Rebel Moon— Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
| Rebel Moon | |
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 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Zack Snyder |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Zack Snyder |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Zack Snyder |
| Edited by | Dody Dorn |
| Music by | Tom Holkenborg |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
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Running time | 134 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $166 million (shared with Part Two)[2] |
Rebel Moon (also known as Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire) is a 2023 American epic space opera film directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay he co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten, based on a story Snyder conceived. Its ensemble cast features Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam and Anthony Hopkins. It is set in a fictional galaxy ruled by the Motherworld, whose military, the Imperium, threatens a farming colony on the moon Veldt. Kora, a former Imperium soldier, ventures on a quest to recruit warriors from across the galaxy to make a stand against the Imperium before they return to Veldt.
Rebel Moon had a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 15, 2023, and was released by Netflix on December 21, 2023. It received generally negative reviews.
An extended cut is set for release in early 2024, and a direct sequel, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, is scheduled for release on April 19, 2024.
Plot[edit]
In a distant galaxy, the Motherworld is a militaristic empire fueled by centuries of conquest and war, through Imperium soldiers, the Motherworld's infantry. The current king welcomes a daughter, Princess Issa, who possesses a rare gift of healing and resurrection. This is taken as a sign of redemption for the Motherworld, as the royal family has grown weary of conflict and hopes that Issa will unify the empire not through force but through compassion. Instead, Issa and her parents are publicly assassinated during her coronation, and Balisarius, a prominent senator, declares himself Regent and renews the empire's conquests with the support of Admiral Atticus Noble, a sadistic military leader.
On the independent planet of Veldt, Noble and his men arrive and insist that Father Sindri, a local village chieftain, sell them grain to replenish their food stocks as they hunt for a band of rebels known as Clan Bloodaxe. An ambitious farmer named Gunnar disagrees with Sindri's refusal to deal with Noble; the Admiral then beats Sindri to death and orders Gunnar to prepare all of the village's grain before he returns in ten weeks. One of the villagers, Kora, packs her things to leave, but when she sees Imperium soldiers attempting to rape a young woman named Sam, she confronts and kills them, along with Private Aris, an Imperium soldier who is disheartened by the practices of his superiors. Kora tells the villagers that Noble will massacre the village once he returns and gets what he wants.
She recruits Gunnar, who has a source that can reach the Bloodaxe clan, so that they can recruit them for their cause of fighting Noble. During their journey, she reveals to Gunnar that she was a former soldier of the Imperium, who was taken and brought up by Balisarius, after he destroyed her family and home planet. After graduating from the Imperium Academy, she helped win many battles and conquests for the Motherworld. The next day, Kora and Gunnar depart for the Port City of Providence, a nearby port town, to assemble a band of warriors and defend Veldt against Noble's fleet. They first recruit Kai, a smuggler and criminal. He takes them to two additional warriors, a tamer of beasts known as Tarak and a talented cyborg swordswoman, Nemesis. Kora ventures to a remote moon to recruit Titus, a disgraced Imperium commander reduced to prize fighting. Gunnar learns from Kora that she feels a sense of guilt for Issa's death as she once served as the princess's bodyguard.
Knowing that they cannot defend against Noble's ship, the King's Gaze, the warriors use Gunnar's previous dealings with Clan Bloodaxe to meet their leaders, siblings Darrian and Devra, and request the use of their starfighters. Darrian and half the clan agree to help, but Devra, who considers such a fight hopeless and a waste of their resources, retreats with the other half to safety. Under the pretense of offloading the last of his illicit goods to start a new life, Kai takes the group to a trading post, but captures them as Noble's ship arrives, revealing he had always intended to betray them for the bounties on their heads. Noble reveals Kora's true name as Arthelais. Gunnar kills Kai and frees the group, and Darrian and many of his troops are killed. Kora fights Noble, throwing him off the post's high platform, and the surviving warriors make their way back to Veldt together.
Heavily injured but alive, Noble is recovered by Motherworld forces and revived after having a psychic conversation with Balisarius, who demands that Noble end the insurgency against him and bring Kora to him alive so he can execute her himself.
