Time: 204 Minutes
Age Rating: R18 – Cruelty, graphic violence
Cast:
Sofia Boutella as Kora
Djimon Hounsou as Titus
Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble
Michiel Huisman as Gunnar
Doona Bae as Nemesis
Ray Fisher as Darrian Bloodaxe
Charlie Hunnam as Kai
Anthony Hopkins as the voice of Jimmy
Director: Zack Snyder

I personally really liked Zack Snyder’s 2 parter sci-fi fantasy epic Rebel Moon (subtitled as A Child of Fire and The Scargiver), despite the very negative reactions to it. The movies certainly have their issues and I admit that my opinion on them has lowered upon further thought, but I maintain that I enjoyed them. Still, I was quite frustrated by Netflix’s decision to deliberately create a Snyder Cut situation with the extended (and true) versions of the movies releasing much later after the shorter versions, which were cut down from their intended visions. That aside, Netflix has finally released the Directors Cuts of each film, titled as Chalice of Blood and Curse of Forgiveness. As someone who liked the original cut of Part 1, this director’s cut is much better (unsurprisingly). 

Rebel Moon is certainly an ambitious project for Zack Snyder, and you really feel the passion and effort put into this. While one can say that it is derivative of a lot of popular movies and franchises, it pulls inspiration from so many things that it ends up being a creative sci-fi fantasy epic mash up. It definitely borrows ideas, but creates its own identity, which is certainly commendable. For its faults, it kept me interested in the world that Snyder had created. The biggest problem with A Child of Fire was that it was trying to do a lot of setup and worldbuilding, but was undercut by having a huge chunk of its scenes missing from the cut. Chalice of Blood is certainly much better on this front, with a runtime that goes up to 3.5 hours instead of 2 hours and 10 minutes. The new and extended scenes do so much for this movie, with more wordbuilding and character work. If you previously watched A Child of Fire, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of new things you’ll see in Chalice of Blood. With this longer runtime, it actually feels like it’s taking its time with the story and establishing the world and its characters, it doesn’t feel like it’s in a rush to cover everything in the shortest time possible. It also means that it can go further into the wacky and weird sci-fi fantasy elements that we got a glimpse of in the first version. Chalice of Blood is also a much darker movie, established in the brutal opening sequence. The original cuts did indicate an attempt at a Star Wars esque movie intended for an adult audience, and with these director’s cuts we finally get to see that intended vision. This is mainly seen with the use of violence, which is much more bloody and gory here, and makes many of these scenes pack a much bigger punch. It really won’t be for everyone, but I found it to be admirable in how it doesn’t hold back at all in how extreme it is.

There are some issues from A Child of Fire which still exist in Chalice of Blood, despite the improvements. As I said before, the longer runtime allows for the movie to take its time in establishing its world, and isn’t in a rush. However, it still jumps around to different perspectives and takes some detours a number of times. So the experience can still be a bit jarring, albeit not as much when compared to the first cut. Rebel Moon also suffers from an exposition problem. When it comes to big sci-fi and fantasy epics, it’s very difficult delivering information without feeling like it’s halting the movie to dump it all onto you. Rebel Moon unfortunately doesn’t pull it off, although the longer runtime makes it feel a little less forceful. The character work is a little uneven, some characters get more attention than others, but then again, this is usually an inevitable problem that a film with a large ensemble of characters face. There is a bit more depth given to the characters here compared to the original cut, but you still wish that you could learn about them more. I’m most disappointed that we don’t really get to see these recruited characters interacting with each other much; we get one new scene later in the movie, but that’s it. For all its faults though, Chalice of Blood’s additions definitely made it a much better film.

Sofia Boutella is great in the lead role of Kora, bringing a lot of emotion and believability to the protagonist. The supporting cast is good with the likes of Djimon Hounsou, Michiel Huisman, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, and Staz Nair. I did wish that we could’ve gotten to have seen more from certain actors like Fisher though. Ed Skrein as the central villain Admiral Noble remains my favourite performance from these films. His character is so committed to being as evil as possible and Skrein is absolutely relishing his role. A few of the actors/characters are done a bit better in this version of the film. Anthony Hopkins voices a robot named Jimmy, and he has a lot more screentime throughout the movie’s runtime, compared to A Child of Fire where he is absent after the first act. We see him as he gradually goes through a transformation and self-realisation, and it sets him up for his role in the second chapter. There’s also a character called Aris played by Sky Yang who is given a lot more to do here, especially with his backstory being in the opening sequence which adds so much more to his character.

You are either into Zack Snyder’s directing style or not, and as someone who is, I really liked his work on Rebel Moon. Since Army of the Dead, Snyder has served as his own cinematographer, to mixed reactions. I’ve had some time to think about the cinematography of these movies; there are times where the visuals are absolutely stunning and the CGI looks great (especially with regards to Jimmy). However, there are also some moments where certain shots don’t look as good, usually when the colour palette has a lot of brown or grey. I still think the cinematography is solid, but can’t help but think that he would have benefited from having someone else as DP. I really like the environments and looks of the different planets, as well as the various aliens we have a glimpse at. The film particularly shines in the action sequences. I remember finding that some of the action in the original version was a little disappointing. This is where the R rating comes into play, with so much more blood and gore. The blood is very CGI looking to a goofy extent at points, but it seems like a deliberate stylistic choice which I think works. That, paired with the good fight choreography, makes the action sequences far more entertaining and memorable. While this doesn’t have some of Junkie XL’s best work, his score is good and fits the movie well.

Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood is still a stylistic, ambitious and entertaining, if flawed, sci-fi fantasy epic. This director’s cut is a definite improvement over the first cut, especially with the additional scenes and the R rating. If you’re curious about watching Rebel Moon and haven’t watched any version yet, definitely watch the Director’s Cuts, don’t bother with the other versions. If you at the very least liked parts of the shorter cuts of Rebel Moon, it’s worth giving the Director’s Cuts a go. However, if you really dislike the shorter versions, I’m not sure that these extended versions will change your mind.