Category Entertainment

May 19 2024

Looking Back At Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace 25 Years Later

This year is the 25th anniversary of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which is one of the most divisive films ever made. It was the first Star Wars film since Return of the Jedi in 1983, and saw George Lucas return to his epic universe and present the backstory to his original trilogy. Iconic villain Darth Vader is shown as 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker, a slave living with his mother in the backwater world of Tatooine. His encounter with Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jin and Obi-Wan Kenobi (his future mentor), as well as his future wife, Padme Amidala, put him on the path to his later role as a powerful Jedi Knight and eventually, his turn to the dark side as the evil Sith lord Darth Vader. 

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was eagerly anticipated from its announcement and was greeted with very diverse reactions when released. Many fans were just ecstatic to have another Star Wars film in theaters after more than a decade of nothing being released. It was a very different time than now with many TV shows on Disney +and several films being planned. The only Star Wars materials since Jedi was released were the well-received series of books by Timothy Zahn and other novels and comics such as Star Wars: Dark Empire. A new film, especially one that would be the missing first three episodes, (the original trilogy was marketed as Episodes IV to VI), was a thrilling prospect.

However, there were many fans who were disappointed with what they saw as a film with a more childish tone due to the introduction of Jar Jar Binks, an alien Gungan that helps the Jedi and Anakin to battle the forces of the Trade Federation, the villains in the film who were controlled by Darth Sidious, who is really Senator Palpatine, the future Emperor seen in Return of the Jedi. Jar Jar’s antics, weird mannerisms and manner of speaking was a turn off for many. Critics of the film were also unhappy with the more complicated plot of the movie, which focused on political intrigue in the Galactic Senate, as Palpatine maneuvered his way to the office of Chancellor of the Republic. This was unlike the simpler plots of the first films, which were a more basic story of good vs evil. The introduction of a more scientific explanation of the Force was also criticized, with the idea of midichlorians as being the reason for people having Force powers was seen as less interesting, as opposed to the more mystical view of the Force from the original movies.

Having said this, I liked Lucas’ idea of expanding the mythology of the Star Wars universe and showing how a democracy like the Republic would descend into a tyranny in the form of the Galactic Empire. it was also interesting to see a different era in Star Wars. Instead of the battle-scarred ships and planets seen in the original trilogy, we are shown more peaceful and polished areas in the galaxy. It makes sense since the film takes place over 30 years before A New Hope. Seeing the Jedi Order in its prime is great to see, with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan battling Palpatine’s protege, Darth Maul in spectacular light saber battles, which were incredibly choreographed.

The reputation of the film has been somewhat improved in the subsequent years as many have come to appreciate the film for its positive attributes. The special effects were groundbreaking with the CGI used to created Jar Jar being a precursor to later films and characters that were brought to life via this technique. Gollum from The Lord of the Rings films being one such example. The effort of George Lucas to broaden the scope of the franchise with new ideas, planets and creatures is also something to be commended. He set the stage for the prequel trilogy, which would result in the well-received Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show and introduce new characters that would become fan favorites, such as the previously mentioned Darth Maul, Count Dooku (Palpatine’s other protege) or the powerful Jedi Knight Mace Windu. One sign pointing to the film’s improved reputation was the fact that the re-release this month of the film in theaters to celebrate its 25th anniversary actually earned a respectable box office haul.

The release of later Star Wars films would have the franchise move away from this era and take us to the future of the Skywalker saga, some 30 years after Return of the Jedi. Starting with The Force Awakens, it was obvious that Disney wanted to go back to the roots of the original trilogy as opposed to Lucas’ prequels. I think the results were mixed, as The Force Awakens has a simpler plot that was similar to A New Hope, but is also somewhat too derivative of it. The prequels told a new story in the Star Wars universe starting with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, while the sequels seemed to retell the story of the rebels against the empire, although I do think that Episode IX really pushed the story forward and ended things on a good note.

However, one area where the sequels improved on is the overall look the films, as they seemed to blend the use of practical effects with CGI, which made things seem more grounded. Whereas with the prequels, they did sometimes go overboard with CG effects. While groundbreaking as previously mentioned, it did give things a strange look, with an overload of visuals and backgrounds that in some scenes, were obviously a green screen and look dated today in some instances.

