Rebel Moon: Zack Snyder Explains Opening Choice

Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire director Zack Snyder explained that controversial opening choice. The filmmaker joined The Film Junkee to talk about that "distinctive portal" that appears near the beginning of Rebel Moon. Viewers online have made note of the female anatomy similarities to that gateway that opens in space. Of course, Snyder anticipated the jokes and such. But, he also says that the choice was on-purpose. In fact, the director said the portal will make a lot more sense when they get deeper into the Rebel Moon saga. Here's what the filmmaker told the show while describing the unmistakable portal.

"I'll tell you that it's actually a more….there's a lot more to be discovered about how the Mother World's ships travel through and fold space when they have to do long journeys," Snyder began. "And, that's a reveal that will make sense. It's actually 100% correct for the mythology that actually folds space for the Mother World. So, it's not. You're going to go, 'Oh, of course, that's the shape…"

We all noticed that shape of the portal in the beginning of #RebelMoon. Here's #ZackSnyder talking about how there is a reason for it. @smcolbert comes in with a zinger... pic.twitter.com/8xGZgowFuM

— Film Junkee (@DaveePena) December 26, 2023

The Director's Cut May Provide More Information

While fans get their taste of Rebel Moon – Part One, Zack Snyder is already teasing the differences with he Director's Cut. ComicBook.com talked to the director about the changes between the two versions. The differences between the theatrical version and the Director's Cut is basically night and day.

"I think that the director's cut sort of contains a slightly more sort of sci-fi, deconstructive element," Snyder began. "Because for me, one of the things that I was tackling in, sort of conceptually, when I was thinking about it, was a way to have the irony of something like heavy metal, something super violent, super sexual, super visually gigantic in a movie where it has no business belonging in a movie like this." 

"It cost a ton of money and that is like a real legitimate production value and it's crazy," he would add. "Normally, those two things don't go together too well, because these things have big commercial appeal. So if you make it too niche ... No, but you know what I mean? It allowed me to do both ... so when you see the director's cut, you just see something a lot more weirdly, more personal, and bizarre."

Rebel Moon's Reviews And Reception

Now, it hasn't been all roses for Rebel Moon since it premiered. Critics were not exactly feeling Zack Snyder's latest. Variety spoke to Kurt Johnstad, the writer of Rebel Moon, addressed the current Rotten Tomatoes 24% score. The scribe said that critics had a job to do and he respected it.

"I don't read the reviews, I never have. Critics have a job to do. We live in a democracy. Everybody gets to vote," Johnstad recalled to Variety. "If people watch the film, they'll have an experience, and they will either enjoy it or they won't. It's flavors of ice cream. In my career of 20 years doing this, reviews have never equated to performance. A movie will either perform or it won't." 

"People will either love it and be connected to it, and I think what this movie has is an emotional drive and a core and characters that are vulnerable," he added. "And of course, there's sequence and action and visual -- it's a magnificent-looking film. But I think that at the core of it, it's got emotion. There's an emotional engine and a currency that runs through the film that I think works, so I'd invite people to check it out."

Did you notice that detail in Rebel Moon? Let us know down in the comments!