REVIEW: ‘Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice Of Blood’ Is A Significant Improvement With Glaring Issues

Zack Snyder is if anything a one-of-kind filmmaker. Regardless of one’s opinion on the polarizing director’s movies, they have a distinct vision behind them, one that’s amazed a large and very vocal fanbase. It’s surprising then that last December’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire was a bit of a disaster by audience’s metric. Snyder’s attempt at a sci-fi epic fell considerably short in visuals, characterization, and even action; and that was by design. As a marketing stunt, Zack Snyder released a PG-13 compromised cut of the first part of his Rebel Moon duology in a deal that allowed him to release his own director’s cut. The first director’s cut, Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood is out now and, well, it’s certainly an improvement.

What Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood immediately does better than the prior version is the visual component. So much of Zack Snyder’s signature visual style was lost in A Child of Fire, giving way to muddy textures, constantly cutting away from violence, and an overall cheap feeling. Chalice of Blood gives the feeling that the film simply wasn’t finished in any capacity when the initial version was released. Contrary to his underwhelming prior work in Army of the Dead and the original release of Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder’s cinematography begins to approach the level of his work with Larry Fong (Watchmen, Batman v. Superman).

The color grading looks far more naturalistic, letting the natural beauty of the titular “rebel moon” of Veldt shine through. Fields of wheat take on a tactile quality, matched by some seriously improved action. The prime example is an early film set-piece where a farmer and secret runaway soldier of the evil Imperium Kora (Sofia Boutella) tears through a group of soldiers attempting to attack a girl in a barnyard.

Kora’s decisive axe swinging is fluid, accentuated by clarity of motion and generous use of speed-ramping from slow motion to normal, back and forth, and everything in between. The same version of the scene was an incomprehensible mess in the initial version. Now? It ranks among some of Snyder’s best action work, recalling the standout set pieces in Sucker Punch.

We also get closer to seeing what Zack Snyder was going for: a sort of dark mirror to Star Wars where the very PG weapons like blasters do some particularly R-rated damage. These weapons may cauterize wounds, but there’s no saving a head that’s had vital pieces neatly blown out of it. Brutality works in the favor of Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood. The Imperium are a much more twisted version of Star Wars’ Empire, as evidenced by a brand-new prologue. In this prologue, Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) acts with impunity, forcing a young prince Aris (Sky Yang) to kill his father in exchange for sparing the rest of his family, only for Noble to immediately back away from that promise once the father is killed.

That kind of edge completes the Rebel Moon aesthetic, crafting a more unforgiving science fiction world that enhances the stakes. The bones of the screenplay, written by Zack Snyder, Shay Hatten, and Kurt Johnstad, are still there, only with a much weightier runtime that allows the characters room for definition. Kora (Sofia Boutella) and Gunnar (Michiel Husman) are still rallying a group composed of former general Titus (Djimon Hounsou), cyborg Nemesis (Doona Bae), mercenary Kai (Charlie Hunnam), and blacksmith Tarak (Staz Nair) to stand against the Imperium on Veldt. This time, we get the chance to know Kora and Gunnar intimately. Character like robot Jimmy (Anthony Hopkins) and Aris are actually given arcs here. On a moment-to-moment basis, there’s some real compelling stuff character-wise in Chalice of Blood.

Nevertheless, it must be said that there’s still a good portion of Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood that does not work. This is very much a Part One in all senses of the phrase. The band of characters that are supposed to be our heroes fighting for Veldt still feel sorely underwritten, with most of their development left to the second chapter. Moreover, the entire function of the movie is to set the stage for a final battle that doesn’t come until the follow-up, making the runtime feel more than a tad tedious.

For the most part, Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood is a major step up. The universe of Rebel Moon feels like a place worth returning to. It’s a mean, textured place full of visually impressive images and pulse-pounding action sequences. It’s a shame that this film was designed as a first part, as that aspect detracts from the experience, leaving too many balls in the air to make it a satisfying watch on its own. Assuming that Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness follows through with the major changes here, Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood is a promising if not quite, but close to, return to form for Zack Snyder.

Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.