Despite all of that, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a very important film in the saga and in the genre as a whole as it popularized the idea of prequels to popular movies and reintroduced Star Wars to a whole new generation of fans who have since enjoyed a renaissance of the franchise that is still being being enjoyed to this day.

C.S. Link

May 14 2024

After Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the latest entry of the long-running Planet of the Apes franchise. The film is both a continuation of the previous trilogy that came out in the last decade while being a new starting point for a new trilogy that expands the story of the Apes franchise. There will be spoilers for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

For anyone who hasn’t seen any of these films, the world of Planet of the Apes is one where humans have been supplanted by intelligent apes capable of speech, while humanity has become animalistic. The previous trilogy, consisting of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, served as the origin story for the franchise. The trilogy provided the background for how apes gained human-level intelligence, which came about from efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. The supposed cure, in the form of an artificial retrovirus, instead increased the intelligence of apes. But the retrovirus had the opposite effect on humans. First it spread like wildfire and killed millions of people and caused civilization to collapse. Then the virus mutated and caused the remaining humans to lose their intelligence and the ability to speak, and cemented the apes dominion on Earth.

The main character in the trilogy was Caesar (in a brilliant motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis), who was the first hyper-intelligent ape and the leader of an Ape Rebellion against the humans who tormented his species. Eventually, Caesar tried to live a quiet life as the leader of his ape colony in the forests beyond human civilization, but conflict arose between the two species. By the end of the last Planet of the Apes film, Caesar was able to defeat the humans that enslaved his fellow apes and led them to an oasis to start a new colony, but he died from wounds inflicted during his battle with humans.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes place “many generations” after the death of Caesar and apes have evolved further and multiplied while transforming from a hunter-gatherer society into an agricultural one. Meanwhile, humanity has devolved into mute, animalistic savages, however, Noa (Owen Teague), the lead ape character, meets Mae (Freya Allan), a young human woman who is actually intelligent and able to speak. Eventually it is revealed she comes from a human outpost that is quarantined from the world and located near a satellite base. These humans are still intelligent and by the end of the film have begun efforts to communicate with other humans who have not succumbed to the virus in order to reestablish human civilization. Obviously, this will set up a future conflict between humans and apes if Mae’s settlement is able to jump start civilization.

One of the later elements that made the films in this franchise so compelling was the eternal question of humanity being able to co-exist with another society, which was an obvious, and sadly still an ongoing, allegory to our inability to co-exist with each other. This theme was vaguely hinted at in the second Apes film, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, but was the main focus in the films that followed starting with Escape From the Planet of the Apes. After the violent revolution seen in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Battle for the Planet of the Apes offered the hope that both species were able to co-exist peacefully, though that was debatable.

In the final moments of that film, which took place hundreds of years in the future, several ape and human children were attending a lecture by an ape teacher, who was narrating the events of the film. Although this ape spoke about the ability of both species living in peace, a young girl and an young ape were seen squabbling with each other, hinting at a future conflict between the two. After this, a statue of the main character in that film (also known as Caesar, this time played by Roddy McDowall) was seen crying. It was left to viewers to ponder if these were tears of joy because the two species at last lived peacefully or if the tears were of sorrow because of a coming conflict between humans and apes.

This idea of trying to live peacefully is touched upon in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes as Noa questions Mae in the final scenes if it is possible to for the two species to share the planet. Mae answers that she does not know, but he doesn’t realize that as she is talking to him, she has a gun ready to shoot him, just in case. Of course, the very notion that she brings a gun with her while coming to Noa’s colony raises the question if she is trustworthy. Throughout the film, she gave little reason to trust her as she lied to Noa and his apes about her true motives from the moment she meets them.

Noa is rightfully suspicious of her and in turn, humanity, but he is willing to work with her during his conflict with Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a despotic ape leader from another clan that enslaved his clan. Noa is also more focused on learning and passing knowledge to his people. He learns about Caesar and his peaceful ways as the ape has become a religious leader long after his death. It is implied that Noa will pass on the legend of Caesar to his clan while inspiring them to learn more about the world. This is best illustrated in the final moments when he takes his ape companion Soona (Lydia Peckham) to a decaying observatory and introduces her to the wonders of the universe via an old telescope.

