Zack Snyder’s 'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' Is a Wreck of a Film

By TK Burton | Film | April 20, 2024 |

By TK Burton | Film | April 20, 2024 |

It’s surprisingly difficult to review Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver without retreading the same ground covered in the first film. Unlike regular film series, this isn’t so much a new entry as much as it is a continuation of the same story. Picking up almost immediately after the mixed bag that was Rebel Moon, The Scargiver ambitiously tries to do two things: provide more backstory to the characters (both the protagonists and antagonists) while also advancing the story of Kora (Sofia Boutella) and her ragtag band of warriors as they prepare for their final stand against the oppressive Imperium, the tyrants who rule this galaxy.

Once again, Snyder blurs the lines between homage and outright theft so blatantly that it definitely tips the scale toward the latter. It’s difficult to effectively call it “inspiration” when it’s so obviously just a copy+paste job, this time taking its cues from The Seven Samurai, Star Wars, The Mass Effect Trilogy, Game of Thrones, even Julius Caesar. It’s almost like a drinking game — take a shot every time you recognize a scene or plot point from another source, except that when the credits roll, you’re getting your stomach pumped.

The unfortunate part is that, like the first film, there are some remarkable visuals to this film. It’s beautifully shot, full of color and gorgeous lighting. It continues to reaffirm that Snyder is often a visual auteur, but a storytelling amateur. Battle scenes are heady, wildly inventive moments, filled with intensity and excitement. The problem is that they are often too long and overly reliant on slow-motion, Snyder’s go-to technique. There’s a great fight between Kora and Ed Skrein’s villainous Admiral Atticus Noble (oy, these names), as they clash swords aboard a crashing ship that is genuinely breathtaking.

Unfortunately, all the moments leading up to the film’s 45-minute climax are an absolute slog, an unbearably dull collection of clunky narrative and exhaustingly long scenes meant to convey emotion but missing all the beats. There’s a scene where each of the six protagonists tells their story of how the Empire — sorry, the Imperium — wronged them, each told in flashback. It’s dull and unnecessary, feeling like “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” but with murder and betrayal. We already know the Imperium is evil, and these little ninety-second vignettes are just exposition dumps.

Then there’s the bizarre fundamental issue, which is that the Imperium is after the planet Veldt for its … grain? Apparently, an empire capable of intergalactic flight and laser swords can’t produce wheat? Which, OK, fine, let’s let that go. But there’s a 10-minute grain-harvesting montage that might be the weirdest, stupidest addition to a science fiction film I’ve ever seen. There’s a scene where a sweet farmgirl gives each hero a banner that she sewed, while she lengthily explains why they’re a hero. It’s yet another tell-instead-of-show moment that Snyder just can’t seem to avoid.

Rebel Moon was an overlong mess, but it had its moments. This sequel, however, isn’t a mess - it’s a wreck. Its two hours felt like being trapped in a room with no doors, as you’re forced to have the same plot points from the first film just repeatedly jammed down your throat. All the visual flair and clever action sequences in the world can’t save the film from itself or its director, whose reach once again exceeds his grasp.