Zack Snyder's Next Release Has One Shot To Prove Everyone Wrong About Rebel Moon Parts 1 & 2

Summary Director's cuts of Rebel Moon may be Snyder's last chance at redemption for the franchise.

Snyder's R-rated versions may fix some of the franchise's issues with character development and half-baked themes.

The challenge lies in releasing extended versions of Rebel Moon movies so soon after the originals.

Zack Snyder has the chance to prove spectators wrong about the Rebel Moon franchise with his next release, but the opportunity will likely be his last shot at redeeming his first two Rebel Moon movies. The 300 director's partnership with Netflix was exciting for fans who wanted to see what would come of his original epic space opera Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire. Responses to the first movie were incredibly divisive - though major takeaways from Rebel Moon - Part One's reviews suggested that many rallied for a bigger, better sequel despite the premiere landing so poorly.

A sequel would have the potential to learn from the mistakes of its predecessor, and spectators hoped Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver would develop the franchise's characters more thoroughly, compensate for Rebel Moon - Part One's plot and storyline, and better represent what Snyder could bring to the table. However, once Rebel Moon - Part Two's bad reviews started flooding in after its April 2024 release, it quickly became clear that the sequel flopped worse than the first. Unfortunately, at present, Snyder now has only one shot at bringing the Rebel Moon franchise back in favor of audiences and critics.

Movie Title Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver 14% 54% Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire 21% 58%

Related Rebel Moon: Part 2 Debuts To Zack Snyder’s Worst Rotten Tomatoes Score Ever Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver has now debuted on Rotten Tomatoes, and the sci-fi sequel earns the worst score of Zack Snyder’s career.

Rebel Moon's Extended R-Rated Versions Will Reveal Zack Snyder's Full Vision

Snyder's More Immersive Rebel Moon Vision May Change The Game For The Franchise

The director has long set intentions to release R-rated versions of the Rebel Moon movies, which is Snyder's best path toward redemption. As their release date approaches, increasing details have unfolded to give a better idea of what Snyder's fuller vision of the franchise had been before parts of Rebel Moon - Part One and Rebel Moon - Part Two were tweaked or changed. The R-rated versions will serve as extended director's cuts, adding an hour of never-before-seen footage and more violent and sexual themes to Rebel Moon - Part One and Rebel Moon - Part Two, respectively.

Snyder's R-rated Rebel Moon movies may not temper all the criticisms of the franchise thus far, but his extended versions do have a shot at fixing some of the films' major problems. The Rebel Moon franchise's reviews have few issues with its action or world-building choices, so the director's cuts could use their extended time and R-rated capability to fully immerse themselves in better developing Rebel Moon's eclectic characters and adult-skewed themes. It would be a feat, judging by the vigor of Rebel Moon’s criticisms, but Snyder has a history of releasing superior extended versions of movies on his side.

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Zack Snyder's Justice League Cut Already Sets A Great Precedent For His Extended Versions

Snyder's Justice League Cut Was Considerably Better Received Than The 2017 Theatrical Version

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Snyder was once a DCEU notability, making big movies for the media franchise - like Man of Steel and Batman v Superman - before personal tragedy caused him to step down from the near-finished production of Justice League and leave the DCEU altogether. Joss Whedon finished Justice League in his stead but could not make as much of an impact on critics and audiences as Snyder could, which was proven three years later by Snyder's higher-rated Justice League cut. Because Snyder's extended-cut magic worked so well with Justice League, his efforts may also give the Rebel Moon franchise a fighting chance.

Movie Title Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Zack Snyder's Justice League 72% 93% Justice League 40% 67%

The Justice League debacle confirms that Snyder's vision is most effective when it's not disrupted by time, cuts, and outside intervention.

Critics and audiences preferred Snyder's extended Justice League cut by considerable margins, praising its direction and 4-hour runtime for yielding a more cohesive, compelling, and consistent story. Fundamentally, the Justice League debacle confirms that Snyder's vision is most effective when unobstructed by time, tweaks, and outside intervention. Spectators can expect Rebel Moon's R-rated director's cuts to highlight Snyder at his best and that his efforts will translate into versions that pose fewer issues.

Snyder offers extended versions of many of his movies, such as Watchman, Sucker Punch, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Dawn of the Dead.

Rebel Moon's Extended Version Release Faces A Bigger Challenge Than Zack Snyder's Justice League

Rebel Moon's Extended Version Release Is Way Too Soon

While Snyder had a successful break with his Justice League cut, the extended version of the Rebel Moon movies will face a considerable challenge being released so soon after the originals. Zack Snyder's Justice League was released four years after the theatrical version, giving audiences ample time to mull over the downfalls of the original to better assess how the extended version could make improvements. According to Snyder's recent release date announcement, the gap between the original and R-rated Rebel Moon versions will be considerably shorter.

Snyder revealed that the Rebel Moon extended movies could be released as early as this summer. With mere months given to spectators to rewatch Rebel Moon - Part One and sit with the new Rebel Moon - Part Two, the extended versions, at a total six-hour runtime, may be hard to observe right off the bat of the originals. Seeing as Snyder aims to proceed with haste, the Rebel Moon extended movies will have to be fantastic enough to hold the attention of spectators, or else the franchise will be left to rely on a potential Rebel Moon 3 to redeem it.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes