‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’ Review – Snyderhaustion Is Real

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver is a sequel to the 2023 Netflix streaming smash hit Rebel Moon – Part One: Child of Fire. The first Zack Snyder bombastic event began by offering the audience endless exposition. Yet, mysteriously, while the film wastes countless minutes “bringing the band” together, Snyder’s script provides very little character development.

While the first had so much epic scope regarding world-building, it was a vain and hollow attempt at imitating better adventure films. Literally, borrowing from franchises like Star Wars, The Matrix, and Indiana Jones. So, yes, calling any of this a Zack Snyder original is a contradiction. You’d at least hope Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver would attempt to build on its open-ended finale on themes of existential dilemmas.

Yet, The Scargiver doesn’t. And that is a double-edged sword. Much of the film is a battle between “The Motherworld” and the small band of farmhands looking to save their lives and way of life. The sequel has some jaw-dropping battle scenes with breathtaking special effects. We have to admit that they are effective, relentless, and can be exciting.

However, the payoff of Zack Snyder’s second half of his bombastic opus doesn’t have the emotional payoff because of one simple thing: a lack of catharsis. There is no sense of closure, satisfaction, relief, or emotional gut punch you need to sell the impact of such battle sequences. The script of both films needs to establish more of a connection between the characters and the viewer to get the audience to care. (The attempt in the middle of this film to right a wrong from the first doesn’t improve the complaint here.)

The script by Shay Hatten (Army of the Dead), Kurt Johnstad (Act of Valor), and Snyder has Kora (Sofia Boutella) return to her Veldt. She brings her “Dirty Half Dozen” team with her. She announces she has killed Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) but is informed he somehow has survived. Again, there needs to be more explanation or building on the first film’s finale, which has a need here.

We finally get to experience Anthony Hopkins’s Jimmy, who reunites with Kora. Frustratingly, we can extract very little information from their connection, their history, or why he is there in the first place. We can assume, but we shouldn’t have to. Nor does that mean we should have to exhibit. There needs to be an offering of integration of backstory or enough actions, dialogue, or cues.

Hopkins Jimmy does have the film’s best action scene, enhanced by a lovely Tom Holkenborg score. However, you may be taken aback by how uneven the arrangements can be. Holkenborg transitions to different musical genres with other characters. Frankly, it can become a distraction. This only enhances my point of The Scargiver’s cluttering — it’s chaotic and overwrought to the end of burnout.

That fact is, “Snyderhaustion” cinema is not in the DSM-5, but it’s become a real thing. Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver desperately needed time to breathe. This chapter is markedly improved with some thrilling action scenes. That’s a payoff for fans of the first. However, both films are better when you combine both parts, not separately. This is a pure, self-indulgent example of style over substance.

Someone needs to save Zack Snyder from himself.

You can stream Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver only on Netflix!