Mae for her part is shown as being worried about Noa and the evolving ape civilization that will prevent humanity from making a comeback. In one scene she silently watches Noa repair a cattle prod that was used by one of Proximus Caesar’s soldiers and is worried at his ability to repair a tool. During the film, she and Noa are captured by Proximus Caesar’s forces and is ordered by the ape tyrant to help him open an abandoned vault used by the human military long ago. She is adamant that apes should not have access to old human weapons and technology inside the vault and was willing to let innocent apes die to prevent their access.

During her mission to enter the vault, Mae killed a fellow human, a collaborator called Trevathan (William H. Macy), who threatened to expose her to the apes. Though it was understandable why she was distrustful of the apes and the collaborator, her actions made her untrustworthy and ignoble. On the other hand, her actions are meant to help resurrect human civilization and it is seen through Proximus Caesar that the apes are not much better than humans and full of humanity’s worst traits.

It will be interesting to see where the Apes franchise will go after Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. It is clear that a new trilogy is been set up that will put ape and humanity into conflict once again. There is also a tantalizing hint that space travel will be involved, as Noa is seen being fascinated by space and images of astronauts. As wild as it sounds, having apes evolve to the point of venturing into space is a great idea. Who knows? Maybe space exploration could wind up being the means for both species to learn how to cooperate and live in peace if space travel is needed to help save the Earth.

It also hints at the possibility of the new Apes films linking back to the original films. Think about it. The very first film featured astronauts who wound up on Earth in the far future and Rise of the Planet of the Apes featured Easter eggs of a lost space mission, which could be these astronauts that could show up again at the end of the new trilogy. Anyway, no matter which direction future films go, the Apes franchise has demonstrated the uncanny ability to move into new and exciting directions as most recently seen with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

May 6 2024

Top Ten Worst Comic Book Trends

As we enjoyed last weekend’s Free Comic Book Day event, it reminded us comic book fans about the trends we love to gripe about with the comic book industry. We’ve been griping about these trends for decades and while some have gone away, some new or persistent trends are plaguing the comic book industry.  With that said, here are the top ten worst comic book trends plaguing the industry today.

10. FOMO = Increased Back Issue Prices

Fear of Missing out (FOMO) often plagues many comic book collectors who desperately go out of their way to get the latest trending comic. This was especially bad during the beginning of this decade when any mention of a character appearing in an upcoming movie would cause prices for back issues to explode overnight. This frustrates normal collectors trying to complete a run and at the same time ends up fleecing naïve collectors who have to get the latest trending comic book. Just look at The Amazing Spider-Man #210. A couple of years ago it was highly sought after because it featured the first appearance of Madame Web. Anyone think that book is still in demand after the Madame Web movie bombed?

9. Comic Book Prices Keep Going Up

Right now, the average comic book costs about $5 per issue. Back when the medium first started, a single issue would cost less than a dollar. What used to be a relatively inexpensive hobby, at least for older readers not dependent on their parents’ allowances, is now pricey especially if anyone is trying to buy all the comics that come out on an average month. This has led to overpriced special issues, such as an issue #100, that are priced around $10 and not worth the price as they often turn out to be anthology books featuring forgettable stories instead of monumental events.

8. The Overabundance of Mini-Series

When comic book mini-series first appeared on shelves, they were often devoted to characters who either were brand new or not popular enough to warrant an ongoing series. The limited series served as testing grounds for both the characters or creative teams. Usually, this lead to some characters becoming breakout stars like the Punisher or Wolverine or gave exposure to promising writers or artists. Nowadays, it seems like there is a new mini-series everywhere you turn and often they are about established superheroes like Batman or Spider-Man. Why couldn’t these stories be told in their own titles? Sure, a particular mini-series story may not fit with the ongoing storyline but why not just run the stories in between runs of creative teams? If the famous “Kraven’s Last Hunt” storyline was released today it would have been a mini-series with variant covers and more whistles.

7. Comic Books Villains Turned Anti-Heroes

This is an annoying development with many classic comic book villains. They become so popular that the publishers wind up giving them their own solo titles where they become anti-heroes that we can relate to. The most famous or infamous example is Venom. When he first debuted in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, Venom quickly became one of Spidey’s deadliest and most popular foes. Unfortunately, Marvel Comics saw the character as a gold mine and increasing his appearances in the Spider-Man comics was not enough. No, Venom was given a bunch of mini-series where he faced off against other popular Marvel characters until getting his own title. The problem with this is that Spider-Man was deprived of a solid villain who could no longer be seen in the same way since Venom became an anti-hero.

