Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire trailer reaction
Zack Synder’s big sci-fi space epic, ‘Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire’ has had its explosive trailer shown off, giving audiences the first look at the film. And it looks gorgeous, with beautiful shots and expressive slow motion.
The first part of the trailer is narrated by Anthony Hopkins as the robot Jimmy, a JC1435 sentient mechanized robot who once protected a defeated king. His dialogue speaks of a mythical Princess called Issa, also known as the Redeemer. She would allegedly end the madness of war, but that’s not the case. Jimmy then adds he was implanted with memories of worlds he will never know, loyalty to a king he will never serve, and love for a child he couldn’t save.
Guessing at his character arc based on the speech, he will likely find his way to help the Redeemer of myth, and while she may not be a princess, he will be loyal to her, follow her to the end, and develop a passion for her and her mission. That mission is likely to protect the planet from Veldt from the evil Regent Balisarius.
The film is set in a fictional galaxy, and yet there are few aliens in sight. It’s likely it’s just the trailer focusing on introducing the main characters, and the film will suddenly open up to a menagerie of weird-looking creatures. For now, the space that Synder is creating is densely populated by humans.
Despite the film and the wider universe being a completely original creation, it has a rich history of influences, some of which come through in the trailer. ‘Star Wars’ is clear here. There are a few shots of what looks like red and blue lightsabers in the trailer, but it’s unclear what their meaning is. The trailer gives a good look at Ed Skrein’s character, Admiral Atticus Noble, with his Roman name and Roman uniform. The constant state of a galaxy at war brings to mind the ‘Warhammer 40K’ universe.
This film and its sequel will make for wonderful material for analysis, drawing out what informed the narrative and the world, what the message of the film is, and how that message is told. It’s truly only something that sci-fi can provide, giving audiences reflections on the society that made the film. Right now, the big item is obviously ‘Star Wars’, but that obscures the rich cultural history Synder is pulling from.
The trailer looks very cinematic, though at the expense of teasing much in the way of narrative, which is slightly disappointing. While some films go too far in their marketing, giving away key plot points and spoilery details before the film is even out, the first trailer could have gone a little further in spelling out the story conflict.
While the film is getting a limited theatrical release, it’s a shame it isn’t getting a full and proper run. Snyder is a director who excels on the big screen, with an eye for beautiful shots, and slow motion. Watching this on Netflix will feel like a slight disservice to the intention of the film, but nonetheless, it’s bound to be an epic experience.
The true surprise of this trailer is at the end. The film releasing this year will actually be a part one. Titled ‘Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire’, this will be released on December 22, 2023, and the next part will be titled “Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver’ will be released on April 19, 2023.
