Zack Snyder, who made his directorial debut with the reboot of “Dawn of the Dead” in 2004, became famous with films such as “300,” “Watchmen” and “Sucker Punch.” Then came his much-publicized jump to movies based on DC comics. The reboot of Superman, the crossover between the Man of Steel and Batman, and “The Justice League.” And at one point, he even flirted with the possibility of jumping into the Star Wars universe. But it didn’t happen. An obstacle to overcome for the unstoppable Snyder, who like George Lucas at the time (who wanted to direct Flash Gordon and since they didn’t let him, he devised “Star Wars”) found an alternative path in the setback. Thus comes, from the hand of Netflix, the stream that allowed him to spend millions of dollars, “Rebel Moon”. A four-and-a-half-hour interplanetary science fiction flourish released in two parts. “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire” was released this week. And “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver” will be released on April 19, 2024. And more extended versions will arrive later.
According to Snyder, “Rebel Moon” is not based on anything. However, it is based on about twelve things. It’s “Stars Wars” with nods to “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Lord of the Rings” and “Black Panther,” all melted down and condensed. “Rebel Moon” is a nod to the 1977 “Star Wars.” And it has a very basic plot of rebels against the evil empire, with creatures with rubber faces and a noble heroine, Kora (Sofia Boutella), who is like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia all in one.
The story begins on Veldt, a moon of what appears to be a fusion of Jupiter and Saturn, where Kora is part of a friendly community of medieval farmers living in the shadow of the Homeworld. The king and queen have been killed and replaced by ruthless autocrats who want to crush the group of insurgents. The British actor Ed Skrein, with his fascist haircut with bangs, is a Darth Vader, with a touch of Nazi. Grotesque cliché that works.
And Snyder, who shot the movie himself, presents it on an impressively lavish scale (all the CGI a $166 million budget can buy). Sofia Boutella, as Kora, holds the film together with her stern ferocity, and Djimon Hounsou (as the fallen but still noble General Titus), Charlie Hunnam (as the mercenary spaceship pilot Kai), and Anthony Hopkins (as the voice of Jimmy the droid, who is like C-3PO with more acting talent) make their presence felt. According to critics and fans, “Rebel Moon” surpasses the last episodes of the Skywalker saga, and opens the debate about the dozen copies that end up being more successful than their originals.
do you copy
Paradoxically, Snyder was the architect of the failed “Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice”, which “Captain America: Civil War” far surpassed. Both were released the same year (2016) and today are available on Disney+ and HBO Max (among the most watched ever). And they are a mirror in ways that even non-DC and Marvel fans can notice. And this was no accident, as director Joe Russo revealed that MCU showrunner Kevin Feige greenlit Civil War shortly after Batman Vs Superman was announced.
The two films focus on superheroes who fall into infighting after a mix of a supervillain’s manipulations and real-world conflicts. However, Civil War balanced a cast of new and established heroes, deconstructed the superhero myth, and set the stage for more to come, something Batman Vs Superman tried and failed to do.
Another similar case was “The Fall of the White House,” which inspired a successful saga: “The Fall of Olympus.” One of the strangest movie moments of 2013 was when two White House sieges hit theaters just a few months apart. And although “Ollimpo” debuted earlier, “The Fall” began production earlier.
And both were really clones of “Die Hard” in the White House, but “The Fall of Olympus” went strong in its R-rated drifts, while the PG-rated ““The Fall of the White House” all public), he bet on the safe side and failed. And Gerard Butler, who had not seen a hit since Snyder’s “300” (paths intersect), managed to become a serial hero: in 2023 he released “Escape Under Fire.”
And finally, Keanu Reeves also managed to surpass Liam Neeson as John Wick in the twist of “Taken”, one of the most influential action films of the 2000s. The story of an ex-CIA father who seeks to rescue his daughter of a trafficking ring in Paris, she started the trend of established actors being cast as retired tough guys who were forced to fight again. The film designed by Luc Besson revived Neeson’s career by reinventing him as an action star, but even more so, it revitalized the genre with successors including another gem like “Nobody” (starring Bob Odenkirk, can be seen on Netflix) .
Perennial
“Who would have guessed that the story of a guy whose dog is killed and seeks revenge could lead to a successful movie saga. Who would have thought that the story of the canine vindicator would end in an epic film of almost three hours in which it is impossible to get bored. Well, no one,” Leonardo D’espósito wrote this year when the celebrated fourth installment of the John Wick saga was released. “Stylized violence, all kinds of martial arts, kicks and pineapples, nods to the traditional past of adventure cinema, a story that could well have been signed by Alexandre Dumas, action sequences carried out with the best technology and, yes, its own mythology.” For all that, the story of the killer with a heart became a perennial film series.
Gen that allowed “Top Gun” to remain in force for decades, and achieve a sequel 36 years after the 1986 original: “Maverick”, which was the most viewed of 2022. Few know, however, that “Top Gun”, revered as the gold standard for films about pilots and aerial combat, it was not the founding film of the genre. That honor goes to “Iron Eagle,” which came out a few months earlier. What’s more, “Iron Eagle” even had the biggest budget. Both starred aspiring fighter pilots proving their worth, but “Top Gun” beat “Iron Eagle” in visual spectacle (the hand of the brilliant Tony Scott) and iconic characters. And while “Iron Eagle” languished with a low-budget series, the “Top Gun” clone is still going strong.
There are films that age better than others. Thus, “The Monster Squad” is more revisited today than “The Goonies” (HBO Max). This is one of the most irreplaceable icons of the ’80s, but later films improved on the clichés pioneered by “The Goonies.” “The Monster Squad” was one of many imitations, and even it did flop upon its original release, but it found fans in later decades based on its sharper writing and edgier tone.
Same case for “The Big Trick,” which surpassed “The Illusionist” in every way imaginable. Both premiered in 2006, and were about theater magicians. “The Illusionist” and “The Prestige” (their original titles) were period dramas set in the late 19th century. Both told stories of artists working in the golden age of magicians. But if “The Illusionist” was a romantic scam, “The Prestige” was an amazing thriller that even questioned the very nature and structure of the narrative. “The Prestige” had the great Christopher Nolan behind the camera, no small feat. Large firms are the guarantee for more lasting success.
