The first part of Zack Snyder's space opera Rebel Moon did not fare well with critics upon its release in December 2023, with the general consensus among critics being the film lacking in substance despite all the visual flare. It appears Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver isn't faring much better upon its release, either, and is actually coming in at a lower aggregate score than the first entry.
Rebel Moon Part 2 premiered on Netflix a week after its limited run in theaters and was welcomed by an aggregate score of 18% among critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes. This is lower than the aggregate score for Part 1: A Child of Fire, which ended up with an aggregate critics score of 21% after all the reviews had been tallied.
The score also makes Rebel Moon Part 2 Zack Snyder's lowest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes, with Part 1 previously holding that spot.
It is a similar story for the viewer rating as Part 2's scored a 46% among audiences to Part 1's 57%, though this could easily change as audience ratings tend to be more fluid than critic ratings.
The general consensus for Part 2 is similar to the first film as Snyder once again offers plenty of action and “eye-candy” during its roughly two-hour runtime. However, many of the same problems from the first film are still there between a plot repeatedly described as “paper-thin” and loaded with tropes taken from other well-known space operas such as Star Wars and Star Trek.
“Fans of special effects laden futuristic battle scenes may find something to enjoy here, but otherwise “Rebel Moon: Part Two” is a crashing bore,” North Shore Movies' Daniel Kimmel said in his review.
This sentiment was echoed in many of the audience reviews for the film, with many applauding the special effects and action sequences but criticizing the plot, performances, and script.
What does the future hold?
The lackluster response to both Rebel Moon films could also cast doubt on Snyder's plans to expand the universe, something which he as keen on ahead of the first film's release. He had stated his hopes of turning Rebel Moon into a “massive IP” that existed across multiple mediums, including games and a spin-off animated series announced in the Summer of 2023.
Snyder had similar hopes for Army of the Dead including a potential sequel and a planned animated series, though neither have seen the light of day. The last update of any kind came in March 2023 when Snyder said work was still being done on the animated series and that most of the scripts and animatics were nearly done.
Netflix did release the prequel Army of Thieves starring and directed by Matthias Schweighofer, who portrayed safecracker Ludwig Dieter in Army of the Dead.
Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver is available to stream on Netflix.
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