6. The Multiverse Concept

The Multiverse is a great concept that lets creative teams conjure up interesting stories outside of the limiting comic book continuities. Sometimes these stories featured the deaths of popular characters, which was unthinkable in regular comics. Great examples include the classic The Dark Knight Returns mini-series and Kingdom Come. But leave it to the comic book companies to dip into the well one too many times. DC and Marvel have released too many stories that take place in separate realities that dilute the impact of the stories and the characters. Just look at what Marvel is doing with the so-called Spider-Verse. What was a fun storyline in The Amazing Spider-Man that introduced imaginative and outlandish variations of Spider-Man has now become a means to throw up countless mini-series (see Number 8) with Spider-Man variants. On a broader scale, Marvel is going all out with a relaunched Ultimate Comics line that features our favorite characters in a different reality. This probably makes speculators happy as they look for the next Spider-Gwen but the rest of us don’t care and this leads us into the next worst trend.

5. Derivative Characters and Families

Legacy characters like Batman, Superman, or Spider-Man usually spawn a family of characters that are derivatives of them such as Batgirl, Superboy, Scarlet Spider, Red Hulk and so on. When some of these new heroes first appeared, they replaced the main characters and picked up the mantle and inspired fascinating takes on legacy characters. Steve Rogers’ Captain America led to Sam Wilson Captain America or Hal Jordan Green Lantern spawned Kyle Rayner Green Lantern. Other times these characters were just young knockoffs of popular heroes. The most recent example is Spider-Boy, one of the dumbest characters ever introduced to the Spider-Man family. Speaking of families, the problem with these characters based on legacy characters is that they dilute the original character. There should be only one Batman (who works best as a loner superhero), one Spider-Man, one Captain America, one Superman; except when it comes to Green Lantern since that character is just one of many Green Lanterns in the galaxy.

4. Too Many Crossover Events

Remember when crossover events were truly special and had consequences? Ever since the success of Secret Wars and Crisis on Infinite Earths, crossover events across comic book titles have overtaken the release schedules of comic books. Often these events spill their way into regular titles and interrupt their ongoing storylines to squeeze in a tie-in story related to the crossover event. This is very annoying when following a run that builds up a certain momentum only to come to a crashing halt just to cram in an issue devoted to a crossover tie-in. Meanwhile, anyone who doesn’t follow a certain title feels compelled to buy it just to get the complete story if they were following the crossover event. We all know why these events happen (hint: $$$), and they are a good way to introduce readers to titles they often do not read, a good example was the “Unity” event in Valiant Comics way back in the 1990s. But there are too many of these crossover events now which has made readers tune out.

3. Meaningless Character Deaths

This has gone on for decades in comic books where the villains apparently were killed off only to reappear issues later with some implausible explanation for how they survived. However, this has recently happened with our superheroes, the best example was the famous “Death of Superman” storyline that made headlines and introduced new characters to the Superman family. But too often, these superheroes have been killed off just to tell stories of mourning only to have them resurrected. It has gotten to the point that a death of a character has no emotional impact. Seriously, did anyone believe for a moment that Ms. Marvel was actually dead when she was killed last year in The Amazing Spider-Man #26? The event was filled with empty platitudes and forced emotions. Note to comic book companies: If you kill off a character then that character should stay dead.

2. Variant Covers Everywhere

Pumping out so many variant covers to comic books is just a ploy to get collectors to spend more on the titles. It is also annoying and confusing for anyone who just wants to get a particular comic book to follow a story. Of course, no one is forced to get all the variant covers, which would be too expensive for average fans. But some completists can go insane and broke trying to find elusive covers that instantly go up in price at comic book stores. Another dilemma is that a person may only want the regular cover but sometimes that is hard to do, and that person is forced to buy a variant cover, which would be a nightmare for an OCD collector. Another very annoying trend with the variant covers is the tendency to put out covers that feature characters that do not have anything at all to do with the comic book! For proof, just look for any recent issue of The Amazing Spider-Man which is guaranteed to have Spider-Gwen or Black Cat on the cover even though neither character appears in that issue.

