Rebel Moon – Part 1: Director’s Cut

NOW ON NETFLIX! Director Zack Snyder takes us to the dark side of the rated R moon in his Rebel Moon – Part 1: Director’s Cut. A slab of space has been ruled by a dynasty of a thousand kings, but that is all over as the last of the bloodline was assassinated. The planet ruled by the family of Prince Aris (Sky Yang) is invaded by Nazi-like space tyrants who are taking over civilizations and wiping them out in the memory of the slain king.

Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), the leader of the death squad that has landed, is searching the galaxy for the two rebel Bloodaxe twins, Darrian (Ray Fisher) and Devra (Cleopatra Coleman). His quest leads him to Aris’s world, which is laid to waste for insurrection. The captured prince is offered a horrible choice. Admiral Noble will spare the prince’s mother and sisters. All Aris has to do is beat his own father’s brains out. Aris is drafted into the service of the mother world while his father’s teeth are collected for a ghastly tableau of dental trophies of slain rulers of the realm.

Rebel Moon. (L-R) Michiel Huisman as Gunnar, Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble and Greg Kriek as Marcus in Rebel Moon. Cr. Clay Enos/Netflix ©2023

“…with Admiral Noble informing them he will return in 10 weeks to take all their grain to feed his killers.”

Meanwhile, down on the farm on some backwater planet, Kora (Sofia Boutella) is hard at work behind a plow. Her co-worker Gunnar (Michiel Huisman) oversees the grain harvested and seems to have a sweet spot for her. Kora, however, already has the attention of a hot hunter for the traditional sexual rituals to ensure a good harvest. The next day, Admiral Noble’s dreadnaught arrives, filled with ruthless soldiers, among them Aris. At first, the villagers believe they could cooperate, but Kora warns them that the tyrants will simply take and take until there is nothing left.

The villagers find out the hard way, with Admiral Noble informing them he will return in 10 weeks to take all their grain to feed his killers. Reluctant Aris, while unloading cargo, accidentally activates the servant robot Jimmy (Anthony Hopkins). The mistreated Jimmy used to be a killing machine for the realm but gave up all violence when the young princess was murdered. Jimmy is treated kindly by village girl Sam (Charlotte Maggi), who has also been exchanging glances with Aris. However, the other soldiers grab Sam to gang rape her, which ends in their bloody demise at the hands of Kora and Jimmy. Jimmy runs off into the forest, while Kora has to travel to the worst spots of her planet and beyond to recruit a band of outcasts and outlaws that can defend the village against the deadly dreadnaught.

Boom-Chaka-Laka, just like that, we have new main characters in Rebel Moon—Part 1: Director’s Cut, the hard R version of Child Of Fire, which here is titled Chalice Of Blood. Yang, Maggi, and Hopkins were supporting players in the PG-13 but are elevated to leads by the shift in focus of the expanded narrative. Also, there is a lot more clarity attached to the importance of the Bloodaxe twins, which thankfully eliminated the need for any explaining voiceovers in this version.