MovieWeb recently attended a press screening for footage from the upcoming sci-fi epic, Rebel Moon. Filmmakers Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller, and Eric Newman were in attendance to sneak preview some in-room footage from the project decades in the making. Read on to hear our take.
The official synopsis for Rebel Moon reads as follows:
“From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes Rebel Moon, an epic science-fantasy event decades in the making. When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival.
“Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.”
You can see the lengthy teaser trailer and read our critical reaction to the Rebel Moon footage below.
Related: James Gunn and Zack Snyder’s Different Visions of the DCU
Rebel Moon Masterfully Combines Its Influences
Our report of the Rebel Moon screening comes from David Reddish.
“Just before sitting down to lunch with Zack and Deborah Snyder, the couple rushed critics into a screening room to view 10 minutes of Rebel Moon, as well as the red band trailer. Netflix has asked us not to reveal what we saw in those 10 minutes of scenes, though we can say that — as revealed in the trailer — the visual aesthetic of the film looks like anime come to life.
“Scenes of wheat fields and farmer villages recall Attack on Titan, and Anthony Hopkins’ mechanical knight Jimmy looks like he stepped out of One Punch Man. The action has Snyder’s usual blend of balletic, slow-motion elegance and fight-or-flight levels of adrenaline.
Netflix
“Many commentators have already noted the Star Wars parallels (Deborah shared a story about pleading with Zack not to use his Rebel Moon story as a Star Wars template). Other scenes recall the sword-and-sorcery-cum-sci-fi feel of the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, or Masters of the Universe. The Snyders also let us have a close-up look at some of the costumes in the trailer, which looked like a cross between Death Eaters and Nazi officers.
Maybe it had something to do with Snyder, the affable geek, introducing the footage, but Rebel Moon also has a liberated feeling to it. No longer encumbered by backstory, fan expectations, or studio mandates, the movie lets the director breathe after DC movies — especially the production woes of Justice League — cramped his creativity. Rebel Moon has let Snyder have fun again, letting him tell a more personal story… even if it is full of spider-girls, talking robots, spaceships, and martial arts duels.
Anyone craving a space opera should get very excited.”
Rebel Moon is scheduled to be released on December 22, 2023 by Netflix. A follow-up, Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver, is set for release on April 19, 2024.
You can view the original article HERE.
