Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire Review: Too Much Universe, Not Enough Heart

In Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Man of Steel, Justice League) attempts to launch his own Star Wars-style franchise, beginning with two Netflix films and with plans for so much more. With Child of Fire, Snyder demonstrates the vast scope of his imagination, but at the same time, he fails to provide a compelling enough hook to pull viewers into that vast universe of ideas. What we get instead in Rebel Moon: Part One is a whole lot of "telling" and very little "showing," with a lot of necessary backstory and characterization being delegated to the multitude of spin-off projects that are already in the works – including the "real" version of this very film, which already has an R-rated director's cut on the way. 

The story of Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire opens at a pivotal point in this universe's history: a sudden coup in the military empire known as the Motherworld. A princess gifted with the power of life is assassinated, and in her place stands Balisarius, a senator who seizes the power of Regent over the Motherworld, and renews its campaign of war and conquest across the galaxy. That war reaches the farming planet of Veldt, where the farmers are coerced by Balisarius' ruthless admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) into supporting the Motherworld and its war efforts with their grain harvests. When the farmers resist, Noble and his men turn savage on them – forcing local girl Kora (Sofia Boutella) to reveal her true identity as a former member of the Motherworld's elite warrior force, the Imperium. 

When Kora finds herself exposed, and her adopted home on Veldt threatened, she joins pilot/mercenary Kai (Charlie Hunnam) on a journey across the galaxy to recruit other infamous warriors who hate Balisarius and/or the Imperium. The group Kora gathers is filled with souls as broken as they are skilled, and together they try to find either salvation, redemption, or both, by defeating Noble. 

On a positive front, Rebel Moon is indicative of just what a talented visual creator Zack Snyder is. The world of this franchise is a clear hodgepodge of ideas from different genres and periods of history (sci-fi, fantasy, ancient mythology, Eastern influences like samurai and anime), and ideas unique to Snyder and co., all cooked together into one strange brew. The film inspires confidence that an entire franchise universe can be built off of this beginning – but then again, that potential for a bigger franchise comes at the cost of this standalone chapter. 

Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire plunges us into this franchise universe as if we understand all the events that preceded it and the impact on the various characters. Little is done to make us feel those emotions and/or connections with the ensemble of characters – and it's impossible to fully understand how their individual stories inspire each character to form an unspoken bond with the others as warriors willing to die together. By the time the third act reaches the climactic battle and the guns are blazing, it's equally hard to feel any stakes or fear of losing anyone. It all plays out and, at best, it inspires the intrigue to learn more. 

As for the cast, it's equally hard to gauge just how the actors approached their roles; if this standalone project was their sole focus for developing their characters, or were they playing out just a small part of a much larger arc that's been mapped out for them. Each of them is suitable in their parts, but not one of them is all that distinct, dynamic, or memorable. It feels like we get initial sketches of these players, but the real dramatic meat is being saved for later. 

Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire is a flashy but hollow advertisement for the larger multimedia IP that will follow. Could we one day look back at this first chapter – with the full context of the franchise behind it – and feel more emotional impact about its events? Possibly, but that day is not today. 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Rebel Moon is now streaming on Netflix.