1. The Constant Cancellations and Relaunches of Popular Characters

This is the worst trend with comic books today and the most annoying. In the old days, a comic book would have a run that spanned hundreds of issues with creative teams coming and going from titles. It was fun trying to get the complete run or at least some significant key issues. But ever since the 1990s, comic book companies have been intent on canceling comic book titles only to relaunch them a short while later with a brand new number one issue. This is done to increase sales and attention to the comic book. While this may please some collectors who can now legitimately claim to own a copy of Daredevil #1 it annoys the rest of us who get confused when trying to complete a run. In the end, it’s just a tired marketing scheme that will not benefit the comic book in the long run. Want a long, successful run of a comic book title? Just focus on telling great stories. The word will get out to fans who will seek out the title and make it an enduring success.

José Soto

Apr 29 2024

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The MCU’s Greatest Solo Superhero Film

As Captain America: The Winter Soldier celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, it’s time to take a quick examination of why the Captain America film is considered one of the best films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Very few MCU fans expected much from the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger, especially given that Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier were relative unknowns whose biggest accomplishments to date were directing episodes of Community. Yet, the film blew away audiences, critics and fans with its non-stop action, intriguing script and well-developed characters. It turned out to be one of the most important films in the MCU as it forever changed it.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier centers around Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) uncovering a huge conspiracy in S.H.I.E.L.D. the spy organization he works for while grappling with a deadly ghost from his past. The first Captain America film dealt with Steve’s adventures as a superhero during World War II and ended with him being frozen in ice then revived during modern times. Ordinarily, a sequel film would have focused on fish-out-of-water tropes as Steve struggled to adapt to a whole new world. While this does happen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the film to its credit doesn’t concentrate on this concept. Instead it forces Steve to adhere to his honorable values as the world around him exhibits dubious morality. He clashes with his superiors who think nothing of spying on civilians and eroding their privacy with a clandestine project. He soon learns that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised by the evil Hydra organization which plans to use the project to unleash a preemptive attack on its enemies throughout the world, including members of the superhero team, the Avengers. For his troubles, Steve is branded a traitor and chased by the mysterious Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), a deadly assassin who turns out to be his best friend Bucky from his World War II days.

All these plot elements successfully evoked a paranoid spy/political thriller that was highlighted with high-octane action scenes that demonstrated how vicious and lethal the Winter Soldier was. These battles were among the best action scenes ever seen in any film and has not been replicated in other MCU films. There was a genuine sense of danger and fear as Steve and his allies fought the Winter Soldier and the compromised S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. One scene in particular, which took place in an elevator, proved what a badass Captain America was. He was surrounded in a cramp space by several men who tried to arrest him and he singlehandedly fought and defeated them despite the odds.

But getting back to the political angle, the film always kept you guessing as to who could be trusted, or what was actually happening in a way that was not confusing and kept audiences engaged. It helped that the film featured Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, a government official who was actually a Hydra agent. Redford’s acting prowess elevated the film and he was a great callback to the ’70s spy thrillers such as his own Three Days of the Condor.

More importantly, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was at its core a film about a man struggling with his past and his place in the world. In this situation, Steve tries to make sense of the new world he is forced to live in where it seems as if his values are out of step. But they are what is needed to fight a great evil that has corrupted the world and his best friend. What makes confronting Bucky so much worse for Steve is not only Bucky the lethal Winter Soldier, but due to brainwashing by Hydra over the decades, Bucky has lost his decent personality and no longer remembers his past or his friendship with Steve. The Winter Soldier is the only remaining link Steve has with his past and he has to find the strength to bring his friend back. His plight was very emotional and the sacrifice he made at the end to get through to Bucky was very powerful. The final battle between the two as Steve struggled to connect with Bucky was much more riveting than the wild, effects-laden action scenes involving Steve’s other friends fighting Hydra.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier propelled the narrative of the MCU from that point as it no longer had S.H.I.E.L.D. as the support organization for the Avengers and the world. This in turn would later have severe consequences during future Avengers films and immediately impacted the TV show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Even though that show is now ignored these days, back in 2014, it was clearly part of the MCU and the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier directly affected the TV show as one of the main characters was revealed to be a Hydra agent, and the other characters underwent crises of faith. The film also led to Captain America becoming a man without a country and on the run as seen in the next Captain America film, Captain America: Civil War when his morality led to a devastating conflict with some of his fellow Avengers to the point that the team broke up and left Earth unprotected.

