Zack Snyder’s launch of his Rebel Moon project is a flawed effort, which nonetheless sets up a solid groundwork for a potential franchise, thanks to great world-building.

Sofia Boutella plays Kora, an exile from a ruthless intergalactic empire who lives a quiet and uneventful life in a small rural village on the moon of Veldt. This tranquillity changes with the arrival of the sadistic Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein). Under the obligation of assisting the Motherland in their battle against the rebels by providing their crops, Noble threatens the livelihood of the entire community. To save them, Kora embarks on a journey to recruit soldiers to increase their chances of survival.

The plot is undoubtedly reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), particularly its beginning during which the fighters are recruited. It wouldn’t be a surprise if, at least, part of the upcoming sequel also replicates the training of the townsfolk, besides the battle. Nevertheless, it would be beneficial if it deviates somewhat from this path (which, considering part of the dialogue, it feels like it might) to avoid being just an extended replica of the Japanese classic.

In any case, this clear influence is not the problem of the script. The true problem of Snyder’s writing is its overreaching pursuit of solemnity and drama, which backfires into extremely corny and robotic dialogue.

The acting does not help either. Although the goal might be to present a stoic portrayal of Kora, the truth is that Sofia Boutella’s character and performance are extremely dull. The rest of the performances and characters feel superfluous and underdeveloped, serving only to fill the search with purpose. The only one worth saving is Ed Skrein. Even though his character type (the over-expressive ruthless villain) is one we’ve seen in the past, his presence is truly felt as a threat every time he appears on screen.

One undisputable element in the film is its amazing production design and costuming. The variety of different sets and environments, depending on which planet we are on (heavily influenced by different cinematic genres and historical ages such as medieval, western, ancient, futuristic, and alien), and their connection to the different robes that the characters wear, show the great care with which Snyder built up an exciting cosmos for his story.

This is accompanied by what is also really good CGI work. The sole weak exception would be the sort of snake/leech creatures that Admiral Noble sticks to his body. The other non-humanoid beings that appear throughout the film, such as a sort of octopus creature that uses a human to communicate, a kind of large-sized raven, or a humanoid-spider, are some of the examples of well-imagined and visually integrated beings.

On the other hand, the action surrounding the film (some of it including these creatures) feels conventional. The flying sequences, the sword-wielding, or the shootouts (the lack of accuracy in this type of movie is reaching self-parody levels already) do not provide anything special. This is added to the annoying overuse of one of Snyder’s trademarks: slow-motion.

Alongside the slow-motion, we have the score, which is ever-present during the entire picture, but it is enhanced during such sequences. This element has me a bit on the fence. Its use in the movie feels cheesy and over-explanatory, but after having listened to Tom Holkenborg “Junkie XL”’s isolated work several times after watching the film, it has grown on me. Its distinctive mix of electronic and classical instrumentation with choir-based singing differentiates it from, for example, John Williams’ iconic work for Star Wars, but nonetheless, it keeps emotion and epic connotation at a high level.

At the end of the day, although Rebel Moon – Part One may not be a great movie, it is solid groundwork. This is even more impressive considering the challenge of rivalling the shadow of Star Wars (and Snyder’s missed opportunity to work for the sci-fi juggernaut, which turned into a readaptation) and the current giant of the genre, Dune. Netflix would do well to invest in this if they aspire to have an entertaining franchise in their hands. To top it off, the compelling cliff-hanger at the end already makes you want to watch the second instalment.