The new sci-fi epic Rebel Moon is receiving generally negative reviews so far, but some think the movie will be vindicated later on. Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire is Zack Snyder’s latest passion project, and it premiered on Netflix on Thursday. Critics and fans are unimpressed with what they’ve seen so far.
Snyder co-wrote Rebel Moon with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten, and it stars Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman, Jena Malone, Ed Skrein, Fra Fee and Anthony Hopkins. It is a space opera set in a fictional galaxy where humanity has spread out to many planets, all ruled by the one Motherworld. This Netflix original film got a lot of advertising and hype, but so far the end result has not impressed most viewers.
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At the time of this writing, Rebel Moon has a 25 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes’ “Tomatometer.” That means 25 percent of the reviews counted by the site are considered “positive.” There are 81 reviews from trusted critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and the average score among all of them – positive or negative – is 4 out of 10 stars. Things are similar over on MetaCritic, with an average score of 31 out of 100.
Audiences have been much more forgiving in their assessment so far. With over 1,000 self-submitted audience reviews submitted, the show has 73 percent positive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 3.8 out of 5. On Metacritic, the 59 percent of the audience reviews are positive, though the average score is lower at 6 out of 10. However, it’s worth noting that much of the audience commentary looks beyond the film itself to the promised sequels and the extended cut that is coming.
Netflix has already promised an extended cut or director’s cut of Rebel Moon, coming sometime in early 2024. Many critics and commenters agree that this is a way of capitalizing on Snyder’s reputation – especially after the viral sensation of the Justice League Snyder Cut. However, many detractors feel that this stunt was a disadvantage for Rebel Moon, as the audience is expecting a lot from the second version.
Whatever the case, Snyder and Netflix have big plans for this burgeoning franchise. Hopefully negative reviews on this first version won’t be enough to slow them down. Rebel Moon is streaming now on Netflix.