Thanks to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the MCU began to be seen as something more than typical superhero films. This was reinforced later in the summer of 2014 with the release of the space epic Guardians of the Galaxy. Together, the films proved that the superhero film genre was very diverse in terms of storytelling and being able to surprise everyone with its potential. That is because not only is Captain America: The Winter Soldier the best superhero solo film of the MCU but one of the greatest films of all time.

José Soto

Apr 25 2024

Rebel Moon, Part Two: The Scargiver Is A Perfect Reason For Not Giving Directors Free Reign

Well, Madame Web actually has a competitor for the worse film of 2024. That would be Rebel Moon, Part Two: The Scargiver for those fortunate enough to not have seen it.

Director Zack Snyder’s hardcore fans keep insisting that Snyder should be allowed to do whatever he wants with his films. They claim that his vision for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) was stymied by idiotic studio heads who then ruined his films and the rest of the DCEU. However, Snyder’s latest film is a textbook cautionary example of what happens when a director is given carte blanche creative control over a film.

Rebel Moon, Part Two: The Scargiver, which streamed last week on Netflix, is the sequel to Rebel Moon, Part One: A Child of Fire that streamed last December. The storyline is based on a failed pitch for a Star Wars film and it is about a young woman named Kora (Sofia Boutella) who lives in a quiet farming colony on a moon that has to recruit a team to help her colony fend off an invasion by the evil Imperium. It’s essentially a sci-fi remake of Seven Samurai (which has been done before with Battle Beyond the Stars), as she recruits eccentric warriors to defend her colony. The first film was OK with excellent production values and cinematography although the script was derivative of other sci-fi tropes, and man, it was full of slow-mo shots. It was hoped by critics that part two would be a huge payoff for the setup, but that did not turn out as expected.

Instead of giving a satisfying and coherent conclusion, Snyder goes all out and indulges in the worst aspects of his cinematic bag of tricks. The film just oozes needless slow-mo shots of people farming, walking, or making any kind of motion. It was slow-mo porn! The film also boasted too many exposition dumps that brought the film’s story into a screeching halt. The scenes were the characters stopped in their tracks to give us extended back stories were clumsily done and were too long thanks to…slow-mo shots. What was worse is that these character expositions did little to endear us to Kora and her team of misfit warriors. The decisions made by the characters in their back stories often did not make sense and in the end none of the stories made the characters memorable. This was clear when not only was there no sympathy for any heroic characters when they died but it was hard to tell who they were during the well-staged battle scenes.

To its credit, Rebel Moon, Part Two: The Scargiver, had great special effects and design that evoked Warhammer 40,000 and of course Star Wars. The final boss battle between Kora and Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein) was well choreographed as they fought with their lightsabres, or whatever the swords are called in the Rebel Moon universe (help us but more films are planned) and Anthony Hopkins was brilliant as the voice of the Jimmy the rebel robot. But logic of the epic battles in the final act did not make sense. How could an advanced intergalactic force fail to detect simple farmers hiding out with weapons? How is it the main heroes are able to take out scores of armored enemy soldiers armed with axes and clubs? This was worse than when the Ewoks defeated the Empire’s forces in Return of the Jedi. All these flaws would have been forgivable if 1) we cared about the characters and 2) the battles engaged us. In other words, the battles were boring, the worst possible insult for action scenes.

While derivative from the start, Rebel Moon, Part Two: The Scargiver had the potential to be a rousing action film that would have been Zack Snyder’s answer to Star Wars. Instead we have to give credit to Lucasfilm for having the wisdom to turn down Snyder’s pitch.

The problem with the two Rebel Moon films boils down to the fact that Zack Snyder was given too much creative freedom and he overindulged his worst cinematic impulses. Yes, Snyder is a very talented director but he needs firm guidance when executing his films. So, if there are more Rebel Moon films, Snyder will have to either control himself or allow himself to be guided by objective partners.

José Soto