Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver picks up directly where the first left off & see’s Kora and the surviving warriors prepare to defend Veldt, their new home, alongside its people against the Realm. The warriors face their pasts, revealing their motivations before the Motherworld forces arrive to crush the growing rebellion once & for all.
My relationship with Rebel Moon is unique in the sense that I had a great time with the first movie & upon rewatches have only grown to enjoy & appreciate it further. Rebel Moon: Part Two however takes it to the next level in almost every way possible & delivers on what many who maybe didn’t enjoy the first were looking for – A rock & metal fueled action spectacle with striking cinematography, a thunderous score & strong performances across the board.
The film is very much a continuation of the story the first began to tell & as such both movies compliment one another greatly with Part One the set up & Part Two essentially it’s third act & strong pay off. As promised by Snyder, the characters are each respectively delved into & developed in The Scargiver in a homage to ‘The Last Supper’ & a former idea to the regrettably lost Justice League sequels. The sequence itself may at times feel repetitive due to the nature of what’s being explored within it however it’s a pivotal point of the film that displays the potential in this universe through the look into its different planets, mythical, systems & heritages. Kora, Titus & Nemesis’ in particular stand out during the moment.
The character & community work within the film may bring the pacing to a standstill at times but it’s what charges the final hour or so of the movie & assists in kicking the engagement of it into high gear. It works because we not only now know these characters, but we care for them too & understand their moralities heading into the fight which in itself is one of Zack Snyder’s strongest to date as he makes us care for a small village as if it’s our second home while providing each character with their own epic moments, Anthony Hopkin’s Jimmy (Physically performed by Dustin Ceithame) has arguably my favorite moment in the movie during this & I only wish he was in the film more. More so, Sofia Boutella deserves her flowers for her perfomance as Kora or as we now know, Athelais, This movie gives much more access to her emotions & range than the previous did & she takes full advantage of that. Djimon Hounsou, Staz Nair & Doona Bae are all equally great though its Michiel Huisman’s Gunnar who was a standout to me personally, so much so that I hope to see him become a regular in Snyder’s future work. The action, which unleashes towards the movies climax, is highly engaging with stunning visual imagery that far surpasses that of Rebel Moon: Part One, elevating tensions & a great pull on emotions with surprises hitting on more than one occasion. It was revealed in the press package for the film that Zack Snyder & the behind the scenes talent studied authentic World War 2 footage as well as fictional war movies to best piece together the final act & its own war, of which you can see reflected in the third act, the movies strongest & most delicious point. Kora & returning villain Noble portrayed brilliantly by Ed Skrein’s showdown is awesome!
As previously mentioned Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver falters in the pacing & takes time to regain its footing following the previous installment, additional adversaries the movie runs into lies within its at times weak dialogue & repetitive execution of its ideas. Though neither were strong enough to dent the overall enjoyment & entertainment the film serves & the forthcoming Directors Unrated Cuts will likely improve on some of the mainstream flaws. Regardless I had a great time & as was the case with Part One, I feel confident in saying I will only grow to love this movie further the more I invest in this universe upon rewatches & further installments.
Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver an outright epic war movie through & through, building atop the character’s moralities while leading to an action packed, riveting spectacle that only Zack Snyder could deliver – complimented by JunkieXL’s thunderous score, the great performances, pull on emotions & character specific sequences along the way. The future of this universe won’t be for everyone yet it holds much promise to me & I anticipate seeing it through.
Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver is NOW
