Last night my partner went out to a family gathering, so I stayed at home with the baby. He went to sleep around 9 and I was a bit bored floating around YouTube, then decided to check out Zak Snyder's film, which I heard was a Star Wars rip-off.
What I Was Expecting
Well, going into this film, I assumed it was going to be a rip-off of the original Star Wars film. So, a young farmer on a baron and boring world, who is thrust into a fight against an evil empire that will inevitably be defeated by the end of the movie.
Is it that?
Not really. Yes, the main character Kora is a farmer helping out this village who are essentially Irish/ Scandinavian peasants.
Paddy Vikings in space, what's not to like? I did kind of roll my eyes a bit initially because they're peasants with paddy caps, and I just thought, why is it that anytime there are poor peasants they're Irish in some way? I'm offended and demand reparations! They're appropriating my culture!
In fairness, they only look kind of Irish in their scruffy attire. But, they're clearly based on Vikings. Their accents, the longhouse they hold meetings in, ale... they were seconds away from saying Skol before drinking.
We discover that the main character was found on a crashed ship, and her stand-in father is encouraging her to marry and join the community fully, which she refuses. Initially, I thought this was because she, 'Don't need a man.' But, as her backstory unfolds, it makes sense.
A cruiser arrives and she is more panicked than anyone as she sounds the alarm, the chilled reaction of the others leaves us intrigued and we understand that there's a lot more to Kora than meets the eye.
The Main Character: She kicks ass part way into the film, and by this point, we're already intrigued, but she showcases some great fighting skills that don't make a lot of sense, until we discover her backstory... which is really good, and makes a lot of sense.
By comparison, it took 3 films for us to know who Rey was, and by the time we did it was too late. The mystery was a letdown. This movie isn't afraid to tell us who she is within the first 45 minutes, and her backstory is really interesting and adds to the world of this film.
The Baddies
The dropships they come from the cruiser in reminded me of the ship from Firefly, not in a rip-off kind of way, but it may have been an inspiration.
When the baddies come to meet the villagers, their attire is very Nazi-inspired, and to be honest, what sci-fi show doesn't take inspiration from the Nazis, they're one of the evilest forces in our recent history, and in fairness to them, were one of the best-dressed forces - thanks to Hugo Boss.
Starship Troopers, Star Wars, and many other shows and films use them as inspiration for their evil regimes, and why not?
The thing I really like about these baddies, compared to most modern films, and especially Disney Star Wars films and shows. Shouting doesn't equal scary.
These guys are cold and calculated, they use their even tone and composure as a way to convey dominance. If you have power, you don't need to shout.
New Star Wars by comparison gives us frothing-at-the-mouth nutcases, who - apparently - are powerful, yet end up feeling weak by the way they act.
The baddies in this film remind me of the original Star Wars trilogy's imperial forces, cunning, cold, and domineering in their presence alone. The initial inciting incident reminds me of Inglorious Bastards' opening scene.
Comparing This To Star Wars
I think it's unfair to compare this story to Star Wars, and doing so would lead to a conclusion that may not please the heads of Disney.
The Force Awakens - Disney's first installment into their sequel trilogy - feels way more like a rip-off of the original Star Wars films but is far weaker in comparison. The Last Jedi was weaker than that, and then The Rise of Skywalker was better, but the bar was so low by that stage that it didn't mean much.
Solo was crap, Obi-Wan was crap, Boba Fett was crap. Mando, Rogue One, Andor, and The final season of The Clone Wars are literally the only good things Disney did with the franchise since 2012... They made refugees of their fanbase, and now I feel like those fans they lost may gravitate towards this film, and the movies to come.
Rebel Moon is well made, really well shot, isn't afraid of being dark, the world feels good, the aliens look interesting, and it left me wanting to discover more.
I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, but I have to say, there hasn't been a lot in the last few years that has grabbed me, in regards to the franchise and Disney's mismanagement of it. Rebel Moon, to me, seems like a far better option, and could potentially open the floodgates to something new that any sci-fi fan could appreciate.
What This Film Means
Okay, this isn't really to do with the review, but is more so, to do with my own sci-fi/ fantasy/ space opera I've been writing here on Hive.
I've been building a world of aliens, and other worlds, and these stories spawned from a script I was writing after watching The Last Jedi, which was essentially my own idea of what the sequels should have been. Then, as I got into it I said, "Why not just write my own thing." - That I did.
Lightsabers were something that I always wanted to add to my world - obviously called something else - but I thought that would be a bit too on the nose. But, after seeing them used in this movie I'm thinking that I may as well add them in there.
In my opinion, Disney has missed some amazing opportunities and hasn't catered to any of their fans, or shown the slightest respect for the lore, or franchise as a whole and I'm happy that there is something like Rebel Moon, which is essentially giving us a darker sci-fi franchise that anyone can appreciate, especially if they're one of the many jaded fans of Star Wars.
The sound design was good, the music was good, the ship designs were good, the weapons were good, the aliens looked great, and the actors were all great too. All in all, this film is a step in the right direction, and I'm really looking forward to April when the next installment is out. The creators of this film have done a great job introducing us to this new world, and have built a good foundation for moving forward.