Just hearing the name Zack Snyder seems to invoke wildly different impulses and reactions depending on which side of the filmmaker you sit. In one group you have the Snyder loyalists who saturate any and everything he puts out while pushing back on even the slightest criticism of his work. But just as feral and often more belligerent are the anti-Snyder mudslingers who never pass up on a chance to belittle and berate Snyder’s movies and his fans.

That brings us to his latest project, “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”. Mark it down, you can expect fans to love it and defend it till their dying breath. Meanwhile Snyder carpers will be chomping at the bit to tear it down early and often. But how is it really? Once you weed out the voices of the predisposed and get beyond the hyperbole and grandstanding, is “Rebel Moon” any good? It’s actually quite good although you can tell it’s only a slice of a bigger and better whole. The existence of a director’s cut is out there and this current cut all but confirms it.

To Snyder’s credit he gives us a good taste of this new original universe he has created. The world is full of vibrant and diverse locations. There are plenty of interesting people, races, and creatures. And the battle lines are clearly distinguished between an oppressive militaristic regime and the valiant group of rebels who rise up to fight back. But they’ll need a leader who can bring together the fiercest warriors from across the galaxy if they are to have any chance of winning.

That’s hardly what you would call an original story, but Snyder is fine with that. He hasn’t been shy about honoring his inspirations, and he doesn’t attempt to hide his open embrace of numerous classic science-fiction tropes. He has set out to make a dark space fantasy that plays like “Seven Samurai” meets “Star Wars”. It’s not that his story is bold and unique. It’s that it is unfolding with characters he has crafted and within a world he has created.

Still, this cut of “Rebel Moon” is more enticing than fulfilling. I found myself thoroughly riveted while in its world yet it left me needing more of it. For example, the action in this version feels sanitized, with the camera too often turning away to ensure a PG-13 rating (Snyder has said his full cut is wilder and edgier). But more than that, key supporting characters often feel like sketches rather than portraits. Their motivations are vague and their backgrounds (which in this movie play a big part in defining them) are mostly mysteries. More than anywhere else in the film, it’s here that the cuts stand out most.

The cast is made up of an intriguing array of talent led by Sofia Boutella. She plays Kora who lives a quiet life in a small, tight-knit farming village on the mostly peaceful planet of Veidt. Though considered independent, Veidt exists in the shadow of the Motherworld which is ruled by Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee). The Motherworld was once devoted to peace and prosperity. But following the mysterious assassination of its King, Queen and Princess, the then ambitious senator Balisarius rose to power. He created a massive military known as the Imperium and has used it to strengthen his reign and expand his empire.

Kora’s village is visited by an Imperium squad under the command of Admiral Atticus Noble (a fittingly vile Ed Skrein). He’s on a mission to hunt down and destroy pockets of resistance that are believed to be hiding among the outer planets. Noble forces the village into a pact to provide an unreasonable amount of grain for his armies. He gives them ten months to have it ready before showing them the consequences of failing him.

After a group of remaining Imperium soldiers attempt to rape a young local girl, Kora kills them all, revealing a side of herself she has kept hidden from her community. Due to her secret past with the Imperium, Kora knows Noble will retaliate after hearing his soldiers are dead. So she sets off to recruit warriors to help stand against the Imperium. She convinces a fellow villager named Gunnar (Michiel Huisman) who has connections with the resistance to accompany her. They’re helped off the planet by a mercenary and smuggler named Kai (Charlie Hunnam).

From there Snyder whisks us from one visually rich and interesting planet to the next, recruiting a new member to his band at each stop. They include a former Imperium general (Djimon Hounsou), a cyborg swordmaster (Bae Doona), a prince in bondage (Staz Nair), and a fierce freedom fighter (Ray Fisher). Together they make a formidable team despite many of them lacking in individual detail.

As with other Snyder movies, “Rebel Moon” features most of the filmmaker’s visual trademarks. There’s the jaw-dropping CGI, lots of stylish slow-motion, and crisply choreographed action sequences, all of it shot by Snyder himself. And as the story progresses we get several fun nods to past movies, television shows, and genres. As the full title clearly indicates, this is just the first part of Snyder’s opus. But he does bring it to a kinetic climax before setting up his next film due out in April.

Of course before the next film releases we will be getting the extended cut of Part One in early 2024. This begs the question, why release the first film like this? From every indication it was a Netflix decision. It seems Snyder was given the green light to “go nuts” and create whatever he wanted under the agreement that Netflix would release a neutered PG-13 version first. Was it to make a version of the film that was suitable for a broader audience? Was it some bizarre tactic to try and recreate the Snyder Cut zeal? Either way, this cut certainly entertained me. But what it did most was excite me for the potentially better extended cut that’s just around the corner.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS