For a genre that has pretty much inspired an entire era of blockbusters, space opera has become strangely unlikely to surpass Star Wars. After the huge success of Lucasfilm’s original trilogy in the late ’70s, there were countless failed attempts by other studios to win themselves some fantasy dollars of that fine space, but Nobody is really helpful anywhere. Today, Disney’s horror movie The Black Hole is barely remembered, while Roger Corman’s Battle Beyond the Stars is perhaps only memorable for giving a certain James Cameron an early break with special effects. There’s even a James-Bond-in-space movie, Roger Moore’s Moonraker, though it’s hardly considered one of 007’s most intriguing adventures.
Move into the present day, and the space opera seems to have become something of a small-screen thing, thanks to Disney+’s endlessly satisfying carousel of Star Wars spinoffs and re-reads. We’ve been promised many movies set in a galaxy far, far away, but there’s no exact production start date and certainly no release date. Since the hugely disappointing The Rise of Skywalker trilogy, which killed off 2019, the only way to watch the space opera in theaters is to watch the latest episode of Guardians of the Galaxy or sign up for classic screenings. of old classics.
It’s probably fitting, then, that Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon will debut on Netflix, despite all its blockbuster styles. First introduced to Disney in the 00s as a potential adult Star Wars movie, it has since been reimagined as an extra-curricular activity, even though at first glance you may not know. The first trailer came out earlier this week, and boy does it sound like a movie conceived against a backdrop of Jedi knights, star destroyers, and giant death stars. There are even lightsabers and strangely nicknamed space princesses, along with an evil military organization called the Imperium that seems to be fighting an interplanetary insurgency.
Do you remember anything? If the first few frames feature a pair of Kurosawa-inspired robots trying to escape with an all-important hologram message while space chaos erupts around them, Snyder might have to explain. some thing.
At the same time, there are oversized deadly monsters, insectoid alien hybrids, and statue-like giants, so Snyder clearly went to great lengths to add one. something new to the space opera mix. And the sheer splendor of eye-popping cosmic glory on offer here means there’s always the temptation to find out what happens next, not least because the American filmmaker is so capable of creating some of the most glorious moments of the stylized fantasy spectacle that have ever been edited together.
The opening sequence of 2009’s Watchmen, with Bob Dylan’s chorus, blood and fire. The moment in 2016’s Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice when Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne recalls his parents’ brutal deaths in the streets of Gotham, the spiraling pearls fall in slow-motion torment. The brave scenes of Krypton’s death in 2013’s Man of Steel. Watch any of these on their own and you’ll think Snyder is an insurmountable celebrity filmmaker.
Probably so. Snyder’s Justice League footage was rightly praised a few years ago, the director somehow escaping studio pressure to create a clever, planned four-hour epic drama Stylish and loud open plan. Watchmen captured the majestic beauty of the comics in Alan Moore’s self-reflection superhero history book, even if purists (and the author himself) would never forgive for the freedom to change its story. At least two-thirds of Man of Steel is a great Superman movie, before the whole thing moves on to the final act of pixelated, fingertip-explosive farce. Should we give him another chance?
skip the previous newsletter promotion
after newsletter promotion
Netflix has clearly done so, as Rebel Moon is being introduced as the first installment of a two-movie set-up. Season one is titled A Child of Fire and hits theaters just before Christmas, while season two (The Scargiver) is scheduled to premiere in April 2024.
This is still the guy who made Batfleck utter the immortal saying: “They told me the world only makes sense if you force it to do so” in Dawn in Justice. Then again, George Lucas himself claims to be a lousy line writer, and Harrison Ford once said to him: “George, you can type this damn thing, but you can’t. say it” when referring to a particularly crappy Star Wars script. Maybe, just maybe, this time Snyder can do it.
Leave a Reply