REVIEW: ‘Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness’ Is Zack Snyder’s Best Work In Years

When Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver hit Netflix in April 2024, it offered slight growth over the first film’s many failings. With both films hobbled by a bizarre Netflix deal where Zack Snyder would release compromised PG-13 cuts then get to release his full vision later, the whole enterprise feels bound to lose the audience. Now that the true versions of each part of the film are available, the time has come to see if this project was worth all the hoopla. Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood (Director’s Cut) was a major improvement on its prior version that still couldn’t hide inherent structural issues.

Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness (Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Director’s Cut), on the other hand, is a genuinely great film, a sweeping epic that makes this whole rollercoaster feel worth it.

What immediately sticks out about Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Director’s Cut as compared to its prior version and Chalice of Blood is its characters. Across three of the four cumulative Rebel Moon films, Sofia Boutella as Kora/Arthelais, Michiel Husman as Gunnar, and Ed Skrein as Admiral Noble were the only characters to really register. Not here. The entire squad, including Djimon Hounsou’s General Titus, the cyborg Nemesis (Doona Bae), rebel fighter Milius (Elise Duffy), former Imperium fighter Aris (Sky Yang), and blacksmith Tarak (Staz Nair), are all defined here.

In Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, there’s a sequence where characters sit around a table and talk about their past. In that version, it’s a truncated, cynical attempt to get us to care about characters without actually doing the work. Here, by courtesy of a more forgiving runtime and thoughtful script by Zack Snyder, Shay Hatten, and Kurt Johnstad, we feel the deep pain, the searing regret that these characters hold due to the actions of the Imperium. The R rating affords Zack Snyder a level of brutality to the Imperium’s actions that forges them into a chilling fascist threat.

Moreover, the visuals actually look finished this time around. Tableaus, like Tarak’s mother, dives off a ledge as the Imperium sieges their homeland, and they are held in glorious slow motion. The sharp visuals lack the signature Netflix look that permeated the initial release, leaving Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Director’s Cut as one of the most stunning-looking blockbusters to ever come to a streaming service. That’s partially because these visuals are the primary method of storytelling. We don’t need to hear about the people of Veldt coming together, seeing figures come together, and changing facial expressions from nervousness to determination while working in the natural splendor of the “rebel moon.” Veldt says all that needs to be said.

Backed by Tom Holkenborg‘s appropriately huge, emotional score, Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Director’s Cut grounds that audience in the stakes in a way not even Chalice of Blood could accomplish. This may be a “Chapter Two,” but structurally, it’s more of a full, accomplished work than any of the prior films. The true promise of the whole Rebel Moon project comes to fruition when the battle between the citizens of Veldt and the Imperium kicks off. In so many ways, this battle feels like the kind of thing Zack Snyder has been building to all his career.

The righteous “peasants fighting back against their corrupt lords” angle from Akira Kurosawa‘s Seven Samurai, combined with an aesthetic that feels like an edgy remix of Star Wars in the best possible way, leads to a prolonged action sequence for the books. We can track every faction in battle, aided by clear cinematography courtesy of Zack Snyder. Each character gets their own standout moment, my personal favorite being a (legally distinct) lightsaber duel between Nemesis and guards that feels like the Star Wars project Zack Snyder fans have dreamed of.

The third of act of Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Director’s Cut is a master stroke. Moving to a more intimate locale, Admiral Noble’s ship, the rage of Kora, representing the people of Veldt, comes to a head, as a final showdown crystallizes the feeling Rebel Moon as a project was trying to capture. It’s bold, it’s operatic- hell, it’s downright epic. When the dust settles, a true feeling of closure is brought. Well, save for the movie’s own downside: set-up for future movies that may or may not happen. Even still, Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness ends on such a note that it makes the whole enterprise feel worth it.

Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness is the nugget of gold after sifting through coal. Take away Netflix’s bone-headed release strategy, the failings of the PG-13 versions, and the issues inherent to even the first of the director’s cuts, and what we’re left with is taking Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Director’s Cut for what it is. At its heart, Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness is an accomplished piece of science-fiction from a visionary filmmaker who shows that he’s still got some life left in him.

Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Director’s Cut is streaming exclusively on Netflix.