Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
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A former soldier must assemble a band of warriors to defend a village from an oppressive imperialist force.
The story
In a fictional galaxy ruled by the imperialistic Motherworld, the military known as the Imperium threatens a village on the moon Veldt. Kora, a former soldier of the Imperium who was once a bodyguard to the royal family, discovers that the military is hunting for a band of rebels. To protect the villagers from the ruthless demands of the Imperium, Kora embarks on a dangerous journey across the galaxy. She must navigate through various territories to recruit a diverse group of warriors, including a disgraced general and a skilled swordswoman, to prepare for the inevitable arrival of the Imperial forces.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the assassination of Princess Issa, the ruthless Balisarius becomes regent of the Motherworld. Four years later, Admiral Atticus Noble arrives at the moon Veldt to seize grain from a local village. After the village leader refuses, Noble leaves his troops to oversee a forced harvest. Kora, a former soldier who was betrayed by the Imperium, teams up with a farmer named Gunnar to find allies. They travel to the port of Providence and recruit a variety of warriors: Tarak, a man who tamed a bennu; Nemesis, a cybernetic swordswoman; and Titus, a disgraced general. They also reach the planet Sharaan to meet the rebel siblings Devra and Darrian Bloodaxe. During a journey to a trade depot, the group is betrayed by a smuggler named Kai, who sells them out to Noble for bounties. A massive battle ensues; Darrian is killed, and Noble is seemingly defeated by Kora. However, Noble is later revived by Balisarius via an astral plane and ordered to capture Kora alive.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Zack Snyder
- Writers
- Zack Snyder · screenplay; Kurt Johnstad · screenplay; Shay Hatten · screenplay; Zack Snyder · story
- Cast and characters
- Sofia Boutella; Djimon Hounsou; Ed Skrein; Michiel Huisman; Bae Doona; Ray Fisher; Charlie Hunnam; Anthony Hopkins · Jimmy
- Genres
- space opera; science fiction; action
- Themes
- resistance; betrayal; imperialism
- Tone and mood
- epic; dark
- Premise and plot tags
- sci-fi; fantasy; space opera
- Source material / true-story basis
- Inspired by the works of Akira Kurosawa, the Star Wars films, and Heavy Metal magazines.
- Franchise connections
- Rebel Moon
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who praised its visual elements and action but criticized its story and derivative nature.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 4.2 · scale: 10 · review count: 182; Metacritic · score: 31 · scale: 100 · review count: 40
- Production trivia
- The project was originally conceived by Snyder in college.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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