In an earlier post, I mentioned those movies you don’t need to see until they come to your television. What is even easier is when they start on the television, as is the case with Netflix’s Rebel Moon.
Released in mid-December, and labeled as “Part One: A Child of Fire,” you may be witnessing the start of an interesting new series or the creation of content for it’s own sake. I have yet to decide myself.
Here is the trailer, which tells you a good part of the story. That, and this teaser from Netflix:
When the ruthless forces of the Motherworld threaten a quiet farming village on a distant moon, a mysterious outsider becomes its best hope for survival.
The movie has some decent special effects to go along with the usual well-worn tropes:
- An empire with troublesome planets at the edges, similar to Star Wars and Foundation? Check.
- Desert planet hosting an individual important to the empire, similar to Star Wars? Check.
- Desert planet with wild saloons where you battle bounty hunters and hire rogue ships and pilots, similar to Star Wars? Check.
- Confused robot not sure about its path, similar to Lost in Space? Check.
- Ragtag band fighting evil, similar to Guardians of the Galaxy? Check.
The list could go on and on, with elements of Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek’s Borg Queen, Vikings: Valhalla, and Firefly thrown in as well. Oh yeah, and an evil empire where the officers where Nazi SS uniforms and are followed by masked religious figures similar to the ones you see in Dune.
The only redeeming portion of this film comes after the first half when the battle scenes and reincarnation of a key character provide some interesting twists. It may not save the entire effort, but it did add to the fun.
Part Two: The Scargiver will be released on April 19th. It is supposed to be the second and final episode of Rebel Moon.
Will I watch it? Probably. Am I recommending you watch it yourself? Not really, unless you need to kill a few hours. It can be interesting, if only to create your own list of well-worn tropes.
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