Rebel Moon: Part 2 Teases Zack Snyder's Fully-Realized Sci-Fi Epic
Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire wasn’t the success it could have been — but The Scargiver could be a major improvement.
Despite a hopelessly optimistic take on Netflix’s “crazy distribution model,” Zack Snyder’s latest partnership with the streamer wasn’t much of a success. It’s impossible to measure the commercial profit of Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, though Netflix reported that the sci-fi epic drew in 70 million views in its first four weeks. The critical success of the film, however, is pretty easy to lock down: A Child of Fire is Snyder’s lowest-rated film to date, with critics and fans alike expressing disappointment in its dour, overworked spectacle.
One of the biggest issues with A Child of Fire lies in its incomplete vision. 2023 was the year of the two-part blockbuster, but the first part of Snyder’s Rebel Moon saga admittedly feels the most like half a film. A Child of Fire had the thankless job of setting up an interstellar conflict on par with Seven Samurai and Star Wars, and the bulk of the film is preoccupied with introducing its rag-tag group of warriors. The film isn’t without its high points, but it doesn’t give its central a lot of time to shine as a unit. Just as our story feels like it’s gaining some momentum, the credits are rolling, leaving Part Two: The Scargiver to pick up its slack.
Fortunately, the second part of Snyder’s sci-fi franchise might just be up to the task. Though its predecessor dropped the ball where it counts, The Scargiver is poised to deliver on both action and heart. Check out the trailer below.
The Scargiver will likely pick up right where A Child of Fire left off, with former Imperium soldier Kora (Sofia Boutella) bringing the heat to the moon of Veldt. Though she and her new team managed to win one battle against the Empire, they still have a war to win. With the help of native Veldtian Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), the disgraced prince Tarak (Staz Nair), the sword-swinging assassin Nemesis (Doona Bae), freedom fighter Milius (E. Duffy) and formidable general Titus (Djimon Hounsou), Kora will train the citizens of Veldt to take a stand against seasoned Imperial soldiers.
The threat of a looming war could finally give this ensemble, interesting as individuals, the chance to actually gel as a team. “You really get to see more and more how these relationships build between the seven of us,” Nair told Inverse ahead of A Child of Fire. “We all have the same goal, but for very different reasons, and that brings out a different dynamic.”
Nair notably mentioned seven warriors standing up against the Imperium. The six surviving members of A Child of Fire will finally be joined by Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), a sentient robot that was frustratingly sidelined in Part 1. He’s looking to be a big part of The Scargiver’s action, so the film is already feeling like a vast improvement on its predecessor.
