Zack Snyder’s new film Rebel Moon, dropped on Netflix on Thursday night. A sort of farmers-versus-Nazis space opera, the film is the first of an imagined four-part series focused on the warrior Kora’s battle against the intergalactic Motherworld empire. It features both relatively new actors and stars like Anthony Hopkins and Ray Fisher, who once again shines under Snyder’s leadership, and a storyline heavily inspired by Seven Samurai that leaps amongst half a dozen worlds.
What is Rebel Moon about?
Rebel Moon is the story of a farming community on the planet The Veldt confronted by the might of the Motherworld, a millennia-old interstellar empire known for devouring the resources of every world it touches. The Motherworld, led by Admiral Atticus Noble, comes to The Veldt for grain to feed their army in their war against unseen rebels. But Noble's troops encounter Kora, a mysterious woman who turns out to be the empire’s most fearsome warrior Arthilaeus, former adopted daughter of Regent Balisarius, who fled Motherworld after being used to help kill the royal family so as to put Balisarius in charge.
After dispatching the unit of troops assigned to make sure the Veldt community complies, Kora sets out to find warriors from other planets who can help her protect her adopted home.
Who is the Rebel Moon villain?
The big bad of the Rebel Moon series at this point seems to be Regent Balisarius, a former solider of the Motherworld Empire responsible for the destruction of Kora’s world and her brainwashing into a loyal soldier of Motherworld. When the royal family was assassinated, seemingly by now Senator Balisarius’ allies, he stepped in as Regent for the empire.
In Rebel Moon—Part One, the main agent of Balisarius’ evil is Admiral Atticus Noble, the crazy Nazi-esque military leader sent to crush a growing rebellion against the Motherworld, and comes to the Veldt on the way to seize their grain.
Why is Rebel Moon—Part One subtitled 'A Child of Fire'?
'Child of Fire' is the term by which Kora refers to herself, having been abducted by Balisarius after he laid waste to her planet as a child, and taught that love is a weakness and violence is everything.For as happy as she is on the Veldt, Kora doesn’t know whether she can truly ever be a part of anything or love anyone, having been raised as a child of fire.
What happens in the Rebel Moon ending?
While stopping at a trade depot supposedly to get rid of Kai’s stolen goods, Kora and her new team of warriors are betrayed by Kai and given over to Admiral Noble.
Noble has Gunnar kill Kora, but instead he kills Kai and sets everyone free. Rebel co-leader Darrian Bloodaxe sacrifices his life to destroy the Admiral’s dreadnought ship. Kora battles Noble, ultimately stabbing him through the chest with his own weapon. He tumbles to his death.
But as Kora and her team return to the Veldt to find Jimmy is now wearing horns and carrying a weapon, ready to fight alongside them, the Motherworldians hunt down Noble’s body and establish a neural link so that he can pass along the information that he’s found Arthilaeus, who he calls “Scar Giver,” to Regent Balisarius. Balisarius orders Noble to bring her back to him alive, and the doctors who established the neural link bring Noble back to life.
Who are the Rebel Moon actors?
Kora is played by the Algerian actress and dancer Sofia Boutella, who has had roles in Atomic Blonde, The Mummy and Fahrenheit 451, among others. Ed Skrein, who plays Admiral Noble, was in Deadpool and a season of Game of Thrones.
Does Rebel Moon have any big names in it?
Yes! Rebel Moon has a number of bigger-name film and TV stars in supporting roles.
Anthony Hopkins voices Jimmy the Motherworld military robot that joins Kora’s forces.
Ray Fisher (Justice League) plays Darrian Bloodaxe, co-leader of the rebellion against Motherworld;
Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) plays Kai, the kindly thief who helps Kora find warriors for her cause;
Djimon Honsou (Amistad, Guardians of the Galaxy) plays General Titus, one of the warriors Kora recruits to help her fight Motherworld;
Corey Stoll (House of Cards, Ant-Man) plays Sindri, the Father of the small farming community in which Kora lives;
Doona Bae (The Host, Sense8) plays the monster-killing warrior Nemesis;
Michiel Huisman (Game of Thrones) plays Gunnar, Kora’s love interest in the Veldt, who travels with her to find warriors.
Does Rebel Moon feature any signature Snyder styling?
If you like the way Snyder plays with speed in his action sequences in other films, especially his passion for slowing moments way down, you will find a lot to like here.
Who dies in Rebel Moon
Rebel Moon—Part One showcases a number of big deaths:
Sindri, father of the Veldt community in which Kora has found a home, gets killed alongside his wife by Admiral Noble for holding back on how much grain his community has;
Marcus, one of the main soldiers at the farm community on the Veldt, gets murdered along with the rest of his military team by Kora after they tries to rape a girl;
Kai is murdered by Gunnar after he betrays Kora and her team for a sizable bounty. Soon after Darrian Bloodaxe dies killing the pilot of Noble’s Dreadnought, which leads to its destruction;
And finally, Admiral Noble himself falls off a platform seemingly to his death, only to be brought back to life by the Motherworld’s doctors
How is Rebel Moon connected to Star Wars?
Snyder first pitched Rebel Moon to Lucasfilm as a Star Wars film. Snyder has said that his wife and producing partner Deborah Snyder rejoiced when Lucasfilm passed, as it allowed them to build their own universe.
How long is Rebel Moon?
Rebel Moon—Part One is 135 minutes.
When does Rebel Moon—Part Two come out?
Rebel Moon—Part Two: The Scargiver, debuts on Netflix on April 19, 2024. Snyder has said he intends Part Two to begin what he calls a “trilogy of sequels”, although as of yet Parts Three and Four have not been greenlit.
Will there be an extended version of Rebel Moon—Part One?
There will indeed. After the success of the Snyder cut of Justice League, extended versions have become one of Snyder’s signatures, and he plans to have extended versions of both Parts One and Two, with the idea that if the original cuts don’t generate enough passion for further sequels, extended versions might.
The extended version of Rebel Moon—Part One is due out sometime in early 2024.
Is there a Rebel Moon post-credits scene
The film has no post-credit scene, but there is a trailer for Part Two which shows Kora and her team training the Veldt’s farmers and then fighting Motherworld.
