Zack Snyder Responds to Rebel Moon Reviews: “The Reaction to My Movies Is Very Polarizing”

When it comes to Zack Snyder movies, most people either love them or hate them. An overwhelming amount of feel negatively about his films, but he has an incredibly passionate group of diehard fans that remain vocal about his work. For better or worse, Snyder’s movies get a ton of attention for that very reason, leading to a lot of polarizing responses from both critics and fans. Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire debuted on Netflix in December to horrible reviews, but the opening week numbers were strong for the streaming service and there’s a sequel still set to hit this spring.

While speaking to Empire about the potential Rebel Moon franchise, Snyder was asked about Rebel Moon‘s polarizing reactions and reviews.

“I don’t really have a rebuttal to the reviews,” Snyder explained. “For whatever reasons, the reaction to my movies is very polarizing, and it always has been. The movie, it doesn’t seem like there’s that much in it that would warrant such visceral responses.”

Rebel Moon’s Snyder Cut

Like many of his previous films, Snyder has another cut of Rebel Moon on the way. Both Rebel Moon movies will be released as PG-13 films on Netflix, with the streamer planning to later release longer, R-rated versions of both. 

In the same interview with Empire, Snyder said it will be “interesting to see what the [critics] say about the director’s cuts. That’s a different kettle of fish.”

According to co-writer Kurt Johnstad, there will be a lot more story and character backgrounds in the Snyder Cut of Rebel Moon: Part One, which doesn’t yet have a release date.

“There’s definitely a lot more story at the front of the movie,” Johnstad told . “You’re definitely going to get a lot more Jimmy and see his arc, and you’re going to get a lot more of Kora and the Motherworld. You’re going to get a different introduction to Noble. You’re also going to get a different introduction to some smaller characters like Aris [Sky Yang], who’s the Motherworld soldier that defends the character of Sam in the granary. So you get an interesting look into why he is now constricted as a slave soldier of the Motherworld and how he got there. So his arc is much more defined. But just in broad brushstrokes, there’s more character, and certainly knowing Zack, there’s more action and spectacle and the visual vibrance of what he does. 

“There’s definitely a lot more mythology, and a deeper understanding of the Motherworld and their intention, and what the rebellion is coming up against. So there just wasn’t enough time. It would’ve been a four-hour PG-13 movie.”