A few months ago, Netflix and Zack Snyder launched the start of a potential franchise with the release of Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire. What started as a somewhat promising endeavour at the end of last year has led to disappointment with the release of Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. The sequel fails to follow up on what made the first installment a promising story, refusing to engage with the characters it tries so hard to make likeable. If the streaming platform and the filmmaker intend to expand the franchise, a course correction is urgent for this galaxy.
When the first movie came to an end, Kora (Sofia Boutella) “successfully” defeated Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), the fearless Imperium soldier who wanted nothing more but to get rid of the crew of rebels who got in the way of his plans. However, the admiral wasn’t ultimately defeated, and through mysterious science, he was brought back to continue, making Kora’s life miserable in the sequel. But instead of expanding on the characters and their arcs introduced in A Child of Fire, The Scargiver attempts to present a summary of its predecessor to audiences.
It’s essential to think about what this movie is trying to do. The previous story had to introduce Kora and her allies, her role in the Imperium in her past and her rivalry with Noble. Unfortunately, the same goals are pursued in the sequel, and it’s not a case of Snyder trying to establish parallel narratives across the two movies. It comes off as a filler episode, which might be acceptable for a television series. However, when the movie runs for over two hours, it’s challenging to engage with when it merely attempts to brief the viewer on what happened the last time Kora was on the screen, another two-plus hours of the same preamble.
It’s been established that Netflix acknowledges how the attention span of the general audience has changed by trying to make their productions easy to follow while the viewer scrolls on their phone. This structure is downright insulting and does Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver no favours. It comes off as if the streaming platform knows that the viewer missed what happened in A Child of Fire and is running it back in a slightly different setting. There’s a sequence in the middle of the sequel where the main characters narrate their backstories to one another. What is the point of this if we already met the central team in the first instalment? Must they be introduced once again in the middle of the second installment? Additionally, where are these characters being taken other than countless slow-motion action sequences?
A Child of Fire had a sturdy structure, with significant action sequences plainly setting up the final battle between Kora and Admiral Noble. And while the writing wasn’t perfect, the first installment had a somewhat clear vision of what it wanted to do with its narrative. That isn’t the case for The Scargiver, with the sequel only establishing that the Imperium wants to take the fight to Veldt this time around. Besides introducing a new battlefield, the latest movie does nothing to move the character arcs forward or intrigue audiences with why they should care about this group of misfits.
Veldt isn’t fair to Sofia Boutella, who tries to give the best of her abilities while bringing Kora to life. The star continues to display a wide range of emotions as she attempts to make Kora a hero worth rooting for. Unfortunately, the screenplay by Snyder, Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten doesn’t do her any favours. Boutella should be a major leading actor, and while creatives recognize her gifts, they don’t give her the material to truly shine. There’s still time for her to find the right script that gives her the opportunity to show the industry why she could be a force to be reckoned with.
The same could be said for the rest of the cast from Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. Ed Skrein returns as Atticus Noble, with the actor able to transmit pure hatred and desire for revenge through his eyes with ease. Alongside Boutella, they do an excellent job of establishing how, under different circumstances, this story’s hero and villain wouldn’t be so different from one another. Michiel Huisman continues to shine as Gunnar, with the romance the character shares with Kora quickly becoming the emotional hook of the sequel.
With a terrible pace, disappointing writing and action sequences that overstay its welcome, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver drops the ball on what could’ve an engaging space opera. Even if Netflix and Snyder continue to tease more adventures for Kora and the world she wants to save, the screenplay for the sequel doesn’t give anything worth caring for. The memory of the first movie might remain as the only salvageable thing from this series, which can quickly fall into oblivion due to its own lack of interest on its own characters.
Rating: 4/10
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