Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver doesn’t advance the story enough to keep audiences entertained, however there are some fun action sequences.
At the end of Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver it unfortunately feels as if this story has not advanced much. It is almost as if we are in the same position as we were at the end of Rebel Moon Part One, except maybe a few more people are dead (no spoilers here, don’t worry). The first movie had this critic remaining cautiously optimistic, hoping that once the full story was revealed in Part Two, it would come together nicely. That did not happen.
Rebel Moon Part One felt like it was mostly set up for what viewers hoped woudl be an epic all out war in the Part Two. Instead, the first half of Part Two, which picks up right where the first film left off, is somehow more set up. One of the biggest issues with Rebel Moon was that there was no real connection to the characters.
In an effort to fix this, Part Two has each of the major players give a little bit of backstory, detailing their lives and what brought them to this moment in time and their hardships due to the motherworld. One of the issues in the first film was a feeling of disconnect with some of the characters and thankfully these backstories will help viewers connect with the characters this time around.
Ed Skrein is back as the bad guy, Atticus Noble. He has been brought back to life by the Empire, or whatever you wish to call them but let’s be honest here, this is very much a world inspired by Star Wars. While he made la great villain in Rebel Moon Part One, his return only makes Part Two feel like a rehashing of the same story. Once Kora and Noble are reunited, they go at it again, this time on a grander scale, at least.
As someone who rather enjoys a Zack Snyder slowdown action sequence, there was a lot to have fun with in the second half of the movie. It is jam packed with these action sequences, which could certainly get annoying or tedious to some (but I was loving it). If the fights were shown in real time, instead of slowed down like this, the movie would be about twenty minutes shorter — there are that many.
The issue with these moments in the battle however, is that the nature of the slowmotion makes it more painfully obvious how not great a lot of the CG is. Sure, there are times where the CG heightens a scene, but they are few and far between. The explosions and glowing swords (lightsabers?) don’t often work on screen – at least on a big screen anyways.
This world is very much inspired by Star Wars. Snyder himself has admitted it. And we all know that was actually pitched to LucasFilm but when they declined, he adapted it to become his own world. This is likely one of the reasons certain things feel repetative. They are almost too inspired by the stories that Star Wars has given us already.
Something that worked really well in Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver is that we finally got the full story about what happened to the Princess that Kora was protecting. Kora recounts the events of the evening that the King, Queen, and Princess were betrayed and it is easily one of the best moments of the film, even if it looks a little cheesy. This allows us to get into Kora’s head a little bit and understand where she is coming from. If we are going to connect with one of the characters, as the main character, Kora is certainly the best option.
Probably the biggest issue with Rebel Moon Part Two is that in the end, it really doesn’t feel like anything has truly happened, in the grand scheme of this world and this war at least, to advance the story forward. It seems as if we are basically in the same position as we were at the end of Part One, but with a few more names on the body count list.
After watching Rebel Moon Part One, I was intrigued by the plot and loved the look of the world. The issue in Part Two is that we are now two full hours further into the story and are being told ok, now we are going to war. Wasn’t that kind of the point of Part One? The two were filmed back to back, and we know that a director’s cut is lurking around the corner, which leaves me a bit hopeful.
Why? Well, Zack Snyder could have the opportunity to fix this. With the set up (hopefully) over with, it is time for an all out war between the Rebels and the Empire. While that certainly feels familiar, it doesn’t mean it won’t be entertaining. If anyone can do it, Zack Snyder can.
NEXT: Rebel Moon Part One Red Carpet Interviews
About Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver
Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver continues the epic saga of Kora and the surviving warriors as they prepare to sacrifice everything, fighting alongside the brave people of Veldt, to defend a once peaceful village, a newfound homeland for those who have lost their own in the fight against the Motherworld. On the eve of their battle the warriors must face the truths of their own pasts, each revealing why they fight. As the full force of the Realm bears down on the burgeoning rebellion, unbreakable bonds are forged, heroes emerge, and legends are made.
Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver is now streaming on Netflix.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.