Heading into “Rebel Moon,” Polygon reviewer Kyle Wilson hoped for a landmark in sci-fi blockbuster filmmaking. Instead, he found it to be entirely forgettable. “Everyone but the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut fanboys would be better off immediately ejecting this turgid whimper of a movie into the farthest reaches of the galaxy,” he wrote.
“That even after a reported 20 years in the making the film still feels fundamentally pointless isn’t just disappointing, it’s entirely bewildering,” wrote Robbie Collin in a review for The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, in a review for The Messenger, Jordan Hoffman praised some of the film’s sci-fi elements but found that they did little more than look good. “Cool capes, shirtless hunks and a squid alien can only get you so far,” reads the review’s subheading.
Zack Snyder already has plans for “Rebel Moon” to be the start of an expansive franchise. Since “Rebel Moon” — technically subtitled “Part One: A Child of Fire” — is the first half of a longer story, a sequel is already in post-production. Beyond that, even, Snyder is planning on turning the series into a trilogy. Netflix has yet to greenlight a third “Rebel Moon” film, however, and these reviews suggest that its prospects are currently pretty bleak.
