⭐⭐⭐
Director and Writer (Platform): Zack Snyder (Netflix)
Publisher (Release): Netflix (2023)
Length: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Genres: Adult; Space Opera; Sci-Fi; Fantasy; Action
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
strong violence and moderate blood and gore
warning for flashing lights
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: vibe check before watching
👍 Pros 👍
Visually stunning right from the word go
Slick action and overall choreography
Full to the brim with talent
👎 Cons 👎
Incredibly derivative
Abuses slow motion
Too full of talent that most suffer
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
When an idyllic farming village on the planet of Veldt comes under threat from the Motherworld’s vicious Imperium, a traitor in hiding and a cowardly farmer team up to seek help from a ragtag group of rebels.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire pisses me off. I always make an effort to avoid anything I plan to review (as best I can in this age of social media shenanigans), but Zack Snyder has this strange ability to whip online pundits into a frenzy. So, my timelines across the board flooded with unwavering loyalty and gleeful hate, leaving me frankly terrified to step into Netflix’s new space opera epic.
That’s not what angers me, though. No, what angers me is, as much as A Child of Fire gets right, it’s a smorgasbord of plots done better…and I still had a damn good time.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Rebel Moon – Part One does itself a disservice right off the bat. While most franchises are planned, Snyder’s hodgepodge universe is so blatantly trying to skip to cult-classic status before it’s even done the work. Its themes are fractured, losing its voice in the cacophony of slow-motion explosions (more on that damn slo-mo in a bit).
Inspirations, however, are borderline offensive. Star Wars, Firefly, and even Harry-bloody-Potter with that Griffin scene come instantly to the forefront. It’s not too egregious and, for the most part, Snyder mixes them well enough to create something of its own image, but not all of the cracks from the disparate parts can be filled in.
A Child of Fire has some gorgeous shots
Visually, the film is often absolutely stunning, with an excellent grasp of visual world-building and action sequences that scintillate as much as they dazzle. Its narrative world-building, however, relies far too much on space opera tropes, a divisive narrated opening, and flashbacks that the core plot feels disconnected from the universe as a whole.
Speaking of being disconnected, let’s talk about slow motion. Sometimes it’s used to fantastic effect, but, more often than not, Snyder uses it as a crutch to create tension, and, what’s frustrating, is he doesn’t need to. Part One wants the viewer to hold their breath and feel the beats of action…but you can’t feel the beats of action if you die from suffocation every time the film decides to use slow-mo.
I’ve also seen that this 2+ hour experience has an extended cut, something I don’t think it actually needs. A more moderate hand could’ve cut this beast into a leaner shape and included more substance. I, sadly, get a nasty feeling Netflix is trying to recreate the ‘Snyder Cut’ movement to generate buzz and upkeep momentum leading up to Part Two: The Scargiver, which, even more sadly, only conveys a lack of confidence in the film’s own merits.
Kickass lightsa…I mean, flaming laser swords?
Rebel Moon – Part One is unbelievably watchable. My frustrations outnumber my praises and yet…I had an absolute blast watching. Snyder does feel authentic here as if there was nothing in the way of his passion or fun when creating. It’s infectious, imbuing the worn sci-fi rebellion with some fresh life and complimenting it with some tasty tidbits that promise to flesh out the franchise’s universe in a big way.
…blatantly trying to skip to cult-classic status before it’s even done the work.
🎭 Characters 🎭
Stacked full of talent, A Child of Fire is primarily helmed by Sofia Boutella as Kora. She does an admirable job standing tall in an ocean of characters, displaying some decent emotional depth and absolutely nailing the action that comes with the role.
Rebel Moon is stacked with talent
Unfortunately, despite its runtime, the film can’t quite manage the plethora of personalities it tries to introduce. Djimon Hounsou as Titus, Doona Bae as Nemesis, Charlie Hunnam as Kai…Rebel Moon has strong talent crammed all in at once. Some see development while most pop up when needed to pull off something cool. Part Two might very well dive deeper but Part One can’t quite shake its casting call feel.
Stacked full of talent…
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire is a frustrating experience that hasn’t met a sci-fi or fantasy story it doesn’t like. It’s worn, overly reliant on tropes, and far too indulgent in layering slow-motion scenes on top of slow-motion scenes…
…and I still absolutely loved it. Visually stunning and satisfyingly punchy, Part One of Snyder’s new franchise is a fun watch and potentially potent foundation that just might reach the cult status it so desperately wants to skip to.
The Phoenix Project 
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