Rebel Moon – Part 2: The Scargiver

NOW ON NETFLIX! Your Friday night mainline of popcorn butter is ready to be jabbed right in your forehead with the spectacular sci-fi sequel Rebel Moon-Part 2: The Scargiver, directed by Zack Snyder, as everyone knows by now. Also, while much of our planet has watched Rebel Moon-Part 1: Child Of Fire, there is no legitimate way to summarize the second movie, written by Snyder with Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, without spoiling the best plot twists from the first.

I also question how enticing a synopsis would really be, as this is a more visceral experience than an intellectual one. In fact, the only part of the movie I didn’t love was the opening scene of space with a voiceover yammering a list of names of planets and space people. It is quickly revealed that nothing is complicated about all the fun that commences. In fact, all the world-building in the first one is neatly summed up in some gorgeous flashbacks, so there is no question about who the bad guys are and why they are so bad.

Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver. Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble in Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver. Cr. Netflix © 2023

“…gathered together her group of champions to defend the tiny farming moon named Veldt against the tyrannical Realm.”

Kora (Sofia Boutella) has gathered together her group of champions to defend the tiny farming moon named Veldt against the tyrannical Realm. We have General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), the long-haired Tarak (Staz Nair), the cyborg swordswoman Nemesis (Bae Doona), the angry rebel Milius (Elise Duffy), and the two-fisted farmer Gunner (Michael Huisman) against hordes of soldiers fighting for the slain king. It seems hopeless. However, Jimmy the robot (Anthony Hopkins) is still out there somewhere, so who knows…

Millions will have already gobbled this buttery cinema delight by the time you read this. Some of us couldn’t wait and had a deep breakfast, unlike any other opening morning. So, since those who saw the first installment will enjoy the second without my help, this review is for the haters who didn’t watch or appreciate the first Rebel Moon movie. Hi haters, looks like a lot of you are either my fellow film critics or people who read film criticism.