If Rebel Moon Part One felt like Zack Snyder trying to make a self-parody, Part Two just feels like a total squandering of the talents I know he possesses with all his worst trademarks as a director on full display. The film doesn't do anything to build upon the few things that intrigued me from the first part and it just makes this whole "experience" feel like a complete waste of time in retrospect.
Part One felt like a complete exposition dump to set up for this film yet the first hour is still devoted to filling in the blanks of this totally uninteresting world and characters. The dialogue is at best forgettable and at worst completely self-serious without a hint of self-awareness that made a lot of the character interactions cringeworthy more than anything. That first half was excruciatingly boring without any kind of tension building, the actual plot essentially revolves around farming grain and it's about as interesting as it sounds. When the war both these films have been building towards finally comes to ahead it feels like a relief in all the wrong ways because I was just happy to see something meaningful finally happen.
When I say the second half was an improvement that's not really saying much but at least I was moderately entertained. The last hour is essentially a non-stop battle and while it can devolve into visual noise after a while at least it feels like Snyder in his element. The pacing finally picks up and there's actually a few interesting visuals on display with some genuinely entertaining sequences. But after a combined 3-hour build up I think it all came a bit too late for me. Writing really isn't Snyder's strong suit and in future I'd prefer to see him either stick purely to directing or adapting material because that seems to be where all of his best work comes from.
When all is said and done, Rebel Moon represents a colossal misfire for Zack Snyder as a director. I didn't think Part One was a good movie but I had a modicum of hope that The Scargiver would give us some good pay off that would make these movies feel worthwhile. The whole thing just ends up being a massive slog and it's not nearly entertaining enough to make up for how hugely derivative it is. Rather than feeling like a complete story, this movie ends with set up for yet another sequel that I don't know if I have the energy to endure, Snyder fan or not.
Part One felt like a complete exposition dump to set up for this film yet the first hour is still devoted to filling in the blanks of this totally uninteresting world and characters. The dialogue is at best forgettable and at worst completely self-serious without a hint of self-awareness that made a lot of the character interactions cringeworthy more than anything. That first half was excruciatingly boring without any kind of tension building, the actual plot essentially revolves around farming grain and it's about as interesting as it sounds. When the war both these films have been building towards finally comes to ahead it feels like a relief in all the wrong ways because I was just happy to see something meaningful finally happen.
When I say the second half was an improvement that's not really saying much but at least I was moderately entertained. The last hour is essentially a non-stop battle and while it can devolve into visual noise after a while at least it feels like Snyder in his element. The pacing finally picks up and there's actually a few interesting visuals on display with some genuinely entertaining sequences. But after a combined 3-hour build up I think it all came a bit too late for me. Writing really isn't Snyder's strong suit and in future I'd prefer to see him either stick purely to directing or adapting material because that seems to be where all of his best work comes from.
When all is said and done, Rebel Moon represents a colossal misfire for Zack Snyder as a director. I didn't think Part One was a good movie but I had a modicum of hope that The Scargiver would give us some good pay off that would make these movies feel worthwhile. The whole thing just ends up being a massive slog and it's not nearly entertaining enough to make up for how hugely derivative it is. Rather than feeling like a complete story, this movie ends with set up for yet another sequel that I don't know if I have the energy to endure, Snyder fan or not.