'Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver': If Even Zack Snyder Doesn't Like This Movie...

Zack Snyder's ambitious project "Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire" premiered on Netflix as a two-part series.

First off, Part 1 had a much tighter pace than "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Caregiver," with far more action sequences. However, nearly an hour of the first half of Part 2 is dedicated to dialogue scenes, which, as we all know, is not Snyder's strong suit. He tends to rely on extended storytelling to make himself feel more at ease. Still, time and again, it's been proven that even with ample time, Snyder struggles with narrative coherence, often disrupting the pacing. Unfortunately, this film is no exception.

From Part 1, we could see Snyder building a vast world akin to the conflicts between various planets in "Star Wars" or "Dune." However, Part 1 didn't delve much into world-building, focusing more on the main character's journey. While the character development was rudimentary, at least the film remained focused on the storyline of defeating the Imperial army. However, "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver" loses this focus and feels even cheaper in storytelling.

Surprisingly, Part 1 concludes with an unexpected showdown with the main antagonist, which should have been reserved for Part 2. However, the confrontation wraps up prematurely, leaving a cheap cliffhanger hinting that the antagonist might not be dead. Part 2 merely continues this cheaply set-up plot, essentially repeating the story of Part 1.

You're subjected to another round of the Rebel Alliance versus the Imperial army and another round of the protagonist facing off against the same antagonist. That's why this story didn't need to be split into two parts; a slightly longer Part 1 would have wrapped things up perfectly. If Snyder intended for Part 2 to address the narrative shortcomings of Part 1, he could have done better because it doesn't.

What "Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire" lacked most was world-building and character development. "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver" attempts to address this by letting the characters speak for themselves, filling in some of the world's backstories. However, the execution could be more clumsy, akin to crude steelmaking, with characters directly demanding others to tell their stories.

You might find it hard to believe, but that's how ludicrous it is. You're forced to digest the experiences of five or six characters in one go. Snyder seems to be half-heartedly admitting, "I just can't tell stories," and asking for leniency. Therefore, Part 2 merely dumps supplementary information on you without any impact, leaving you completely indifferent.

Since the dialogue scenes in "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver" are still lacking, what about Snyder's beloved visuals and action sequences (or what's left of them)? The production design remains consistent with Part 1, but we've seen this world-building too many times before; even Snyder's visuals, while competent, lack freshness.

As for the action scenes, they're a step back from Part 1. This film already felt like a bootleg "Star Wars," with Snyder failing to bring anything original. While Part 1 had some decent melee combat sequences for the female lead, Part 2 lacks them, leaving behind various "Star Wars" signature scenes like blaster fire and spaceship bombardments, even lightsaber-esque duels.

The latter half of "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Caregiver" is filled with these scenes, making it dull to watch. However, Snyder seems to revel in showcasing his special effects, believing that as long as the visuals are flashy and grand, audiences will love it—but they don't.

Moreover, Snyder's beloved slow-motion shots are overused in Part 1 but are slightly toned down in Part 2, which still needs to be fixed. Upon closer examination, these slow-motion shots are so slow that they're still in slow motion even when fast-forwarded. Slow motion enhances action scenes, and Snyder uses it to create many cool and edgy moments. However, he can only produce mediocre action scenes and increasingly abuses slow motion, using it in meaningless contexts.

Therefore, "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver" has no redeeming qualities. It fails to address the shortcomings of Part 1, instead further cementing the fact that this story could have been told in one part. What's more terrifying is that the ending of Part 2 hints that the story isn't over yet.

Although we already know there will be a director's cut of "Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire," according to Snyder, it will be a completely different film from the current version; why couldn't the director's cut be released directly? A four-hour director's cut far exceeds what the average audience can tolerate for a movie's length. If Snyder needs such a length to make a good film (as with "Justice League"), then perhaps he's not suited for filmmaking. It may be time to consider transitioning to television series, where he can slowly refine his storytelling.