REVIEW: ‘Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver’ Is A Step In The Right Direction

Believing Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein, Alita: Battle Angel) was slain in their last encounter, Kora (Sofia Boutella, Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities) returns to her village thinking the battle is already won. However, they soon learn The King’s Gaze is coming to Veldt. With only days to prepare, the villagers and their new defenders gear up for the battle of their lives in Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver, directed by Zach Snyder and written by Shay Hatten, Kurt Johnstad, and Zach Snyder.

One of the biggest failures Rebel Moon Part 1 suffered from was the need to do too much. Too many places, concepts, and characters had to be introduced and positioned for the film to do any of them justice. With all the players on the board and the true game ready to begin, this is a problem Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver can dodge. That alone gives this sequel a leg up over its predecessor. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to set the film among the greats it draws inspiration from.

The first half of the film is dedicated to the village’s preparation for the coming battle. Following a moderately rousing speech from General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), the villagers are shown eagerly harvesting crops and digging fortifications and tunnels to confound their numerically superior enemy. While these sequences showcase the general spirit of the town, they come at the cost of the individual characters. We see little in the way of specific interactions between the significant characters. This becomes a problem as the film starts to reach the tipping point of its narrative.

As the eve of battle draws close, Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver tries to build its emotional stakes. Many of the core characters are gathered together to share their pasts and build bonds of trust before the imminent battle. The emotion the scene strives for never develops. The moment feels forced, and so little time has been spent with the characters that the revelations about their blood-soaked pasts do little to tip the emotional needle. While this is the biggest example of this failure to build a connection to the characters for the audience, it isn’t the only one.

While most of the cast falls short of grabbing the viewer to the degree it wants to, there are two exceptions. Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman) manage to build their burgeoning romance to something the audience truly invests in. Kora’s fragile self-image comes to life in a pair of tender moments between her and Gunnar. Gunnar’s strength in these moments allows the lead to share her vulnerability, making for a solid role reversal between the two. Making them both strong in their way allows them to feel like equals, both bringing something to the other.

The one area where the aforementioned love subplot is let down at times is with the lighting. One key scene between the pair is so dark I could barely make out Kora’s face. Having to squint to see characters pulls the viewer out of the moment far more than a bit of unnatural lighting would’ve. This mistake crops up a couple of times throughout the film.

These missteps where the cinematography is concerned are the outliers. Snyder has always been known for his striking visual style and it’s in full effect here. Huge battles and sweeping vistas deliver gorgeous moments of eye candy. As the battle heats up, some great shots bring the action to life wonderfully. There is even a fair amount of creativity in some of the more memorable fights.

This is especially true for the inevitable rematch between Kora and Noble. While Noble was nothing short of underwhelming in his first outing, the character gets a chance to show he is a physical threat this time around. The unique circumstances surrounding his duel with Kora add noticeably to the moment.

While we are talking about Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver’s cinematography, we must once again address the expected presence of slow motion. I won’t belabor the point. There’s still too much and it still takes far more from the sequences it’s used in than it gives to them. Moving on.

As Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver‘s central conflict reaches its crescendo, the viewer expects a sizable amount of sacrifices to come to win the day. After all, we’ve heard so much about the unstoppable nature of the Imperium that surely only a handful of the named characters will be able to make it through, right? This turns out to not be the case. Rather than give the film’s epic battle the weight it needs, Snyder pulls back, allowing the majority of the cast to get away unscathed.

While this comes across as surprising at first, the clear setup for future movies that make up the final moments of the film explains it all. Snyder chooses to set up a franchise, rather than go all in for an epic two-part movie. That’s never bitten a film before has it?

One element that shines in this movie as much as it did previously is the soundtrack. Whatever failings occur on screen, the music is always giving everything it can to make the struggle hit. Epic choruses accompany battles, while simple folk music builds up the village’s personality. The music is a constant bright spot throughout the proceedings.

Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver is streaming now on Netflix.