by soldiers from the Imperium, it’s up to the orphaned Kora (Sofia Boutella) to recruit fighters to help the villagers. The problem is the rebels are scattered all over the galaxy.
Before Kora departs, she takes out a dozen or so enemies armed only with a hatchet – the first of many well-executed battles spread throughout the movie.


On a desert planet, Kora finds Tarak (Staz Nair), a warrior who can communicate with the animal world. Next, on a dying world polluted by mining, Nemesis (Bae Doona) displays expert sword skills. Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a disgraced Regent general, joins the team from a gladiator planet.
Meanwhile, the rebels are pursued by Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), a ruthless killer who commands the King’s Gaze spaceship. No one is safe from his men, not even the mercenaries trying to betray the rebels.

If it seems like you’ve seen this before, you probably have. The director has cited The Dirty Dozen and The Lord of the Rings among his inspirations; it’s easy to pick out nods to other big-budget blockbusters as well.
What Snyder brings to the project is a sensational world-building vision and a muscular filmmaking style that can pummel viewers into submission.
Rebel Moon is as easy to read as a billboard and about as deep. Once it gets going, the movie sprints at a furious pace, stopping only to indulge in too many slow-motion leaps, kicks and punches.

Boutella has become a fan favourite for films like Atomic Blonde and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, but she has never been asked to carry the lead in a project this big. A former dancer, she’s got the physical presence and the confidence of a true star. She helps pull the movie over its rough stretches.
Because not everything in Rebel Moon makes sense. Bae’s Nemesis is fascinating, and her battle scene deep in the bowels of a cobalt mine is a highlight of the movie, but her powers are confusing, and like the other rebels, she doesn’t get much chance to explain herself.
Snyder, who also shot Rebel Moon and co-wrote its script, has huge ambitions for the project. The second part arrives in April, and an animated series and RPG computer game have been announced. That’s to say nothing of extended, R-rated cuts of parts one and two. Will fatigue set in first?

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire will start streaming on Netflix on December 22.
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Netflix movie review: Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire marks an exciting start to Zack Snyder’s blend of Star Wars and Seven Samurai

Sofia Boutella as Kora in a still from “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”. Photo: Netflix.

Sofia Boutella as Kora in a still from “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”, directed by Zack Snyder and co-starring Bae Doona and Ed Skrein. Photo: Clay Enos/Netflix

Bae Doona as Nemesis in a still from “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”. Photo: Netflix

Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble in a still from “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”. Photo: Clay Enos/Netflix

(From left) Charlie Hunnam as Kai, Michiel Huisman as Gunnar, Sofia Boutella as Kora, Staz Nair as Tarak and Djimon Hounsou as Titus in a still from “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”. Photo: Clay Enos/Netflix

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Starring Sofia Boutella, Bae Doona and Ed Skrein, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire sees superheroes gather in a distant galaxy to battle an evil empire
Snyder brings his sensational world-building vision to the project but his muscular filmmaking style can pummel viewers into submission


Starring Sofia Boutella, Bae Doona and Ed Skrein, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire is a blend of Star Wars and Seven Samurai from director Zack Snyder that will be released on Netflix in December.


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