The review of Rebel Moon – Part 2, the second episode of the science fiction franchise created by Zack Snyder for Netflix.
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| Image Credit: Netflix |
After the first film, which arrived on Netflix at Christmas, it's the turn of the second episode of the space epic conceived by Zack Snyder for Netflix, an area in which he is very happy after the turbulent conclusion of his creative partnership with Warner Bros. (even if even among the most hardcore fans there are those who have expressed reservations about the strategy of coming out first with watered-down versions, while waiting for the extended ones, closer to the director's true intentions, which will arrive on the platform in the summer).
A second episode, the one we talk about in the review of Rebel Moon – Part 2: The Scargiver, keeps the promises of its predecessor and at the same time opens up various possibilities in the same universe, with Snyder having already declared that he has in mind up to six feature films in total for what was born from an idea for the Star Wars franchise and then became an original creation capable of expanding the catalog of the American streaming giant.
Rematch coming
After defeating Admiral Noble at the end of the previous chapter, Kora returns to Veldt with the allies recruited for the upcoming battle, and preparations for the definitive rebellion against the imperial forces begin. But for Noble, who returned to life thanks to not entirely natural techniques, and his superior Balisarius the inevitable clash became much more personal after they discovered that Kora is actually the fugitive Arthelais, Balisarius's adopted daughter and a leading figure in the imperial army before the killing of the sovereign and his family, which pushed her to reject her father's philosophy. The girl, for her part, continues to deal with the feelings of guilt that have been gnawing at her for years, hoping to one day be able to redeem herself for her past actions.
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| Image Credit: Netflix |
The rebel and her allies
Sofia Boutella is even more magnetic in the second round, with the precious support of Djimon Hounsou who brings her usual measured intensity. In terms of villains, Ed Skrein, already intriguing in the first film, has even more fun with his over-the-top villain (while the Irishman Fra Fee in the role of Balisarius). And while waiting for the longer version, which in theory will give him even more space, the character of Jimmy evolves interestingly, the imperial robot who has joined the rebels and speaks with the calm and at the same time very powerful voice of Anthony Hopkins, once again the most precious presence of the newborn franchise on a purely acting level.
Action! (but not too much)
After the long background that was the first part, the second gets straight to the point, clarifying the stakes and effectively laying the foundations for what is effectively a single, ambitious battle scene lasting about an hour, managed without the slightly alienating cuts that in the previous episode betrayed the need to re-edit the film to make it more "mainstream", based on the agreements between Snyder and Netflix (first the two-hour "for everyone" version, then the longer one purely Snyderian with sixty minutes more).
But despite the show put together with criteria and passion, and which at times comes close to the most complete expression of the director's poetics, there remains a legitimate doubt about the wisdom of the dual versions in the context of a streaming service, specifically the one which for years has attracted directors of no small importance with the promise of absolute freedom, without compromise. And here, with all the mitigating circumstances (this is not cultural vandalism like what happened during the post-production of Justice League), there is a compromise.